Press Release....August 10, 2012

mrspei2002@gmail.com

Kim Ellsworth Global Montessori School Summerside Phone (902)206-2126

20 Water St Summerside P.E.I. C1N 1A1

GMSS

Press Release

Fully Licensed Facility $18.99-day

Affordability is Key

Global Montessori School Summerside has developed a common sense response to recent changes in our economic society. The long-term goal of a high-quality, affordable early learning and child care spaces for every Prince Edward Island family is the vision of GMSS.

This daily rate of $18.99 will translate into a savings for full time child care of about $132.00 month as compared to Early Years Centres pricing which is set by the P.E.I Government.

                                                               

“This is the best news for parents on the child care front in a long time and we expect all Child Care  Centres to follow suit and ensure affordable child care services become a piece of the social structure of P.E.I.” says Kim Ellsworth (Director of GMSS).

 “It’s a sensible response to the world as it is today. We’d be happy to see more families take advantage of what a licensed childcare environment with professionally trained teachers can offer.

This is a significant commitment that will result in actual affordable child care spaces and that’s what parents need now.” added Kim.

Global Montessori School Summerside is a child care center that has been in operation for six years and is fully Licensed  in compliance to all Governmental regulations for Dept. of Education and Early Childhood  Development of P.E.I.

Montessori taught her how to learn, not just memorize facts.

Montessori schools have an edge

Let me begin by saying “Montessori trained teachers are taught to look to instill certain traits in their students as the result of Montessori; these are known as characteristics of an authentic Montessori experience”.

They are:

• independent thinking
• self-assured/self-confident
• mature
• critical thinker
• early reader/good reader/enjoys reading
• develops fine-motor skills
• self-motivated
• respectful of others
• knows how to learn/loves learning
• creative

The above list shows that the Montessori method does just what it says it will do but for many people, the observations of parents and teachers aren’t enough. They want hard data to prove that Montessori works.

Research suggests that children who attend Montessori schools may have an edge over other children in terms of both academic and social development

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/28/health/webmd/main2050676.shtml

Steven J. Hughes, PhD, LP, ABPdN has done extensive research on cognitive development, and he has concluded that the Montessori style fits the way our brains process information. http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~doetter/lib_stud/pubs/stoudenmier_0905.pdf

There are many ways to quantify the effects of the Montessori method, and they all have value.

• The scientific studies give validity to our observations
• Our observations bring life to the scientific studies
• Montessori method of education is something special

As one parent said,

“Give your child the best gift of their life, give them a Montessori education.” 

There's More Than Meets The Eye

Ever wonder the answers to some of life’s little questions?

• How do skills develop in children?
• What factors influence their development?
• What factors inhibit their development?
• What role can physical movement play in education?
• What do balance, hand-eye coordination, and music all share in common? And how can this affect the development of other cognitive abilities in children?

These are just a few of the questions considered if your job is:

Teacher At A Childcare Center

• Are you wondering what working in this profession entails?
• Have you ever wondered what my average day is like?
• Do you imagine the benefits of doing this type of work for a living?

The following brief job description contains not all but some of the hundreds of details that working in the field of early childhood development has given me.

Job Title:Teacher

Type of Company: Privately-owned childcare center in Summerside PE.

Education: Early Childhood Education Teaching Diploma, Truro Teachers College (Truro. NS) Montessori Teaching Diploma (NAMC Vancouver BC)

Previous Experience: I was an intern at a preschool, then an assistant and later became a lead teacher at various Kindergartens throughout the Province.

Job Tasks: As the owner and lead Teacher in a Montessori preschool that cares for children that are two and half to five years old. I manage two full-time teaching positions and assistants when required. I organize and conduct parent and staff meetings, fill out progress reports throughout the year, follow guidelines of the EECD (Education and Early Childhood Development) and ECDA (Early Childhood Development Association). I write a newsletter to parents, do a monthly/weekly planning. and provide a safe and nurturing environment, while trying to teach children basic help skills and build self-esteem on a daily basis.

