Children in Montessori schools embark on meaningful and purposeful journeys of self-construction and develop a true love of learning.

International Montessori Academy is place where learning is an amazing journey, not a race. It's a home to a community of learners, discovering their passions in the world we share.

At the International Montessori Academy, we know that childhood is the essential period when human development takes place. Learning is the means whereby children seek the freedom in creating their own future. The period of childhood is the single most important stage in a human being’s lifetime. It is the richest in experience and the acquisition of lifelong skills. We strive to use this time to the best of our ability in order to assist in the child’s journey to adulthood. For us, each child is a unique individual for whom we prepare a nurturing, emotionally secure, safe and academically excellent environment where they can grow and develop to their fullest potential.

An Individualized Approach

The curriculum in a Montessori classroom is extensive and can take a child as far as they wish to go.

Teachers are trained to deliver lessons at the optimal moment of readiness for each child. Rather than delivering curriculum according to a predetermined timetable, at IMA we follow the child’s interest and passion so that lessons meet students where they are and take them to the next level.

This individualised approach means that students find success and joy in the learning rather than frustration and boredom. We allow the child to self-construct, in a carefully prepared environment, under the guidance of trained Montessori professionals.

Developmental Stages

Dr. Montessori identified four planes of development in children. Each plane lasts approximately six years and is generally divided into two sub-planes. This idea, that growth and development happens in stages and that the next stage of development likely looks very different from the current stage resonates with what we observe in children.

At IMA we place children into multi-age classrooms within the same developmental plane. Our Early Childhood environments are specifically designed to meet the needs of children in the first plane (0-6 years of age) and lay the foundation for later work. Children in the first plane use their senses to understand the world.

Children in the second plane (6 to 12 years old) begin to move from concrete to abstract reasoning and have a vivid imagination. Children of this age also love to be social and we prepare the classroom environments so that they may work together and explore topics of interest.

Children in the third plane (from 12 to 18 years of age) are working to make themselves into the adults they will become. We support the adolescent experience by allowing plenty of opportunity for debate, through class meetings where they work on the social experience as they dive into social justice issues in their academic work.

The Prepared Environment

At IMA we believe that the environment into which a child enters is a critical component of the educational program.

We create environments that are not only beautiful and inviting, but also allow the child to be successful. From child-sized chairs and shelves which make materials easy to access, to the materials themselves that are self-correcting and allow the child to work independently, we ensure that the environment nurtures the growth of the child.

Within this physical environment we also prepare the adult to be an observer of the individual child and give the lessons that a child needs at the moment that the child needs them.

The mixed-age nature of each environment means that all children are part of an community containing peers of different ages and abilities, performing a variety of tasks.

The prepared environment sets the stage for the child to work, learn, and grow to his or her full potential.

Freedom & Responsibility

At IMA, all students have the freedom to develop and grow within an environment appropriate to his/her age. By having the freedom (within limits) to choose what activity to do and how long to do it, all students (from the youngest children in our care to the oldest) learn how to become independent and disciplined in their work.

The freedom that the students enjoy exists within the context of the class and school community and so when a student struggles to be productive, the limits of the classroom and the community provide additional support to the student until he or she can be productive on their own.

Students freely choose what to work on, who to work with, and where to work, but they must choose work. This is the concept of freedom within limits. We give them the freedom to make these choices so that they learn the discipline to work on their own and feel intrinsically satisfied with the work they do.