About Orcas Montessori School

Orcas Montessori School (OMS) has served Orcas Island children, ages 2 ½ to 6 years, since 1988. OMS is a non-profit corporation with 501 3C tax status established in 1994. In 1994 Orcas Montessori School became the first Montessori School to participate in the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP), allowing more families access to a Montessori education. Our OMS Guides are trained in Montessori through many different programs. Including:

• Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)

• Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest (MEIPN)

• Montessori Northwest (MNW)

What is Montessori?

For more than a century now, the child-focused approach that Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, developed for educating children has been transforming schools around the globe. As soon as you enter a classroom, you will notice that something is different. Montessori classrooms are immediately recognizable. You will see children working independently and in groups, often with specially designed learning materials; deeply engaged in their work; and respectful of themselves and their surroundings.

Essential Elements of a Montessori Classroom

• Children Chose their own work/activities from a range of carefully prepared lessons and materials designed to support children’s natural development and drive to learn.

• Trained teachers or guides support children’s development. Teachers/guides are trained in Montessori principles and practices. They present a comprehensive curriculum individualized for each child.

• Mixed age groupings. Classrooms serve children in three-year age groupings according to developmental stages. Children can progress naturally as they are ready for more challenging material, build authentic community and learn from both guides and peers.

• Uninterrupted independent work periods. Classrooms offer long uninterrupted periods for independent work, where children build attention, focus and concentration, while learning at their own pace.

• Montessori Materials. Hands-on, self-correcting materials support engagement, curiosity, independence, and self-guided learning.