Montessori schools vary by teacher and administration, so it is difficult to say if the one near you is a good fit. Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. You have to visit, you have to see how your child reacts to it, and you have to apply your instincts.
Some things I wish I had known to consider when I was checking out preschools for my son:
1. What they tell you about student teacher ratios can be misleading. My son's preschool boasted the lower ratio, but the teachers frequently stepped aside to do prep work or take their breaks, meaning that for most minutes of the day the ratio was, in fact, double. My daughter's preschool, on the other hand, had teachers who did all their prep work outside of the class time, and had staff that rotated in for breaks, meaning that the stated ratio was the actual ratio 100% of the time. The later on a visit sounded like it was more loosely supervised when it was, in fact, far far better supervised and proactive with the kids. It can make a giant difference. Your son's needs require that there be active, understanding teachers available to help him, and to notice what is going on with him, on a proactive basis.
2. What happens at recess? In my son's preschool, the teachers mostly worked on the side with the kids interested in crafts and games, only keeping a loose eye on the children on the equipment or just running around. At my daughter's preschool, the teachers had their eyes like hawks on all the kids all the time and were proactive in calming the activities of children more prone to getting overloaded or overwhelmed, and in keeping separate children who tended to end up in conflict.
3. Nap time policies vary a lot, and this period became the number 1 cause of issues and stress for my son. They were so rigid, no exceptions, and my child did not need to sleep for 2 hours. I had actually asked this question interviewing the school, but had been misled by the answer. Not intentionally, we just weren't speaking the same language. In preschool speak, a "non-napper" can be a child going home before nap time, or waiting for pick up shortly after the start, not a child that is allowed to choose alternate activities.
4. Remember that what your son is attracted to may not be what is best for him. Pay attention not only to how interested he seems in an environment, but also to how stressed he seems to be by it, and how his behavior is following exposure.
Preschool is so tough because lines are long and once you realize you've blown it, moving is very difficult. I've always felt like I blew it for my son, and wish I had done more to change it, but time has moved on and now we're long past all that. I don't envy you having to make this choice and survey right now.
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
11 Oct 2013, 11:49 am
