Little Sprouts FAQ
Yes. With guidance from your child’s teacher, each student is responsible for his or her own work and play experiences. Choosing tasks and specific materials are almost always up to the child. By carefully observing each child, teachers help determine which lessons and materials are appropriate for future learning. Some students may reach certain sensitive periods of learning and feel ready for reading, writing, or simple addition and subtraction, while others might be sensitive to practical life, geography, or art.
The Montessori classroom uses a holistic approach that emphasizes freedom of movement, fostering independent learning, and the use of uniquely designed tactile materials designed by Maria Montessori. The beauty of our program lies in the welcoming balance of comforting routine, tempered with flexibility to meet the needs of each child. One day you may find each child working on a separate “work” individually. On another day, children may be engaged in small group activities or working with peers on a challenging work. The children are naturally drawn to the rich variety of materials available to them. Children are encouraged to explore materials that emphasize practical life skills, exploration of the senses, language, math, zoology, botany, geography, music, and art.
No. Not all young children want or need a daily program. Our flexible program enables families to choose which days and times work best for each child. Families choose from two to four days per week (Tuesday/Thursday or Wednesday/Friday or all four days), with either half or full days.
We have an excellent teacher/student ratio of 1:6, with two head teachers and one aide in a classroom capped at eighteen students. This allows for each child to receive more one-on-one presentations from the teacher on a regular basis. These lessons are individualized to meet each child’s particular needs and learning styles.
No. You may start at any time during the year for most classes if there is still space in the class.
Little Sprouts reserves the right to ask a student to leave the program if it is felt his/her needs are not being met, or if the student’s behavior is unmanageable or detracts from the experience of others in the program. Facilitators of the program and the Board of Directors will work together to make these decisions. The parent or guardian will be contacted about specific concerns prior to any action.
Yes. We expect students to be independent in managing their toilet needs. If, however, a child has physical or other developmental issues that preclude being potty-trained, we can work with families to develop a plan that will work with the child’s needs.
No. While Little Sprouts does not label or “track” students, due to our size and limited resources, there are children who have needs that cannot be accommodated by our program. While we can occasionally accommodate students with minor special needs who are high functioning, we are not a special needs school.
Registration is completed online. A pre-admission interview is conducted before your child starts at Little Sprouts. The parent/guardian will meet with the administrator, tour the center, meet the staff members, and discuss the child’s classroom orientation. Your questions and a detailed explanation of the program will be discussed. A child is considered enrolled in the program only after the registration and materials fees have been received, the administrator confirms the availability of space, and the required paperwork is received.
Enrollment for new families is on a trial basis for both parties. Within 90 days of starting the program, the parent/guardian may remove the student from the program or drop classes from the student’s schedule for any reason, without further financial obligation other than (1) the full tuition through the end of the month in which the student officially notifies Little Sprouts of intent to drop any classes or leave the program (LOL must be notified in writing or via email), (2) material fees for the entire year, and (3) any unpaid tuition and/or class fees. After 90 days of enrollment, new families are obligated to pay the full tuition for the remainder of the program year.
Having a wide range of ages in the classroom allows for children to learn through peer observation and also reinforces their own learning through modeling to younger children. Older children develop a strong sense of accomplishment from helping and teaching younger children, while younger children benefit from the modeling and guidance of their older classmates. A multi-age classroom also allows for a broad scope of materials in the classroom that meet a child according to his or her particular needs, as opposed to just age.
Teachers regularly observe children in the environment. They note their interests, works they are mastering, and areas where they may need more support. Twice a year, teachers create an evaluation that reflects each child’s progress. These reports are completed in February and at the end of the year.
The Little Sprouts classroom provides a strong foundation for each child. In addition to exposure to academics, children are encouraged to nurture their independence and sense of accomplishment through choosing materials on their own. Teachers regularly present new materials to children as they progress through more complex works in the classroom. Through our detailed evaluations and parent-teacher communication, parents and teachers can work together to decide on a positive placement for the upcoming year.
At Leaves of Learning, we do not focus on testing as much as in a traditional school setting. We believe that each child’s success and growth is something to celebrate and cannot be measured entirely through testing. However, we fully grasp the importance of monitoring each child’s progress to ensure growth. Any assessments that are given in Little Sprouts will feel more like a game than an assessment. In fact, almost all of the assessments given in Little Sprouts are conducted by observing children as they do “works” off of the shelf.
All children enrolled in Little Sprouts will receive a thorough evaluation mid-year and at the end of the year that provides their families with detailed information about the many learning experiences they have had.
All children enrolled in Little Sprouts will receive a thorough evaluation mid-year and at the end of the year that provides their families with detailed information about the many learning experiences they have had.
Yes, a child may enroll in Little Sprouts kindergarten part-time. However, we believe that children learn best when they are able to practice new foundational skills, such as reading, in small amounts of time over the course of many days. For this reason, we strongly recommend that children who attend Little Sprouts kindergarten also engage in regular reading, writing, and math learning experiences at home to solidify these foundational skills.