WILLEMSTAD - Today, Curaçao’s first authentic Montessori school celebrates its first anniversary. The Montessori School offers programs for children between 18 months and 6 years in Spanish, English and Mandarin. Next month it will expand its early childhood education program to cover infants from 6 months up to 18 months.

The official opening of the first authentic Montessori environment on the island took place at sunset on January 6th, 2019 with the launch of its full-immersion Spanish primary environment. In August 2019 the school expanded its programs to include a toddler environment and they added English as an instructional language in the classroom. As per February 2020, the school will offer a tri-lingual environment in both the toddler and primary classroom as well as a Nido program from infants. The school will also offer more parent and teacher education this year.

The early childhood education programs and the teacher and parent education classes and workshops are a first step within a much bigger plan. Within the next five years The Montessori School will add an elementary program (6 to 12-year-olds) and an adolescent program (12 to 18- year-olds) to its services as well as build a training center for aspiring Montessori teachers and a program for dementia patients. “I’m especially excited about 2020, because this year Montessori schools all over the world celebrate 150 years of Maria Montessori's birth. Together with our parent committee, consisting of very talented people, we plan to organize many fun and educational events to celebrate,” says Danielle Palm, the current head of school at The Montessori School.