OVERVIEW 1. Introduction

Bright Horizons is committed to providing the highest possible level of education for every child. We offer small classes, low student-teacher ratios, Montessori curriculum and materials and, most importantly, Montessori certified teachers. Dr. Maria Montessori established the AMI in 1929 to ensure her standards of training, theory and practice would be upheld. Sadly, there are many schools that bear the Montessori name without having the slightest connection to those high standards. Bright Horizons is the only school in the Orillia area that offers a true Montessori education. It is the only option for local parents seeking a non-denominational private school for elementary aged children.

Dr. Montessori recognized that the key formative years are those between birth and age six. The "absorbent minds" of young children enable them to absorb language and other knowledge, acquire skills, internalize order and learn through sensorial exploration more easily, quickly and completely than they will during the rest of their lives. Never will these sensitivities be more alive than in the preschool years, and never again will learning be so much fun. The goal of her method is not to fill the child with facts from a particular course of study, but rather to cultivate the child's own natural desire to learn. Each child progresses at his or her own pace, and by his or her own motivation, towards physical, mental, emotional and social development. Children with special needs thrive in this setting, and we welcome their enrollment at Bright Horizons.

As the popularity of Dr. Montessori's preschool program grew, she expanded into the elementary level, and in recent years Bright Horizons has undergone a similar expansion. Parents of our preschool "graduates" believed that they had made a sound investment in their children's future. Their children were independent, self-motivated, and had developed a positive attitude towards learning. Having established that foundation, they did not want their children to miss the most fruitful part of the Montessori experience by being withdrawn from the program just as they were beginning to unfold as young leaders, beginning readers and budding mathematicians. In response to parent demand, we opened an elementary classroom which serves children ages six to nine. Aided by a continued progression of Montessori materials, students are guided from concrete learning to reasoning, questioning and abstract thinking. Although Montessori preschool experience is preferred, it is not required for admission to our elementary program.

In the near century that has transpired since Dr. Montessori developed her methodology, educational research has confirmed her findings, which seem more relevant than ever today. A basic tenent of the Montessori method is that students should be assessed, not on their ability to recall facts, but on their application of skills and the demonstration of broad understandings and critical thinking. Experts estimate that by the time today's children enter college, the amount of knowledge in the world will have quadrupled, and by the time they turn 50, 97% of existing knowledge will have been developed since their birth. To prepare children for this explosion of information, the public school system is shifting its emphasis from teaching children a body of existing knowledge, to teaching the skills they will need to become life-long learners. This has been the primary focus of the Montessori method since its inception.

Montessori schools continue to grow in popularity as parents recognize the value of a preschool program that provides not merely supervision, but a firm foundation for life. We hope our students will learn to assume responsibility, develop a love of learning and of purposeful work and adopt attitudes and habits that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Next: The Teachers - Qualified, Experienced, and Montessori Certified.