Each day: I welcome the children to school and shake their hand. As the children arrive between 7:30- 8:25am they each are free to use the toys in the classroom (special activities in Montessori classrooms) and share stories of their time away from the class with their friends. After all our friends have arrived and settled I then have circle time on the rug where we read a story, sing and talk about what instructions each of them will need to work on in the “work period” to follow. During the work period the children are free to use and learn materials from the various lessons sometimes individually other times in small groups. We go outside two times a day weather permitting morning and afternoon and work together on our gross motor skills. At noon they have lunch and snacks are provided throughout the day. I often write each parent a note about their child's day or special millstones they achieve. It is always busy and there is always something to do. We have a lot of daily paperwork and many things to document. It's a long day but worthwhile.

Best Parts of the Job:

The best part is the children and how much they love to learn. Children are by nature very happy and to work with them and see them grow is just wonderful, so each day is exciting and fun.

Job Tips:

Enjoy the children while you try to teach.

You must be a teacher in your heart. (Anyone can be a teacher on paper)

Get as much education as you can. Daycare jobs often require Post Secondary now.

Additional Thoughts:

To do this job, you must like children. Days can be hard and long. There is never enough staff to cover days off. You are needed every day. The job is low-paying and turn-over rate is high.

But, if you love children, teaching, smiling and laughing, this job is tops! I've been doing it for 22 years and I love every day of it and I can't imagine doing anything else.

Multiple Intelligence in Education

With the implementation of publicly funded full day Kindergarten, Prince Edward Islanders have come to recognize that quality child care has long term benefits for children, families and society.

The public also increasingly understand that the key to quality care is a well trained, skilled and fairly compensated workforce

Some recent factors that place a higher emphasis on quality childcare in PEI

1. Parental Employment
   
   Women have joined the workforce in increasing numbers over the years for two main reasons.

• First of all there is an increased financial burden felt by many families. Thus, access to quality childcare helps to reduce the numbers of children growing up in poverty.
• Secondly, there has been a shift in societal beliefs regarding woman's work roles and responsibilities. Quality childcare helps parents to balance their work and family responsibilities – thus reducing the amount of stress felt by families. Governments also support parents by providing parent support resources, and helping parents network with one another.
  
  
  2. Life Long Learning
  
  
  Not only does quality child care nurture early learning, it also enhances children’s overall development and well being – thus providing a solid foundation for life-long learning. Quality childcare stimulates both social and intellectual growth that persists into elementary school, thus establishing a solid foundation for later learning successes. Quality childcare lays the foundation for lifelong learning and Montessori also supports an important belief that children do not just learn using reading and writing intelligences. We parents know that because that is how we nurture our babies from birth. Yet all too often we send our children who have been taught to use all their intelligences off to schools where they are severely restricted in what they learn and how they learn it. If multiple intelligences are important to your child rearing philosophy, then Montessori and Waldorf schools are worth a look at.

Steps To Choosing Care For Your Little One!

-Start Early: Start looking as far in advance as you can (spaces can be limited)

No matter what type of care you are considering a child care center or care in someone else's home finding the right child care option can take some time.

-Make a Call: Begin your search by calling your local experts

Referrals from other parents and can give you the facts about child care, and a list of child care options in your area that may meet your needs.

In addition check out online resources like Websites and Social media pages for info.

-Visit and Ask Questions: Find out about these key indicators of quality

• -Adult to Child Ratio. Ask how many children there are for each adult. The fewer the children for each adult, the better for your child. You want your child to get plenty of attention. The younger your child, the more important this is.
• -Qualifications. Ask about the caregivers' training and education. Caregivers with diplomas or special training in working with children will be better able to help your child learn. Are the caregivers involved in activities to improve their skills? Do they attend classes and workshops?
• Turnover. Check how long caregivers have been at the center or providing care in their homes. It's best if children stay with the same caregiver at least a year. Caregivers who come and go make it hard on your child. Getting used to new caregivers takes time and energy that could be spent learning new things.

-Make a Choice: Think about what you saw at each visit

Make the best choice for your child and family. Believe me not all childcare centers that are Licensed and Certified are the same. Centers and Home-based Childcare that follow Government Regulations are a starting point and really offer the most in the way of a guaranty of quality. But so many other individual factors can come into account that only an informed and proactive approach will enhance the likelihood of your child and family getting the most from this precious decision.

-Stay Involved: You and your child's caregiver are partners now.

Here are some ways to be involved:

• Go to parent meetings regularly, and ask questions.
• Offer to volunteer time when needed, like participating activity days, decorating, etc.
• Be there for your child's special parties.
• Visit your child at child care and read a book aloud.

