THE BRIDGE PROGRAM AT HPMS
“Others, as a result of careful study, have come to the conclusion that the first two years are the most important in the whole span of human life…. For that is the time when man's intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed.”
— Dr. Maria Montessori
The Absorbent Mind
The Bridge program (12 months – 3.5 years old ) serves our youngest students, bridging the gap between home and early childhood learning environments with smaller classrooms and intimate group sizes. These classrooms are equipped with bathrooms to accommodate children who may be developing their toileting skills when they start school. The Bridge Program teaching teams include Infant/Toddler certified Montessori Teachers and Early Childhood certified Montessori teachers.
The Montessori method holds a deep respect for each child’s natural learning process, focusing on the developmental needs of each child while fostering independence. Montessori classrooms are designed to make learning joyful and self-motivated. The classroom is carefully organized with materials that are accessible and sized for toddlers. The environment is calm, orderly, and encourages movement, sensory exploration, and independence. The hands-on materials and child-led approach instill curiosity and a love for discovery.
We invite you to learn about the beauty of an authentic Montessori classroom as it unfolds in our warm and nurturing classrooms, with our certified teachers who are passionate about this child-centered approach to learning.
In our classrooms, we:
Support Natural Development
The environment is carefully prepared to support the physical, emotional, and cognitive stages of development, allowing children to progress organically at their own pace.
Respect Individual Learning Styles
Montessori teachers (called “guides”) recognize that children have unique ways of learning; they observe and tailor activities to suit each child’s needs.
Foster Independence: Montessori classrooms encourage even the youngest children to make choices and perform tasks on their own, which builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills from a very early age.
Enhance Motor Skills and Coordination
Through the use of specially designed materials, children develop fine and gross motor skills. Activities such as transferring objects, pouring, and moving freely in the classroom are beneficial to their development.
Encourage Concentration
Montessori environments are designed to minimize distractions, allowing children to focus deeply on the task at hand. This helps build the child’s ability to concentrate over time, even from a very young age.
Support the Development of Practical Life Skills
Activities like washing hands, dressing, preparing food, and cleaning up are integrated into daily routines. These practical life skills foster independence, build concentration, coordination, and self-confidence.
Focus on Sensory Development
For toddlers, sensory development is so important. Montessori materials like color tablets, sound cylinders, texture boards, and other tactile items are designed to help encourage sensory exploration, build problem solving skills, and help them to understand the world.
Offer Freedom within Limits
Children have the freedom to explore and choose their own activities within the established classroom structure, while respecting others, their environment and their community. This balance helps them develop self-regulation and understand how to function peacefully within a community.
In essence, Montessori education for infants and toddlers is about nurturing the whole child—emotionally, socially, and intellectually—in a calm and structured environment designed to support their natural growth.
The environment is carefully prepared to support the physical, emotional, and cognitive stages of development, allowing children to progress organically at their own pace.
Respect Individual Learning Styles
Montessori teachers (called “guides”) recognize that children have unique ways of learning; they observe and tailor activities to suit each child’s needs.
Foster Independence: Montessori classrooms encourage even the youngest children to make choices and perform tasks on their own, which builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills from a very early age.
Enhance Motor Skills and Coordination
Through the use of specially designed materials, children develop fine and gross motor skills. Activities such as transferring objects, pouring, and moving freely in the classroom are beneficial to their development.
Encourage Concentration
Montessori environments are designed to minimize distractions, allowing children to focus deeply on the task at hand. This helps build the child’s ability to concentrate over time, even from a very young age.
Support the Development of Practical Life Skills
Activities like washing hands, dressing, preparing food, and cleaning up are integrated into daily routines. These practical life skills foster independence, build concentration, coordination, and self-confidence.
Focus on Sensory Development
For toddlers, sensory development is so important. Montessori materials like color tablets, sound cylinders, texture boards, and other tactile items are designed to help encourage sensory exploration, build problem solving skills, and help them to understand the world.
Offer Freedom within Limits
Children have the freedom to explore and choose their own activities within the established classroom structure, while respecting others, their environment and their community. This balance helps them develop self-regulation and understand how to function peacefully within a community.
In essence, Montessori education for infants and toddlers is about nurturing the whole child—emotionally, socially, and intellectually—in a calm and structured environment designed to support their natural growth.
