Goddard School vs. Montessori?

Question

Goddard School vs. Montessori?

Answer 1

I don't know much about Goddard, so it's hard for me to speak about that. I think if you visited the school and were impressed with what you saw, then it is likely a good school. Schools that aren't good tend to give off a strange feeling, at least for me.



Your son will do wonderfully in Montessori, whether you decide to send him now or when he is 3. Then you can decide what to do in 1st grade :)



I don't have a lot of first hand experience with the infant and toddler programs in Montessori. I worked in one school that wasn't quite Montessori, but used the name, and worked in the infant and toddler rooms, but that is different. I also worked in another school that had an excellent infant/toddler program, but I worked with a different age group (3-6). If you go on youtube and look for "Montessori" and "Infant" there is a video about the infant and toddler programs. It might be a good first look to see what you think of the ideas behind the program.



Matt

Answer 2

I would go with your heart, not with global recommendations based on the program.



Personally I sent my child to the local playgroup rather than the highly touted Montessori nursery. She adored building houses for Playmobil people using wooden blocks, and so on. The Montessori school would have banned her from doing this because you have to put one toy away before you can play with the next. I don't know if they misinterpreted the Montessori principles, but that was their rule. No thank you, not for me.

Answer 3

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I have worked for a small handful of preschools including non-profit, "public" and private. Public schools hold a majority of "state pay families" and always seem to have high enrollment numbers. However, the state does not nearly pay as much as a private paying family would pay. The private school (meaning they would not accept state pay families) enrollment always seemed to be about sixty to seventy percent of maximum enrollment. I too one day want to open my own school, I plan to open a Goddard School, which is a part of a franchise. This school is private pay only and is the most clean, most well educated staff I have ever worked for and have ever seen in the childcare industry. My salary as a preschool teacher was approximately $27,000. I am not sure if Cali has a Goddard School, (because I live in WA) but you should check them out. Good luck with your dream and congrats on completing your first year!

Answer 4

So, no one that commented above had any personal experience with the Goddard school. I realize this thread is 8 years old, but I feel the need to comment because I do in fact have experience with the goddard school, and it is awesome. I know about Montessori - my roommate became Montessori certified. And it seems like a great philosophy. So, I have no cons for that. The pros I have about the Goddard school is that my 3 year old who is currently enrolled in pre-school at the local Goddard, absolutely loves it and is learning SO MUCH! They have weekly themes. This week's them it "Forest Friends" So, the books they read are about forest animals, the songs they sing as well. They will jump from squirrels numbered 1 through 10 on the floor. Next week's them might be the solar system, the following week might be Sea Life. Every day there are structured activities and circle time. But every thing is made very fun for the kids and they are really just playing while learning. VERY positive environment. I understand that Montessori is less structured and that there is a larger age range in a classroom. So infants to 3 might all be in the same room at a Montessori school.. The goddard has narrower age ranges together. birth to 6 months, 6-12 mo, 12-18 mo, 18 mo -2 yrs, The Pre-school room is 3 to 4 years. I would have to see Montessori in action first hand to do a fair comparison, but I think my child is benefiting from the structured classroom activities where everyone is involved in the same activity at the same time.

Answer 5

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RE:

Goddard School vs. Montessori?

I'm a fan (and product) of the Montessori Method, but there is a Goddard School in my neighborhood that I am also considering. I took a tour of the Goddard School around pick-up time. I liked what I saw and the parents that I was introduced to all had great things to say and were very happy with...

Answer 6

I am for Montessori. My son went to Public School Kindergarten 5 day a week & Montessori Kindergarten 3 days a week. Iowa Testing placed him well into the 2nd Grade Level halfway through Kindergarten.

Answer 7

I had never heard of Goddard and so researched it on the web. Except for promotional material, there is little else. They do have a snazzy website though.



I assume the lack of personal antidotes, criticisms, and affidavits come from the fact that they haven't been around long enough for people to actually come up with opinions about them, good and bad. The program they tote on their website does sound good; child centered, but with standards and expectations, but then, so do most things do on commercial websites.



The fact that they are franchised does indicate that there is control over the curriculum and that each school needs to adhere to certain criteria. I see this as a great plus, you shouldn't find a school that states that it is "Goddard" that does not follow their curriculum, a definite problem that Montessori schools have. On the other hand though, the fact that they are franchised does mean that they are in the business of making money and that may at times interfere with what is in the best interests for the child. Yet, I would be lying if I said that there weren't "Montessori" schools whose only purpose was to make money.



See what I mean, nothing is as cut and dry as we would like.



My suggestion is to read Angline Lillards article on Montessori and then visit the Montessori schools and Goddard schools in your area. See which ones you like the most. Which ones seem to be the most prepared, organized and effective. Talk to parents of graduates and to teachers from each philosophy about their own philosophy and school. (Don’t ask them to compare their philosophy to the other, they might not know or understand the other philosophy and what info they give you might just be hearsay.)





One last thought. On a Goddard site, they stated that 90 percent of their graduates achieved test scores above the national average. I have no reason to doubt this statement, yet since Goddard is private and there aren't any scholarships given to low income children who aren't high achievers in the first place, this statement also is highly misleading. To be truly accurate and therefore valid, they need to compare their scores with programs that have a similar socio-economic make up.



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cathrl69 The fact that the school HAD Playmobile people and wooden blocks for children to use during worktime is the first indicator that it was not a true Montessori school. Those activities should have been availble only during freeplay time.