Even if you can't get time off from work during the day, Ask the caregiver how things are going, and how your child is doing at drop-off or pickups. Visiting and participating in events at your child's provider sends a strong message. It tells your child and your child's caregiver that you think what your child is doing and learning is important

“Montessori Advantage”

Reminisce with me back to the year I was born:

•                     The Average House Price $4,975 

•                     The ever-popular TV show “The Partridge Family” began airing

•                     The World’s Population reaches 3.63 billion

The year was 1970 and Montessori Preschools provided the opportunity to educate your children in the learning fundamentals of a Montessori program. A program based on tried and true, Montessori specific, self-correcting materials. A Program based on love for the environment, self and each other.

Fast forward 42 years later to 2012:

•                     The Average House Price $347,801

•                     On average we spent more time on Personal Computers than watching TV

•                     The World’s Population is over 7 Billion

Montessori continues to operate as the leader in early childhood education. Montessori has prevailed because of its unique ability to foster children’s imagination, independence, intelligence, and success.

If you are not familiar with the Montessori philosophies ask an Elementary School Teacher how Montessori Preschoolers excel in the public school classrooms.

 

Inquire within the “Fine Arts Programs” as well as in the “Enriched Programs” and acknowledge the prevalence of Montessori students. Attend local high school graduations and see who is graduating top in the class.

Still not convinced? Google famous people that went to Montessori School like Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google See for yourself the “Montessori Advantage.” Seeing truly is believing.

Kim Ellsworth

Developing Character in Montessori Children

www.globalmontessorisummerside.com

The word "character" has many possible meanings to many people when they here the word. Often we here it used to describe a personality trait, an example could be "He's a funny character"

The character, I'm talking about is the kind of moral and ethical strength that's reflected in generally positive feelings of self-worth and a variety of life-coping skills.

A short description of profile traits with this type of character is outlined below. Recognize anyone you know? Would you like to see more of them in your children?

SeIf-Worth

• accepts his/her self with strengths and limitations

• feels loved and cherished by family and friends

• has a reality-based sense of accomplishment

• believes in ability to create a meaningful future

Life-Coping Skills

• is willing to learn new things

• can delay self-gratification for the sake of future goals

• understands and can articulate personal values, express feelings

• can identify alternatives and make decisions

There are lots more qualities we could list but this should at least give you a better idea of what we mean when we refer to character.

And helping our kids develop these traits really is our primary goal as parents,childcare providers and roll models.

More than giving our children stuff (How many video games do you really need, anyway?) or finding ways to keep them entertained (I-pod), Building character will help prepare them for the day when they leave home, and begin their life's work -- and start creating relationships and families of their own.

Tips for Parents of Montessori

The three basic ways adults respond to children include:

Affirmation. Comments positively on person and behaviour:            "I like who you are and I like what you're doing."

Discipline. Comments positively on person, negatively on behaviour:  "I like you, but I don't like what you're doing right now."

Shame. Comments negatively on both person and behaviour:          "I don't like you and I don't like what you're doing."

• Shame you remember shame. You probably got a lot of it when you were growing up. Parents used it often before noticing that it erodes the parent-child relationship and chips away at a child's self-esteem along with believing that they're worthless and incapable.

We shame our children when we compare them to one another, belittle them, shout them down, call them names, hit them in anger, or neglect their needs.

• Affirming our child requires a commitment on our part because no matter what else they might be doing, children do all sorts of good and responsible things that ought to be at least acknowledged, hard to remember in our busy households.

That's okay. Even though affirmation is one of the greatest personal skills we can ever develop or use with our children, it doesn't always come naturally.

But the results are worth it. Taking the time to affirm our children, our spouses, and others can lead us to become more caring. The payoffs come not only in an increased sense of self-worth in our children, but in ourselves, as well.

Here's the bad news:

It still doesn't magically eliminate the need to discipline children from time to time.

And that raises yet another of the perpetual perplexities of parenthood:

“How do we discipline kids without shaming them -- and confront their destructive behaviors without putting them down?”

Good question. We were just getting to that.

• Guidelines for Discipline

In one sentence:

Discipline is the ability to respect and follow reasonable rules, and the appropriate consequences that follow when we don't.

