Montessori 3 in Westmont, from 18 months.

We see children as capable. A two-year-old can carry her own cup to the table. A four-year-old can choose his work and return it when he is done. Our classrooms blend Montessori principles with the Reggio Emilia philosophy, so children explore, create, and grow at their own pace, guided by teachers who watch closely and step in when help is needed.

The rooms are set low and made for small hands. Shelves hold one activity at a time, so a child can see what is there and reach it without asking. The day keeps a steady shape: work time, snack, outdoor play, rest, then more play. Predictable does not mean rigid. Teachers follow the children’s attention and build plans from what they notice.

A visitor notices children choosing their own work, then cleaning it up. The materials sit in plain view, and children know where to find them. Teachers move through the room, kneeling to talk at a child’s eye level. Outdoors, there is time every day to run, dig, and find things.

The morning starts gently. A child puts her bag in her cubby, finds her shelf, and takes down the work she left yesterday. A teacher greets her by name and asks what she wants to show first. Some children settle quickly into a puzzle. Others need a few minutes on a lap before they join in. Both are fine.

The middle of the day has a rhythm. Children work in small groups, some at tables and some on the floor. There is time outdoors, where they run and dig and carry buckets of leaves. Lunch comes before rest. After eating, children find their mats and settle with a book while the room goes quiet.

The afternoon slows down. Children wake, put their mats away, and choose something quiet until pickup. At the door, a teacher tells you one thing that happened: a tower that stayed up, a new word, a friend helped. You leave knowing how the day went.