Nido Program
“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed. But not only his intelligence; the full totality of his psychic powers.”
Enrollment Requirements
To enroll in the Nido Program your child must be at least 10 weeks of age and able to bottle feed comfortably and regularly.
MSM has both morning (8:30 AM - 11:00 AM) and full-day (8:30 AM - 3:15 PM) programs from Monday through Friday.
Infants with older siblings at MSM will be given enrollment priority in addition to families that have previously been part of Montessori + Me.
We are proud to introduce our newest class, Nido, a place for our youngest students. The Nido room will serve children from 10 weeks of age to 1.5 years. Nido is the Italian word for nest and that is exactly what this class is—a nest for our smallest children to grow and develop according to Maria Montessori’s philosophy.
Our Nido program focuses on the same principles as the older Montessori classes - grace, courtesy and independence. We introduce these concepts at this impressionable time by using modeling and consistency. This means that we are careful to behave how we would like the children to behave. We keep our materials simple - focusing on textures, shapes and weights - and limit the number of items available at any given time. None of our materials are battery operated. All our children are free to explore and interact with everything in the room. We encourage self-exploration but sit with the children to demonstrate or explain how materials are used when it is warranted.
One major aspect of our program is teaching children about personhood and self respect. This includes going slowly and engaging a child in even the most basic aspects of the day (including diapering or feeding). Throughout the day, we use language, tone, touch and eye contact to convey our respect for the children. We also make sure to provide each child with individual, undistracted time, especially during self-care activities.
As an example of what we do in the program: We work with the children on table manners. We expect them to sit at the table while eating and drinking, keep their hands to themselves and off other children’s plates, and clean up after the meal. We use real tableware to introduce the weight and texture of spoons and dishes. We make sure to call all items by their names.
The child is prepared for advancement to the Bambini class.
“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From this almost mystic affirmation there comes, what may seem a strange conclusion, that education must start at birth.”