It's one of the trickiest areas of all with children. Because the fact is that if we really want our children to learn responsibility, it's necessary to call it to their attention when they behave irresponsibly. It needs to begin early, too. It's ludicrous to expect responsible behavior from an adolescent who was never disciplined as a child.

Still, when we define discipline as the ability to respect and follow reasonable rules, we need to point out that what makes these rules reasonable and earns them respect is that they help to maximize the quality of life we share together. As motives go, it's a lot more useful than the fear of punishment, which is usually less helpful in building character.

What works?

• Make the environment a great place to be. This is the best way to mold behavior. Activities can be as simple as meals, songs, or chores, or as involved as participating in sports, social clubs or community activities.

Some surveys show (Office for National Statistics 2006) that parents (adults) spend as little as 20 minutes a day with their kids, and much of this is spent in fussing and checking up. This isn't enough -- there's simply not enough involvement to compete with television and peers for influence in their lives.

But even more important than the amount of time we spend together is what happens during that time. Active participation helps build deeper relationships than passive entertainment.

• Establish non-negotiable rules for your kids. As parents (adults), we have the right to make rules that will help us live with our children in peace and harmony. As authorities in the environment we need to assert this right and insist on certain behaviors for children.

We make rules to establish limits for our children, who need boundaries if they're to grow. Specific non-negotiable rules should be worked out for each.

Examples of non-negotiable rules might include:

• No physical violence or verbal abuse or cursing.

• No destroying property

• No name calling, teasing, bullying

• Specific limits on TV time and content.

Many parents add other rules but regardless of which rules we insist on, we need to be as specific as possible and let our children know what we expect and when -- in clear and unmistakable terms.

• Establish negotiable rules. If our children are going to learn to make decisions and compromise, Who does which chores and when?

Unlike non-negotiable rules, which parents dictate, negotiable rules involve dialogue there's more room for flexibility.

Often these rules change as our children get older and can take on newer, more challenging responsibilities.

Needless to say, they have to follow up and negotiate those held in common and those passed over, but their children are even involved in this.

• Reach agreement on rules. By "agreement," I mean at least a basic understanding for the reasons why a particular rule exists.

If the child understands a rule and agrees that it's fair, they're more likely to keep it.

• Establish consequences for breaking rules. "Rules were made to be broken," goes an old saying. When this happens, the child must pay consequences, or else they learn that your rules mean nothing.
  There are three types of consequences, only two of which help to build character. See if you can pick them out.

• Natural Consequences. Allowing events to simply run their course. Example: getting cold on a winter day when you forgot to wear a coat.

• Logical Consequences. Forfeiting a privilege until responsibilities are met. Example: allowing a young person to go out only after chores are done, and denying this privilege (not a right) until chores are done.

• Arbitrary Consequences. Relying on inflicting pain and fear and often unrelated to any established rule. Example: spanking a cranky kid who doesn't know what to do about his or her bad mood.

As you probably already guessed, only natural and logical consequences really teach lessons --or build character.

Natural consequences are the best teachers of discipline, and we should let our children experience them when to do so will not endanger their health or inconvenience others.

No parent wants a toddler to learn that crossing a street alone is dangerous by allowing a car to teach the lesson. Nor do we want our teenagers to learn the hazards of drug use by allowing them to get strung out on crystal meth.

But we should let them take at least a few of life's lighter lumps and bruises; they'll learn from these.

The principle behind logical consequences is that privileges must be earned and maintained through responsible action. This is, after all, the way most of the world works most of the time.

A toddler can understand that he/she can't play with a second toy until the first has been picked up, or that he/she can't come out of your home's "whine room" until the whining stops and he/she's ready to relate without being cranky.

If you and your children can agree on what consequences will be experienced when rules are broken, your children then have a choice: Keep the rules or experience the consequences.

This way, you're able to slip out of the role of the "heavy," and instead become the person who sees to it that their choices are honored.

• Be consistent. Everything we've talked about thus far takes time, effort, and lots of involvement with our children. Still, there's a payoff: If we're consistent in our affirmation and discipline, our children won't feel as much need to be defiant and they'll probably be easier to get along with.

On the other hand, if we're not consistent in clarifying rules or in allowing children to experience the consequences of their choices, they'll almost certainly be worse off for it and so will we.