Welcome to Step by Step Montessori Preschool:
- Where we strive to provide a warm, happy and inspiring environment; - Where we adapted the surroundings to the children’s natural size and behaviour by providing the child-size furniture, mats and materials to make the children feel relaxed and comfortable; - Where children learn by having freedom to choose their work and materials, doing things on their own, having the opportunity to correct their own mistakes and receiving rewards, not punishments; - Where we strongly believe that the role of a teacher is to inspire, guide and facilitate the children, who have a great capacity to learn at a very early age. We are a registered home based, smoke free school in Aspen Stone that will offer a warm, cozy and welcoming environment for your child. Hello, my name is Mrs. Maria, and I am a professional teacher at heart and a holder of a diploma with a bachelor degree in Language Art and a diploma of a Montessori teacher from NAMC (North American Montessori Center, a member of the National Association of Career Colleges and the Pacific Northwest Montessori Association). I have been working with children since 1986 in Europe, Canada, and U.S.A as a counselor, a guide and a teacher. I have worked with children in preschool, kindergarten, and low elementary. I am a mom of three children. I love teaching, it is my passion, love and life. See What Parents Say : "Step by Step Montessori is the absolute best school in Calgary, hands down! Low student/teacher ratio...6:1, I think. Mrs. Maria is amazing! She offers a very loving, nurturing, but no nonsense environment. The children learn self discipline and self motivation very quickly. True Montessori method of teaching. The children spend lots of time outside in the warmer months, learning about gardening, animals and insects, weather, and wildlife. Inside the school there is a very broad range of Montessori materials for the children to work/learn with. They are truly immersed in learning about the world around them. There is even a gym inside for the children to have play time when the weather is not good. My daughter attended for 2 years, and I wish I would have found Step By Step even sooner. Such an amazing foundational preschool experience. I highly recommend!" (Kristin C., 2018) “Step By Step Montessori is truly one of a kind. I was looking for a school to academically challenge my 3 year old yet not intimidate my child, who has been with me at home, and so far it has exceeded my expectations. Mrs Maria is so warm and kind and her classroom is very structured and organized. When my son was initially having trouble leaving me for school Mrs Maria took a very personal and caring approach which I really appreciated. Thank you, Mrs Maria, we look forward to the years ahead at Step by step!” (Michelle, 2017) |
"Mrs. Maria’s program has been such an enriching experience for my child. My child has learned life skills, as well as academic learning that will definitely prepare her for elementary school. Mrs. Maria is very knowledgeable and is fantastic at engaging all the children to learn in such a positive way." (The Nguyen Family, 2018)
“Step By Step Montessorri was the very first preschool that my husband and I visited and we instantly felt that it was the right place for our son Adam (then 3 years old). Ms. Maria is a strict and consistent but at the same time loving and respectful teacher who puts great effort into her curriculum preparation. Our son has learned so many new and interesting facts about the world, music composers, life cycle, nature and numbers and letters since he started a year ago. What we really appreciate is that Ms. Maria works with beautiful natural materials, many wooden toys and books and kids play in a totally non-cluttered but "clean, distraction-free and inspiring environment". This is definitely a preschool for someone who is looking for well structured and "European-style" education provided by a wonderful teacher with 15+ years of experience. Overall we are very happy with our choice and our son thrives.” (Kristyna R., 2017) "We have been nothing but pleasantly surprised by how much our child has benefited from Montessori Step by Step. Everyday seems to be a new learning adventure for him and we know his learning needs are carefully handled and progressed at his own pace. Mrs. Maria’s teaching techniques are carefully planned and executed with diligence. Our son will attend here for as long as he can and our daughter will be soon to join. A beautiful little preschool community." (Stefania W., 2017) “We cannot thank Mrs. Maria enough for the beautiful way she has supported and encouraged our daughter to learn and grow over this last year!!! After searching different schools in the area, I knew right away that this would be a great fit for our daughter. We started our daughter around the age of 2.5. Mrs. Maria was amazing with her!! She took the extra time and attention needed to make sure our daughter transitioned in a positive way. We feel that Mrs. Maria puts her heart and soul into all she does with the children. Mrs. Maria always strives to ensure the children are happy, cared for and comfortable. She truly has a gift and heart for teaching that is very hard to find. Her passion is reflected in the strong connections she makes with the children and what they learn. The learning does not stop at the classroom either, my daughter has carried it all home with her! We are so impressed with the level of teaching that Mrs. Maria’s provides to her students. She puts incredible effort into planning her lessons, while also making learning fun and creative. In addition, she keeps excellent communication with the parents about everything that is going on, from the daily check-ins to the monthly newsletters. We feel her program is a little hidden gem in the community! We are so touched to see how much of a positive impact Mrs. Maria has had in our daughters life, we highly recommend this school to anyone!! It is truly an outstanding program thanks to Mrs. Maria!!” (Jen & Chris, 2017) |