The Children’s House morning program serves 24 to 26 children with one teacher and one assistant. Sometimes a student teacher from Meredith College participates in the classroom. Five and six year olds, usually in their third year in the program, participate in the Extended Day program. Extended Day extends the morning activities to include lunch and further age-appropriate activities until 3:00pm. There are usually 8 to 10 children in the Extended Program, guided by the Children’s House teacher.

Students in Children's House also participate in programs with resource teachers. All Children's House children participate in music instruction once a week. Extended Day Children attend the Fine Arts program and have Physical Education; they receive Spanish instruction twice a week.

Philosophy
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) believed that children carry within themselves the blueprint for their own development. She described self-construction as the work of the child. This work occurs wherever the child is and with whatever materials are at hand. The work of the adult with regard to the child is to provide the best possible environment and materials to aid the child’s self-construction. Children at this age have absorbent minds that take in information from the environment naturally. Their investigations are aided by sensitive periods, periods of intense fascination for learning particular characteristics or skills. Learning requires concentration, and this is fostered by opportunities to put attention to tasks involving work with the hands. Thus, activities in the Children’s House are very concrete. Children are also developing as members of a particular culture and practice the customs and routines of that culture as they explore their role as part of a dynamic social community.

From "A Parent’s Guide to the Montessori Classroom" by Aline Wolf:
"Dr. Montessori felt...that the goal of early childhood education should not be to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of studies, but rather to cultivate his own natural desire to learn...In the Montessori classroom this objective is approached in two ways: first, by allowing each child to experience the excitement of learning by his own choice rather than by being forced; and second, by helping him to perfect all his natural tools for learning, so that his ability will be at a maximum in future learning situations."

Curriculum
The Children’s House is a community where children learn and grow, usually for three years. When a child enters the prepared Children’s House environment, the first task is to become acquainted and comfortable in this new environment -- meeting new people and becoming familiar with routines and ground rules, while making a separation from parents. A feeling of trust is developed with the adults at school and social skills are practiced with new friends. An atmosphere of helpfulness and generosity is fostered, and children are encouraged to be caring problem-solvers and helpers. As the children learn and grow in the environment, they engage with materials and with each other, gradually becoming leaders of their Children’s House community.

The physical environment is composed of several parts:

• The Practical Life exercises give each child the opportunity for meaningful work, including care of self and care of the environment. These activities foster concentration, independence, coordination and a sense of order. Work with the materials in this area also provides indirect preparation of the hand for writing. For example, dressing frames, dishwashing
• The Sensorial activities are designed to help the child sharpen his/her senses and enable the child to understand the impressions received through them. These materials also form the foundation for understanding notions of quantity used in mathematics and further preparation of the hand. Art, music and science/nature study are all a part of this important area. For example, the pink tower, sound cylinders, clay, Montessori bells, magnets
• The Academic materials are available as children show interest in them. They include language (listening, oral expression, reading and writing), arithmetic (numerals and counting, arithmetic operations and introduction to the decimal system) and geography (land forms, countries and cultures of the world). For example, sandpaper letters, movable alphabet, red & blue rods, golden bead materials, puzzle maps
• The Outdoor environment is just as important as the environment indoors. The children have access to activities on the porch throughout the morning on most days and spend 45 minutes to an hour on the playground each day, weather permitting. For example, hammering, sand table, yoga.