Question 1

Is Central Coast Montessori just a Preschool?

Accepted Answer

Central Coast Montessori offers progams from birth, through to upper Primary with Secondary (years 7 and 8) slated for 2027.

Question 2

What is the difference between Montessori and traditional education?

Accepted Answer

What distinguishes Montessori education from traditional schooling from the industrial revolution style schooling widely practiced today? For children under six, Montessori emphasises sensory-based learning, engaging all five senses, rather than solely relying on listening, watching, or reading. Students progress at their own pace and choose activities from a wide range of options. Instead of sitting passively in a group lesson, children participate in individual or small group projects with materials introduced personally by the educators, tailored to each child's readiness. This approach makes learning an engaging journey of discovery, building concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a lifelong love of learning.

For students over six, the focus shifts to developing independence through research, organising Going-Out Experiences, interviewing experts, and creating presentations, plays, art exhibits, musical performances, and science projects. The environment encourages creative exploration without traditional textbooks, scheduled lessons, or adult-led group instruction. While respecting each child's choices, students often surpass expectations typical of conventional education. Learning becomes a purposeful activity where children enjoy their studies, collaborate, and often teach one another, promoting a culture of sharing and inspired learning rather than competition.

Question 3

Why does Montessori have multi age classrooms?

Accepted Answer

Multi-age settings give us the flexibility to tailor the curriculum to meet each child's unique development and real life experience. We spend time with people of different sexes, ages and abilities/skills.

Children can progress at their own pace while still feeling connected within their peer community.

Additionally, having a range of ages in the same classroom encourages older children to take on leadership roles, fostering confidence and social skills—even for those who might be shy or reserved.

Question 4

Are Montessori schools affiliated with any religion?

Accepted Answer

No, they are not. Montessori education focuses on the development of the whole child without aligning with any religious beliefs or traditions. This approach fosters a classroom environment that is highly diverse, embracing students from various cultural, religious, and cultural backgrounds.

Question 5

Is Montessori a franchise/chain?

Accepted Answer

No, Montessori is not a franchise. The term 'Montessori' is not trademarked, so anyone—regardless of their training, experience, or affiliation—can open a school claiming to be Montessori.

It’s important for parents to research carefully to ensure they select an authentic Montessori program.

While there are larger chains in Australia, many of these centres are Montessori 'themed' rather than true Montessori schools, often using only some materials without proper guidance from trained Montessori educators.

Question 6

Is Montessori a cult?

Accepted Answer

No - but the question usually comes from people who haven’t looked very far into what Montessori really is. Montessori is a century-old, evidence-based approach to education, practised in thousands of schools worldwide.

Families can seem especially passionate, but that enthusiasm comes from seeing their children grow into confident, capable learners — not from secret handshakes.

Montessori communities are often close-knit because they are more than schools; they become villages of learning, dynamic ecosystems where children are offered purposeful, contextual, and experiential opportunities. If anything, Montessori is not a cult but a global movement for independence, curiosity, and lifelong learning.

Question 7

Given Montessori emphasises collaboration over competition, how do students prepare for real-world competitive situations later in life?

Accepted Answer

Montessori encourages children to focus on 'personal-best's', developing skills such as self-monitoring, self-correction, and other executive functions that support ongoing self-improvement.

Students build confidence in their strengths and learn constructive ways to address areas needing growth with daily experiences in mixed age environment's that concretely present peers not only working on diverse topics but at different stages immerses student in an unlimited space within which they exist and work daily.  This builds self-belief and develops resilience for future challenges.

Question 8

Why do your classrooms look so different to regular classrooms? Where does the teacher sit? Where are the rows of desks?

Accepted Answer

The unique organisation of a Montessori classroom reflects its distinct educational philosophy.

Instead of positioning the teacher as the central figure, with children relying entirely on him/her for instruction, the environment is designed to be child-centred.

Children usually work at tables or on floor mats, where they can freely spread out their learning materials.

The 'guide' (not 'teacher') moves around the space, offering lessons, guiding individual students, or addressing issues as they come up, fostering independence and self-directed learning.

Question 9

Do Montessori schools match the academic standards of traditional schools?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. our Montessori programs are fully accredited by the educational governing bodies ACECQA and NESA.

Our programs emphasise developing a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles behind skills and concepts, rather than merely practising isolated techniques through repetition.

The achievements of former Montessori students showcase the strength of this approach, with many going on to excel in secondary and tertiary education, often surpassing their peers from industrial revolution style approaches to education.

Question 10

Are Montessori children successful later in life?

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that children educated in Montessori environments tend to be well prepared for future challenges across academic, social, and emotional domains. Beyond performing well on standardised tests, Montessori students often excel in skills such as following instructions, completing tasks on time, listening carefully, applying fundamental skills, demonstrating responsibility, asking insightful questions, displaying enthusiasm for learning, and adapting to new situations.

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