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Montessori Preschool / Kindergarten

Ages 3 – 6 years

“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.”—Dr. Maria Montessori

Preschool matters—not just a little, but in a life-changing way. Montessori education has helped children flourish for over 100 years. On January 6, 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician, opened her first preschool, called the Casa Dei Bambini (Children’s House) in a working-class, underprivileged community in Rome. Her preschool students flourished and outperformed more privileged children in elementary school assessments. Word spread, and soon Montessori preschools operated across Europe, America, and India.

Today, authentic Montessori schools like LePort deliver the same amazing results. Do your research. With the growing popularity of Montessori, many preschools use the name to market themselves; yet as it isn’t trademarked, only some actually deliver on the Montessori promise. Read on to learn what makes for a quality Montessori preschool—and how your child can flourish in preschool at LePort Montessori.

The LePort Montessori Preschool Difference

A consistent, three-year mixed-age community:

Ages 3-6, including kindergarten, in one classroom, staying with the same teaching team for three years (vs. narrow age-groupings with annual teacher changes from the threes to the fours, and so on).

Highly-trained, Montessori certified Head Teachers

…providing thoughtful, individual guidance to each child. LePort Head Teachers have completed an accredited, year-long Montessori training program, and many have Bachelor’s degrees, far exceeding the minimum standards required for preschool teachers. We publish the bios of our teaching staff on each school’s web page, so you can see how well-qualified our teachers are.

Uninterrupted, child-led time to deeply explore and concentrate,

…at each child’s individual pace (vs. herding children from one adult-led activity to the next).

A full set of scientifically designed Montessori learning materials,

…covering practical living/independence skills, sensorial exploration/science, language, and math. We offer different, enriched learning opportunities that extend beyond the toys you already have at home. LePort invests in equipping classrooms with all the essential Montessori materials, not just a subset. This includes advanced materials like the Large Bead Frames or the Botany Cabinet, to challenge students through kindergarten, and expensive materials, like the Montessori Bells used for music education.

A beautiful, carefully prepared environment.

When you visit a LePort school you will see: flowers on low wooden tables, bright classrooms, no clutter, and a quiet, peaceful hum of engaged learning. The classrooms are designed for the children—to show respect to the children and create an environment where they are called to be their best selves.

An established, professionally-run group of schools.

LePort was founded in 2000, by Dr. Peter LePort, an Orange County physician-entrepreneur who wanted a high-quality Montessori school for his children, one that also excelled at customer service to parents. Today, LePort offer authentic Montessori and a great parent experience to families in Southern California.

Learn More: Montessori Pedagogy and Outcomes

Download Checklist: Take notes as you compare Montessori schools

What parents say about LePort Montessori Preschool

Schedule a Tour

Schedule an in-person or virtual tour that is personalized to your needs. Learn more about our authentic Montessori programs, schedules, and tuition.

By providing us with your phone number, you consent to being contacted by LePort Montessori and/or its affiliated schools regarding their educational programs, whether such contact is by phone, autodialer, recorded message, or text. Please note: Your consent is not required as a condition of enrollment.

Pedagogy

Practical Life

Independence, motor skills, and executive function skills

Confidence and joy comes from being the master of your body and mind, from being able to do for yourself, rather than being dependent on others. In the Practical Life area of the Montessori preschool classroom, children learn, step-by-step, how to take care of their own needs, and how to contribute to their community. They prepare snack. They clean up after themselves. They take care of plants. They paint, draw, cut, sew. Engaged by the adult activities that preschoolers urgently want to participate in, they develop gross and fine motor skills, build their attention span—and become independent, capable, confident young people ready to tackle the opportunities of elementary school.

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Sensorial

Where young scientists are born

Children are learning to observe carefully and to categorize and organize their ideas, so they can easily recall what they learn in elementary and into their college experience. The scientifically-designed Montessori sensorial exercises—pairing and grading, matching exercises, blocks and more—focus a child’s attention on attributes such as size, color, musical tone. Children learn to tune in and use all their senses to explore their world to the fullest. They develop the ability to see, hear, smell, even taste and touch deliberately—and gain the broad vocabulary needed to describe and conceptualize their observations and experiences.

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Language

A joyful way to learn to write, then read—by kindergarten

Learning to write and read can be a struggle for six- or seven-year-olds. In Montessori, it’s a joy—for four- and five-year-olds! Dr. Montessori discovered that the best age to learn to write and read effortlessly is in preschool. With Montessori materials—such as Sandpaper Letters to associate shape and sound—most Montessori preschoolers who join LePort by age three are well on their way to being readers by age six. As each child is different, and instruction in Montessori is individualized, some children won’t read well by age six. Even children with learning differences, though, benefit from the phonetic, hands-on approach to writing and reading, and the ability to identify emerging difficulties early, when intervention is most productive.

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Mathematics

A love of math at a young age—and a confidence in working with large numbers

Math in Montessori goes far beyond counting. With colorful, carefully sequenced, hands-on materials, Montessori children discover the meaning of the four operations of arithmetic, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide with numbers into the thousands, far exceeding Kindergarten standards. Most importantly, they learn to enjoy working with numbers and are well prepared to enthusiastically embrace math in elementary school.

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Cultural Studies and Geography

Building the background knowledge needed for reading comprehension

One key difference between students who flourish in later elementary school, and those who flounder, is the amount of knowledge they have of the world. Reading comprehension requires knowing the subject you read about. Montessori preschool systematically builds a child’s vocabulary at a time when the child’s mind is ready to absorb words like a sponge (what Dr. Montessori called the Absorbent Mind). Leaf shapes (a cordate leaf), geometry (trapezoid), names of countries, types of rock (metamorphic), animal and plants (pistil and petals): the world is the Montessori child’s oyster, and the pearls of learning a child takes with them after three years in Montessori preschool and kindergarten are beautiful.

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Photos and Videos

See LePort’s Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs in action

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Work Samples

Examples of the work LePort students create, in Montessori preschool and kindergarten

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Schedule a Tour

Schedule an in-person or virtual tour that is personalized to your needs. Learn more about our authentic Montessori programs, schedules, and tuition.

By providing us with your phone number, you consent to being contacted by LePort Montessori and/or its affiliated schools regarding their educational programs, whether such contact is by phone, autodialer, recorded message, or text. Please note: Your consent is not required as a condition of enrollment.

© Copyright 2023, LePort Montessori
Spring Education Group is controlled by Primavera Holdings Limited, an investment firm (together with its affiliates) principally based in Hong Kong with operations in China, Singapore, and the United States, that is itself owned by Chinese persons residing in Hong Kong.

Stay in touch with LePort Montessori

Please fill out the form to receive additional info, as well as invitations for upcoming event. If you share your phone number, our admissions team will call to answer your questions or set up a tour.

By providing us with your phone number, you consent to being contacted by LePort Montessori and/or its affiliated schools regarding their educational programs, whether such contact is by phone, autodialer, recorded message, or text. Please note: Your consent is not required as a condition of enrollment.