Bilingual school
The team
All members of our teaching team have completed Montessori training and obtained a state diploma in teaching and/or early childhood (Early Childhood Education & Development Diploma, Montessori Assistant certificates, Child Development Associate certification and Young Child Educator certifications). We give preference to Montessori teachers with A.M.I. (Association Montessori International) training. Therefore, our team are trained and well experienced. The establishment’s founding director herself holds a Licence des Sciences de l’Éducation (University Paris – Nanterre), a Diplôme d’Etat d’Educatrice de Jeunes Enfants (DEEJE obtained at the Ecole de Formation Psycho Pédagogique, Paris 15ème), an A.M.I Montessori Educator diploma for children from birth to three years of age, and a CAP AEPE (Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle Accompagnant Educatif Petite Enfance).
The school project
Our school is bilingual, open to all and on a human scale. Our main mission is to inspire children to go to school to learn, affirm and develop their personalities. We are deeply convinced that all children are capable of learning and progressing. By showing kindness and confidence in each child, we encourage them to gain confidence in their own power to act and think.
Our welcoming project is based on the full development of the human being. We have designed and developed a school that adapts to young children. At Montessori Kids Academy (M.K.A), we welcome children and their parents with mutual respect. Through our educational action, we aim to take a distinctive look at children, by putting them at the centre of their learning. This means fostering a culture of autonomy and responsibility:
- We pay particular attention to children’s transitions (from home to school and extra-curricular activities).
- Our school practices positive assessment, considering the development of each child.
- Our pedagogy is respectful of the child, and our educational community is open to the family and the world.
We offer several types of care depending on family needs: collective “creche” care, occasional “day-nursery” care and emergency care. Whenever possible, we also welcome children with disabilities (intellectual disabilities, developmental delay, speech or language disorders, emotional disorders, learning difficulties, autism, etc).
The multi-disciplinary nature of our pedagogical team enables us to mobilize all our skills to offer a coherent, high-quality welcome to children and their families. We also welcome trainees wishing to learn about the early childhood professions.
Our educational project covers several aspects: care, development, well-being and stimulation. First, we welcome children and their families (familiarization/adaptation during the first few days) by establishing continuity between life at home and life at school. We take care of the children’s diet, sleep, hygiene, and body care. We offer a wide range of activities designed to promote children’s development, well-being, and awareness (artistic and cultural approach).
This educational project is based on the application of Montessori pedagogy in strict compliance with the classic nursery school cycle one curriculum (primary learning cycle) in line with Cameroonian and French national education programs. Children study the following five areas of learning:
- Mobilizing language in all its dimensions.
- Acting, expressing themselves and understanding through physical activity.
- Acting, expressing themselves and understanding through artistic activities.
- Acquire the first mathematical tools.
- Explore the world.
Our nursery
We welcome around twenty children in the nursery. Children are cared for in a specially designed space, enabling them to develop their skills at their own pace (respecting the developmental stages of each child). The children evolve under the welcoming environment of English-speaking and French-speaking educators.
The experience of separation between child and family demands the attention of our entire educational team, particularly during the first year of schooling. The daily welcome into the classroom is a way of reassuring the child. The educator recognizes each child as an interlocutor in his or her own right, whatever his or her age.
In our Montessori crèche, we welcome children from birth to three years of age. They are placed into two groups evolving within the same space:
The “Nido” group of children aged from birth to 18 months.
The ” Children’s Community ” group for children aged 18 months to three years.
Our kindergarten class
We welcome around thirty children in the kindergarten. The children learn under the guidance of two Montessori educators (one English-speaking, the other French-speaking) and a bilingual assistant. This class is called the ” Children’s House ” and welcomes children aged 3 to 6 within
several areas
:
• A space for fundamental learning (language, math, reading, writing).
• An area for sensory activities (development of the five senses and reasoning).
• An area for practical activities (personal and environmental care).
• A space for cultural awareness (life and earth sciences).
• A space for artistic awakening.
The premises
Montessori Kids Academy is a human-sized establishment for young children. We welcome children aged from birth to 6 years old in an area of approximately 500 square meters and located on the ground floor of a residential building. Our establishment has various spaces for activities, learning, motor skills, sanitary or changing areas, catering and sleeping. The architecture of the building has been specially designed to accommodate very young children and we also have technical rooms (kitchen, laundry room, linen room, baby feeding area, reserves, storage). Our establishment also has two outdoor spaces for private use (garden, terrace) and a swimming pool.