Montessori-- what's your schools policy on full day/half day? UPDATE #31

[Flor]

Just wondering, AGAIN. Our school is AMI and requires 4 year olds to start full time (8-2.45 Monday-Friday). I managed to convince the director to let ds wait till he was 4.5 to start full time, but now another mama has a kid ready to turn4 and the director i s giving her a hard time about wanting to keep her dd half time. He insist that this is just the Montessori way, but from reading this board, it seems there is a lot of differences between schools. Could you tell me your school's policy and if it is AMI or AMS or other.

Our school:

2-4 yo Can be full time or part (8-12 4 or 5 days).
4-15 full time (8-2:45 5 days a week)

AMI

[mightymoo]

We are AMS, not sure how that affects things.

Children's house is either half day or full day, for the full 3 years, so there is no requiring anyone to go full time, until you reach lower elementary which is only full time.

The classes are seperate, a class is either full day or half day. If I wanted my DD to go full time, I'd have to put her into one of the full time classrooms, changing teachers. We don't have some kids who leave at noon and the rest stay to 3 all in the same classroom.

[nkm1968]

If I were you I'd ask Lillianna...

she is an AMI trained primary directress...my oldest daughter went to an AMI Montessori ages 3 to 9, and although she was in the All Day Community (I WOTH) from 8:00am to 4 ish, the other 2 primary classes had first and second year (and some immature 3rd years that would be staying for a 4th year as 6 year olds) kids come from 8:30 to 11:30 am five days a weeks, and the 5 and 6 year olds came from 8:30am to 3pm five days a week. But they really wanted kids to start by age 3, and there were no 3 or 4 day options (although a few wealthy parents paid the regular tuition and just sent their kids 3 or 4 days, but the school really made a huge deal about it).

[arratt]

AMI school

Nest 12-36 months 8:30-11:30 / 4 days

Primary (3-6 yo)
3-4.5 yo 8:30-11:30 / 5 days
4.5-6 yo 8:30-2:45 / 5 days

From what I understand though, the children are evaluated for transition on an individual basis if they are close to moving classrooms or staying for the afternoon, some are ready before others.

[KBecks]

The school we are considering has AMI and AMS certified teachers, no affiliation with either org.

3 and 4's go 8 to 11:30; 5's go 8 to 3:30. All kids go 5 days a week. I like this setup although 8 will be an early start for us to adjust to.

[andreac]

Our school is 3 & 4s can go full or half, mixed into the same classroom. All kids in the "kindergarden" year stay for the full day. 1/2 day is 9-12 and full day is 9-3. Oh and all kids must go 5 days from the beginning. You also have the option at any point of adding in some full days, but there is a minimum of 3 days per week to try and keep some consistancy in the classroom.

[bbtwins]

AMS school

full day or half day, your choice.

[Flor]

Originally Posted by bbtwins

AMS school

full day or half day, your choice.

For all ages?

[wrzos]

Our school is AMI. The 3 and 4 year olds go 1/2 day, then the 5 and 6 (if they stay that year) go full day. Basically, when you turn 5 you start full day. Not sure if that change happens mid-year based on your b-day or not, as my ds is only 3.

[Lillianna]

My experience has been that for the majority of schools in the US (whether AMI, AMS or neither) is that 3 and 4 year olds go for the 3 hour work cycle only and children in the 3rd year (5 or 6 years) stay for the full day. This is an American adaptation. Originally (and internationally) all students attend for a full day. Of course, many schools have all-day classes with extended hours for working parents.
I think it's a benefit to have a child attend for the extended hours (if they are interested) but many 4 year olds are still taking an afternoon nap. How do they accomodate this?

[arwenevenstar]

[QUOTE=Lillianna;10454757]My experience has been that for the majority of schools in the US (whether AMI, AMS or neither) is that 3 and 4 year olds go for the 3 hour work cycle only and children in the 3rd year (5 or 6 years) stay for the full day. This is an American adaptation. Originally (and internationally) all students attend for a full day. Of course, many schools have all-day classes with extended hours for working parents.
I think it's a benefit to have a child attend for the extended hours (if they are interested) but many 4 year olds are still taking an afternoon nap. How do they accomodate this?[/QUOTE]


Our school has a nappers program for the children that are not yet 5 but stay full days. They move out of the classroom into the specific nappers room, eat their meal together, sing, read a story and then get out their mats to sleep.

This works well, but for children who don't nap, the program gives no leaway. In an ideal world we would have two rooms, one for the napping children and one with quiet activities, handcrafts or yoga or reading with the non-nappers.

