A new Montessori school is now open in Carrollton. Liberty Eagle Academy, located at 108 Park Place Way, will be hosting an open house on February 28th and March 4th for local parents to attend.
“We invite parents to join us for our open house and come see what Montessori is all about,” says Anna Harris, who founded the academy with her husband, Brent.
The two are local physicians starting the academy after experiencing difficulty in finding the right Montessori school for their own children.
“We moved to Carrollton about four years ago because we both wanted to practice medicine and raise a family here,” says Harris. “A couple of years later we started having children and wanted to find the best blend of a structured, yet fun childcare facility. We found that there weren’t a lot of good options in the area.”
Harris says she mentioned the idea of starting her own Montessori school to a few members of her church, and quickly noticed a high level of interest in the educational method.
“I mentioned the idea last October to a few people who go to our Church, and within about a week we had a full teaching staff with Montessori experience that was ready to start working at the Academy,” says Harris.
Harris explains that the Montessori method of teaching is much more beneficial than many other options for young children. “Maria Montessori was an Italian physician who came up with the teaching method in the early 1900s for kids to learn based on things that interest them,” says Harris. “You give kids choices for different activities they can participate in throughout the day and are able to master. It’s a structured learning environment as opposed to just taking them to a daycare.”
Harris describes the Montessori method as a structured process in which materials are prepared for the children to be successful. Once the child has completed a task independently, he or she cleans up and chooses the next activity.
“It’s a method that lets the children learn in their own way because they get to choose the activity they want to do,” says Harris. “It can be very simplistic things like placing a ball into a tunnel to learn object permanence, or matching objects to pictures while they’re exploring language. We will have children as young as one year who will be gardening, pulling weeds, setting the table, learning to greet people, and shaking hands, using manners, and learning how to resolve conflicts with others.”
Montessori schools group children together in age ranges of about three years. Harris says this allows children to become a part of the learning process by either mentoring to a younger child or being mentored by an older peer. This also teaches empathy and understanding.
Harris says the Montessori method does not include standardized testing, but rather tracks and reports progress based off teacher’s observations. Each level has an overarching, holistic curriculum that is used to insure children are meeting various developmental milestones. Progress reports are designed to assess children on their current abilities.
The children’s lunch, catered daily by Janine Lewis’ 4UCatering, not only provides whole nutritious meals, but tailors lunches as needed to each child’s dietary needs or allergies.
Harris also describes the academy as being more inclusive and fun for children. “At Liberty Eagle Academy, we embrace traditions of our society including celebrating birthdays, holidays including Christmas, and having show-and-tell.”
Harris discusses the permanent location of Liberty Eagle Academy which will begin later this year.
“With our new facility, we plan to educate kids all the way until they reach the age that they are applying for college,” says Harris. “Currently, we are educating children from 6 weeks through 6 years.”
Liberty Eagle Academy will be hosting its open house at 108 Park Place Way February 28 at 6:30 p.m. and also on March 4 at 10:30 a.m.
They are currently enrolling for the rest of 2016-2017 school year, Summer Camp, and 2017-2018 school year. There will be refreshments, music, and a fun atmosphere.
To find out more, visit www.libertyeagleacademy.com., email [email protected], or visit the Liberty Eagle Academy Facebook page.
