Christina
04-28-2011, 11:51 AM
My daughter attended Montessoir Shir-Hashirim in Hollywood from age 2-5. It's an amazing preschool! The ages are mixed and the kids learn to work with older/younger friends, mentor them and learn from each other. The school is fairly structured. Kids work at their own pace, with guidance from teachers at small tables with a group of several kids. When a child has finished a project, they move on to something else, guided by a teacher. As they get older, they have more decision making about which project they should work on. In the afternoons, the kids worked with math worksheets, reading (phonics) and later once they were readers, books. There was story time in the morning and kids were encouraged to begin reading as soon as they were ready. Most of the kids leave the school knowing how to read, but not all. I would put this preschool in the "academic" category.
The "extras" at this school are amazing. Several plays are performed by the kids each year, based on interpretations of famous playwrights. Enrichment classes include music, languages, karate, and many others, all taught by specialist teachers.
The preschool is run by Elena Cielak, the founder of the school (s) and an extremely experienced preschool director. The school is not parent-run. Elena runs the school and does it well. I cannot say enough great things about how well prepared my daughter was when she entered K. This is a very enchanting school, definitely one of the best in the city (and perhaps one of the most pricey).
The school sends a lot of kids to top private elementary schools and Elena was extremely instrumental in helping us get into top schools. Private school choices for graduates include Mirman, St. James, Oakwood, The Center For Early Education, The Willows, Brentwood and Laurence. Public school choices for this preschool include Wonderland Elementary, 3rd St. Elementary, Larchmont Charter, Magnet Schools. Elena is well-versed in both public and private schools processes and she supports both private and public schools equally.
http://www.montessorihollywood.org/about.htm (http://www.montessorihollywood.org/about.htm)
The "extras" at this school are amazing. Several plays are performed by the kids each year, based on interpretations of famous playwrights. Enrichment classes include music, languages, karate, and many others, all taught by specialist teachers.
The preschool is run by Elena Cielak, the founder of the school (s) and an extremely experienced preschool director. The school is not parent-run. Elena runs the school and does it well. I cannot say enough great things about how well prepared my daughter was when she entered K. This is a very enchanting school, definitely one of the best in the city (and perhaps one of the most pricey).
The school sends a lot of kids to top private elementary schools and Elena was extremely instrumental in helping us get into top schools. Private school choices for graduates include Mirman, St. James, Oakwood, The Center For Early Education, The Willows, Brentwood and Laurence. Public school choices for this preschool include Wonderland Elementary, 3rd St. Elementary, Larchmont Charter, Magnet Schools. Elena is well-versed in both public and private schools processes and she supports both private and public schools equally.
http://www.montessorihollywood.org/about.htm (http://www.montessorihollywood.org/about.htm)