Q: How can parents tell if their child might be suited for learning in a Montessori-style environment?
A: “The parent would have to really look at what is important to them,” says Erin Mandalscino, director of primary classroom at Ruffing Montessori School. “If fostering independence is important to them, if poise and grace and courtesy and all of the skills that go into developing character are important to them, then a Montessori education is really a great way to achieve that. A Montessori education is very child-centered, and it fosters not only the cognitive realm, but the whole child — their social, emotional and physical domains of development. They really develop a deep sense of personal independence and personal responsibility.”
