Montessori Provider Naas: Pipers Hill

steven.blanc

Hi All,

I thought I would share my experience of Childcare in the Naas area. All too often people share negative experiences, Here is a pat on the back for a job well done.

Having gone to view many Montessories in Naas and Clane for our 3 year old while viewing we had two concerns, one, Most (Montessories) were all specialising in Childcare and although many offered Montessori Education, upon inspection they were pure childcare/playschools and did not infact teach proper Montessori practice ,two, class sizes and price most Childcare facilities had 50 plus children and charged 120 per week for a mornings.

We stumbeled upon a new Montessori located in the new Pipers Hill Schools, we chose this for two reasons, one, price they were approx 100 per month cheaper and two, class size as purpose built classroom with only a handful of children to a qualified teacher who is wonderful.

Our daughter loves Pipers Hill Montessori so much that we have decided not to send her to primary school this year but to keep her on for another year in Montessori Eduation, she has come on so much in the last six months we feel she may be suited to Montessori Education, there is something to be said for small class sizes, best of all this year she is FREE as she qualifies under the ECCE Scheme.(The Government did something right):eek:

Thank you for a job well done, we highly recommend the service provider and the facility. They are a small schoold and dont yet have a dedicated website but if anyone requires their contact details feel free to pm me

rondeco

I must admit all I hear is positive critiques of Pipers Hill. Seriously considering sending my daughter there for school.

steven.blanc

The Montessori school is right beside the National School (It shares its playground), it waould make a very easy transition for kids, which makes parenting that much easier.

We have so many friends whos children kick up a fuss going to Childcare/Montessori but we have yet to have one issue with our daughter in Pipers Hill Montessori. Shes upset that they have closed for the summer :eek: We are putting our daughters name down in the national school also


Looking back I wish I was that good as a kid, perhaps the recession would not be so tuff..

sadie06

That's great to hear Steven! I agree that is is hard to find a bona fide Montessori in Kildare. There seems to be no restrictions on claiming you provide Montessori education. The word seems to have become a generic term for any pre-school education.

Just to let others know that there is a fantastic, well established, purpose built Montessori in Sallins also, called The Children's House. I can't rate it highly enough. Our son went there for a year and our daughter is about to start a second year there. Her free year is behind her...so we are footing the bill this year, but it is completely worth it! Like you, we stumbled upon it after we had moved to the area a few years ago, and we feel so lucky that we did.

It is a wonderful method of education.

On the subject of Piper's Hill, our son is on the Gael Scoil, and loving it also!

steven.blanc

Yeah it really is a great form of Education and now that its free for a year it can only help the kids of the future. If anyone wants the schools contact detail pm me and I will send them to you.

justtara24

It is great to hear some positive news about preschools - in particular Montessori Schools. For far too long, many preschools have been advertising that they offer the Montessori Curriculum, when in fact they don't. They may have some of the equipment and their staff may have covered a small montessori module in their childcare course, but they are not truely Montessori Schools. A Montessori Teacher will observe her children, work closely one-to-one with them and follow the needs of each child. They are not forced to follow a strict regime, but rather follow their own interests. Montessori is about enthusing the child so that they want to learn, not about teaching the child. A child is able to teach themselves given the right environment and hands-on materials. The Montessori Teacher simply guides the child.

Anyway, after all that, I am working really hard at promoting my own small Montessori School which I have opened in Prosperous. I have all of the Montessori equipment, am Montessori trained and passionate about the Montessori Method. I have worked at excellent schools in the past and now feel I would like to enthuse my own small group of children. I have a small adult/child ratio of 1:6 so the children get so much more attention. My school can be found at www.thebeehivemontessori.com. I do hope that in a few years time, I too will get good reviews on boards.ie and that my Montessori will be a centre of excellence. I have so much planned for the garden area, I won't even begin to tell you. I am so excited and cannot wait for September to come! Good luck to all children starting in Montessori and 'Big School'!!!!