Welcome to Fiddlehead Early Childhood

Our pedagogy is based upon the work of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, who believed education should be student-based and student-inspired. The teacher’s role is not to impart information for the student to memorize and recite; it is to follow the student’s academic interests and guide them through their unique way of learning and integrating knowledge. This philosophy has been handed down through teacher education and certification programs established by Maria Montessori.

Montessori teachers believe that children naturally love to learn and are, for the most part, internally motivated. Fiddlehead Montessori teachers provide a rich educational environment with lots of opportunities to “try on” experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Since children learn through their senses, Montessori materials are multisensory. After many concrete experiences, children are ready to form abstract concepts. They learn best by exploring a topic in depth, rather than skimming many topics in 45-minute increments. We give each child the skills to pursue their individual interests and passions, and Fiddlehead students are allowed as much time as they require to pursue a given academic topic or skill.

The teacher is a facilitator or guide, rather than an authority in the classroom. The deepest and most rewarding learning experiences take place in the absence of the teacher, oftentimes with only an initial introduction to get them started. Multi-age classrooms (ages 3-6 years of age) build diversity. They offer younger children the chance to learn from older students, and older students the opportunity to nurture and help younger children, which reinforces their own learning. Children learn to understand and get along with others who are different from themselves.