We Grow as Giants

Preschool

Toddler Program: Montessori classroom with 2-3 year old children.
Preschool: Montessori classrooms with 3-5 year old children. Students remain in the same class for the entire three-year cycle.
Classes start at 7:45AM and end at 2:55PM.
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About the Montessori Curriculum

Montessori education is a scientifically validated approach that remains highly relevant in today’s educational landscape. Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori over a century ago, it continues to align with the latest research in child development, neuroscience, and education.

At EAC, Montessori education begins with our Toddler Program and continues through Preschool, where children thrive in mixed-age classrooms. K3, K4, and K5 students learn together in a supportive and inspiring community, with older children serving as mentors and younger ones building confidence by observing and engaging with their peers. This dynamic environment fosters independence, curiosity, and a deep motivation to learn, essential foundations for future success.

Alongside Montessori principles, our program integrates Social-Emotional Learning, Child Protection lessons, and Special classes (art, music, P.E., etc.), enriching each child’s development and ensuring they grow into confident, capable, and compassionate individuals.

Adaptation

Once admitted to EAC, prior to the first day of school, students are invited to a classroom visit. These sessions allow new students to meet their teachers and assistants in a welcoming environment.

On their first day of school, parents of new students are encouraged to walk them to the classroom and remain on campus. Once children feel comfortable, parents say goodbye, and teachers will contact parents should the need arise. A robust student support team will continue to nurture new students’ social and emotional well-being throughout the adaptation process.

We understand that this transition is significant for families as well, and we are committed to providing guidance and reassurance at every stage, ensuring a smooth and positive experience for both children and parents.

Learn more about EAC Preschool here.

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Curriculum

“Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.” – Maria Montessori
The Preschool Curriculum is grounded in the Montessori Method and consists of 8 strands, as shown below.

Practical Life

Real life experiences that build the foundation of future academic skills through purposeful activities, while developing independence, order, concentration, motor control and coordination, sense of responsibility, and social skills.

Practical Life

Language Arts

Oral language, pre-reading and pre-writing activities, enhancing vocabulary and exploring spoken and written language.

Language arts

Sensorial

Sensorial activities develop and refine the five senses. Children become precise observers, leading to the abstraction of ideas, logical thinking and the ability to distinguish, categorize and relate new information to what they already know. The materials also serve to expand the child’s vocabulary in a very concrete way.

Sensorial

Math

Introduction to numeration (symbols and quantities from 0 to 10), linear counting (symbols and quantities from 1 to 100), skip counting to 1000 (using bead chains), and the decimal system (units, tens, hundreds and thousands) through exchange and bank games.

Math

Social Studies

Geography consists of materials related to the children's understanding of the world around them (planet, continents, countries, culture, etc). History is also developed through the children’s world, their daily routine, days, months, seasons, telling time, and birthdays (which are well celebrated).

Social Studies

Science

Science activities allow the child to manipulate and experience materials that help them discover natural laws. Students learn science through hands-on experiences (sink and float, magnetic and non magnetic, gardening, etc), and classification activities (living and nonliving, plant-animal-mineral life cycles).

Science

K5 Child Protection

Students understand personal safety, develop skills in recognizing and responding to unsafe situations, and identifying trusted adults. The curriculum includes: naming body parts (use of correct anatomical terms),privacy (personal space), decision making, giving consent, respectful behaviors and language, recognizing emotions, empathy, self-respect, internet safety, reporting situations to trustworthy adults.

Safeguarding / Child Protection

Língua Portuguesa

Alunos de 4 e 5 anos participam das aulas de Português, o chamado “Brazilian Program”, ou simplesmente BP. Seguimos a Base Nacional Comum Curricular, dentro do campo de experiência “Escuta, Fala, Pensamento e Imaginação”.

Língua Portuguesa

Montessori VIDEO

Source: American Montessori Society

Safeguarding / Child Protection

EAC recognizes that child protection and welfare considerations permeate all aspects of school life and must be reflected in all of the school’s policies, practices and activities.

The goal of this policy is to ensure that all parties work together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children. This policy recognizes the proactive training that EAC must undertake to educate students, parents, faculty and staff about child protection. It also stresses the process and procedures to be followed in cases of suspected child abuse.

All adults who come into contact with children are appropriately and thoroughly vetted and trained.

Safeguarding / Child Protection Program guide