University Heights Montessori Children's Center (UHMCC) is a year around state-licensed Montessori preschool serving children from the ages of 2 to 6 years. UHMCC has been in existence since 1979 and we have a well-established and great reputation in the community for educating children in the Menlo Park and Palo Alto area. We provide a flexible program for parents who want their children to parti
cipate in a preschool/kindergarten experience with a full day option. Our PHILOSOPHY is to give children a "love for school" attitude by building their self-esteem through a program guided by a Montessori education that includes:
- A prepared environment developing cognitive learning through hands-on-activities
- A child oriented environment giving children choices and the ability to execute them
- The ability to master basic skills, develop a true sense of the community and respect for each other
Our PROGRAM is designed around a different theme each month. The mornings begin with a large group circle time where new work of the day is introduced. This is followed by the "work time" where children select materials of their own choice off the shelves where the materials range from basic to more challenging. These materials are appropriate for their own developmental level. The lesson plans follow a yearly curriculum enriched by geography, science, math, language, sensorial, practical life and art, music, foreign language and a gross-motor development program. The work time is followed by a group time where children participate in singing and learning Spanish. A 45 minute recess outside follows. The morning ends with lunch followed by story time and an AM dismissal. Nappers then go down for their naps and the PM schedule follows the same format as the AM program with different enriching activities. Our Prepared Environment
Practical Life - The Children learn to care for the environment through simple tasks involving pouring, spooning, care of themselves, such as buttoning and tying, and care of the environment such as polishing and washing. Sensorial - Sensorial refines various perceptual discriminations in all five senses such as size, color, shape, texture, sound, taste and smell. Language - The language arts are organized into the categories of listening, speaking, writing, and reading. The children practice skills in classification, visual discrimination, vocabulary development, and auditory discrimination. Math - The children manipulate objects that introduce the understanding of mathematical concepts. Activities in this area include pattering, measuring, size classifications and numeral, quantity recognition and addition. Art, Music and Foreign Language - Art is an important part of the program where children, using a wide variety of materials such as scissors and paintbrushes, learn to cut, paint, and glue. These materials are available at all times. The children explore songs and dance rhythms through the use of tapes, records and musical instruments. The children are also taught Spanish. Gross Motor Development - "Hot Shots", a mandatory and integral part of our gymnastics program is provided to our students once a week. The children learn and build gross motor development skills through the acts of tumbling, balancing activities and ball throwing as well as many other activities available to the children. Please visit the Hot Shots link below for additional information about our program with Mr. Dave.
