The Montessori Method

What is Montessori — and why does it work?

Plain answers to the questions every family asks before enrolling — no jargon, just what it actually looks like for your child.

Why it works

A method that has been studied for over 100 years

The Montessori method was developed over a century ago by Italian physician and scientist Maria Montessori, and it has been studied, tested, and refined across cultures ever since. A national study published in 2025 confirmed what Montessori educators have long observed: children who attend Montessori preschools have measurably stronger academic skills by the end of Kindergarten.

But research is only half the story. What matters to your family is what it looks like day to day — so here is exactly what your child does at LSAOC, and what it builds.

Our description of the method draws on the American Montessori Society's introduction to Montessori. Read AMS on what Montessori is and on why families choose it.

A boy arranges red number cards and counters on a work rug

Montessori, as parents see it

Montessori, explained

A day in the classroom

What your child actually does at LSAOC

In a Montessori classroom, children choose their work from a carefully prepared set of materials — activities designed to build real skills in reading, math, language, and self-care. A child might spend 40 minutes deeply focused on counting beads to understand place value, then move to tracing letter shapes, then practice pouring water without spilling. This is not free play. It is purposeful, structured work — with the structure built into the materials themselves rather than imposed from a whiteboard.

Deep focus

The task-completion and concentration skills that define real 1st Grade readiness.

Genuine mastery

True understanding of reading and math foundations — not memorization that fades.

Self-regulation

The ability to manage attention, impulse, and frustration — independently.

Real confidence

The quiet confidence that comes from succeeding at real, meaningful work.

The prepared environment

Five areas. Real skills. One classroom.

Practical Life

Pouring, cleaning, organizing, and the social courtesies that make a child confident in the world — while building the fine-motor control reading and writing require.

Sensorial

Hands-on activities that sharpen each of the five senses, building the precise observation skills that underlie strong math and science thinking.

Language

Children begin with letter sounds, progress to letter names and shapes, then to reading. Most LSAOC preschool graduates are reading before Kindergarten.

Mathematics

Concepts are introduced through concrete materials children can touch and move before they meet an abstract number on a page — building genuine understanding, not just calculation.

Cultural Studies

Geography, Botany, Zoology, History, Music, and Art through hands-on materials — children leave with a sense of the wider world and the curiosity to keep exploring it.

See it for yourself

The best way to understand the prepared environment is to stand in one. Tours run weekday mornings.

Schedule a Tour

Common questions, honest answers

The questions every family asks

Is Montessori too unstructured? Will my child fall behind?

This is the most common concern we hear, and it is a fair one. The honest answer is no. Montessori classrooms have clear structure — it lives inside the materials and the daily rhythm rather than in whole-class instruction. Research consistently shows Montessori children are academically ahead of their peers by Kindergarten, particularly in reading and executive function.

How will I know what my child is learning?

Through regular conversations with your child's teacher and daily updates via our Brightwheel app. We also offer Parent-Teacher Conferences twice a year. Montessori learning does not happen invisibly — it happens in front of you, and we make sure you can see it.

My family values discipline and high standards. Does Montessori match that?

Yes — and in a specific way. Montessori builds self-discipline, not just compliance. A child who can focus independently for 40 minutes and return materials to their proper place has developed something far more durable than a child who only follows instructions when asked. That inner discipline is what sets children up for long-term achievement.

Will my child be ready for 1st Grade?

Yes. LSAOC graduates enter 1st Grade with strong reading foundations, solid math concepts, and the executive-function skills — focus, self-regulation, task completion — that teachers consistently say matter most.

A method in good company

Montessori graduates you may recognize

Larry PageSergey BrinJeff BezosGabriel García MárquezStephen Curry

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, attended Montessori schools. So did Jeff Bezos, Gabriel García Márquez, and Stephen Curry. The range is the point — curiosity, focus, and independent thinking show up across fields, cultures, and disciplines, which is exactly what Montessori is designed to cultivate.

Read the research

Three pieces worth your time

If you would like to read what the research says before you visit, start here.

Evaluating Montessori Education — Science

A study comparing Montessori students' academic and social outcomes with those of other school programs.

Read the article →

The Opposite of Play — The Montessori Foundation

On the research behind play and why it is central to how children's brains develop.

Read the article →

Education by Design — on Julia Child

A short piece on Julia Child, who credited her Montessori schooling for her love of working with her hands.

Read the article →

See it in person

Reading about Montessori can only tell you so much.

When you walk into one of our classrooms and see focused children at work, something clicks. Schedule a tour and see it for yourself.

Schedule a Tour or call 714-634-8118