[Flor]

Most of the 4 year olds don't nap regularly, but they can nap if they wish with the 2/3 year olds. It is a quiet room connected to the main classroom.

[jyurina]

I am an assistant teacher at an AMI school so I will give you the basics on the whys and wherefores of this thinking. Children experience an EXPLOSION around their 4th birthday of learning and understanding. They tend to have large chunks of focus time and are literally like sponges ready to absorb every concept that comes their way. I have personally this year seem a 4 year old move to full days and advanced from basic sounds to word building, basic quantity 1-5 to the beginnings of teen/tens comprehension. All this in a month! Will every child do this? No, but we do see that kids that have the oppportunity to have two full work periods become very active and responsible in their education.

[bbtwins]

I guess I should explain a little more, sorry my post was so short.

It's a Montessori for ages 2-6:
1/2 day (9-12noon) for all ages. and optional extended day until 3 for 4-6 year olds. To accomodate working parents it also has childcare after class until 6pm, that is what I should have said about full day being your choice.

My boys (4yrs on Feb 20) go 1/2 day because they are still very tired in the afternoon - maybe next year (when they are closer to 5) I will add extended days a couple times a week.

My school doesn't require 5 days/week, which I like. My boys go to a speech class (public school early intervention) 2 days/week so it works well for our schedule.

I didn't know much about Montessori when I first looked into their school, but I am glad I did - it has been wonderful for my VERY ACTIVE, VERY CURIOUS, boys.

[Flor]

Originally Posted by jyurina

I am an assistant teacher at an AMI school so I will give you the basics on the whys and wherefores of this thinking. Children experience an EXPLOSION around their 4th birthday of learning and understanding. They tend to have large chunks of focus time and are literally like sponges ready to absorb every concept that comes their way. I have personally this year seem a 4 year old move to full days and advanced from basic sounds to word building, basic quantity 1-5 to the beginnings of teen/tens comprehension. All this in a month! Will every child do this? No, but we do see that kids that have the oppportunity to have two full work periods become very active and responsible in their education.

This is what our director says, too, BUT. . .

It just doesn't seem very "Montessori" for every child to start going full days the day after their 4th birthday which is what our school does. I can see that it might be different for different children. My own concern has more to do with emotions than academics. I can see that he is academically able to do a full day, but he is a very introverted child and I think that being out of the home for a full day is mentally exhausting to an introvert. I can see that many children are ready, I just can't say that all of them are.

[Zadee]

AMI

1/2 days 4/days week in Young Children's Community (toddlers)
1/2 days 5/days week in Primary (ages 3ish - 5ish)

Children move to full day in Primary when, in the judgement of the Directress and the parent, the child is developmentally ready to handle a full day.

Full day in lower and upper Elementary (grades 1 - 6)

[Flor]

I'm going to have to go talk to the director soon. Full day is exhausting our family. Ds has not napped in 2 years. If he takes even a 15 min nap, he is up an extra 3 hours in the evening. Everytime. Now, he has started napping at school. He is putting himself to sleep with the 2/3 yo. In my opinion, if the child is can not even stay awake at school, then he doesn't need to be there! I don't need him there, I work part time. After school, he comes home burnt out and just wants to lay on the couch and veg. Then, at bedtime, he's wound up because he took a nap. The director feels that 4 yos going full day is the "Montessori way." I think I'll just pay for full day and pick him up half day. We've tried it for 7 weeks now and its just not getting better.

[Terabith]

You know, I'm feeling really angry at your director. Even if it is the "Montessori way" for four yr olds to go full day (which certainly does not seem to be at all universal), it is obviously not a great thing for your son. He should not have to go full day. There is no reason, if he is fried emotionally from being there and is putting himself to nap with the younger ones, he's not even getting any academic stuff out of it. (Which is not at all the main point, even.) You don't need him to be there. The director knows you aren't thrilled with it. He should go half days and you should pay for half days. This is ridiculous.

[Ilaria]

AMI here:

2.5 years till 4= 3 hours a day
4 to 5= 4.5 hours a day
5 to 6= 6 hours a day
Grade school = 7 hours a day
Middle and high school = 8.5 hours a day

[DahliaRW]

AMS. The school is only ages 18 months - 6 years (so through kindergarten). Kids in the youngest classroom, 18 months - 2 yrs 8 months as of August 31st go 4 half days. Kids older than that can go 4 half days, 5 half days, or any combination of full/half days up to 4 full days and one half day (Fridays are half day regardless). You do not have to go full day at all.