Mission Statement

Whole Child Montessori Center is dedicated to providing an exceptional Montessori environment encompassing children, parents and teachers alike in an atmosphere of acceptance and trust, with a profound reverence for life, in order to inspire in each child’s innermost core a love of learning, self, others and the world.

Registration and Affiliation

Whole Child is an accredited Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) school. It is registered with the Oregon Department of Education and affiliated with the Oregon Montessori Association (OMA), the North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA) and the Oregon Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS). Whole Child has no religious affiliation and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin or religion.

Our Space

Whole Child enjoys a state-of-the-art facility specially designed and built with young children in mind. One special characteristic of the classroom environment is the lack of separation between the indoor and outdoor areas.

The natural world beyond the classroom becomes an extension of each indoor environment and is used to further the learning experience. The design of the beautiful garden invites children to move freely in its open spaces, encouraging them to master body movements while exploring and discovering their natural surroundings. Bordered by majestic trees and enclosed by a wooden fence, the children’s garden imparts a sense of peace and security.

Beyond the garden, the classrooms offer a rich indoor environment waiting to be explored. The rooms themselves are light and airy as well as being scaled to children. The classrooms impart a strong sense of order and create an atmosphere conducive to natural and spontaneous learning. The learning environment is so seamless; it is often easy to overlook the underlying structure of the Montessori materials and curriculum.

Staff

Whole Child has a regular staff of six: the Head of School, her assistant, two Montessori-trained teachers, and their assistants. Assistants aid the teachers by helping each child to work constructively and independently and by helping to nurture a harmonious atmosphere.

The Montessori teacher is the vital link between the child and the environment. In leading a group, sharing a discovery or helping to reconcile a difference, she speaks gently and with calm assurance or delight, according to each situation. Her movements provide a model of grace and courtesy for the children to follow. Whether the Montessori teacher helps a child to initiate a familiar activity or gives a lesson in how to use a new material, she always strives to recognize and respect the developmental progression and unique potential in each child. Her training enables her to observe in a careful and unobtrusive way, allowing her to guide each child in the activity best suited to that individual at that moment. Lesson planning and record keeping are important aids in this task.

In addition to college diplomas, our Montessori teachers hold diplomas from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the organization founded by Dr. Montessori. AMI offers a rigorous graduate course in child development, Montessori philosophy and curriculum and is recognized internationally for maintaining the highest standards, philosophical integrity and professional training.

All staff members participate in local and regional workshops and conferences and attend professional In-Service days. Emergency First Aid and CPR training is provided on an ongoing basis. Whole Child has very little teacher attrition and benefits greatly from the combined total of over 50 years of Montessori teaching and experience.

History

Whole Child began in the home of a Montessori-trained teacher and mother in 1983. Word of this little classroom with happily engaged children spread quickly, and soon the group doubled in size. One year later, the school moved out of the home and into classroom space at All Saints Episcopal Church. The parents of these children became a close community of friends united in their desire to be active parents wholly involved in their young children’s lives. They also shared a keen interest in learning more about Montessori and how to incorporate this approach at home. Their support and enthusiasm for the program provided the impetus for its growth.

In 1987, a second class was started. It was at this time that the dream for building a specially designed space responsive to the needs of young children became a reality as the school broke ground across the street at its present location at 5909 SE 40th Avenue. The school moved in the fall of 1989. In 1992, Whole Child took the important step of incorporating as a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable organization to ensure the school?s perpetuity and hold it in trust for future generations of children.

In keeping with its vision for the future, the school undertook re-designing its space in 2004 and added a Community Room and other amenities. Since its inception twenty-five years ago as the first Montessori program in inner-southeast Portland, Whole Child has maintained its commitment to strong parent and community involvement while providing a holistic Montessori education to hundreds of children.

What Parents Say

Not only is Whole Child an amazing and positive experience for our kids, but for our whole family as well. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve enjoyed working with people who are so passionate about what you do and how you pursue it. It is an inspiration.

Our school community is the kind of conscious and caring community that people dream of when they pick a pre-school?it is the kind of deeply felt sense of belonging and pride that Whole Child fosters that brings forth the abundant expression of giving just the right things.

Because of Whole Child, a place that is informed everyday by incredible enthusiasm, excitement, care and concern, our children can take that step into the larger world with joy and anticipation. They take with them confidence in themselves, concrete skills and a mind to think how to use them, a genuine respect for others, compassion and caring, and a knowledge that they have an important role in our world.