School Profile: Kinder Haus Montessori

School Name: Kinder Haus Montessori 

Location and Contact Info: 

Preschool and Primary: 252 Magnolia Street, Mandeville, LA 70448 

Nido: 430 N. Causeway Blvd, Mandeville, LA 70448 – Officially opens June 2, 2022

Grades/Ages of Students: 3 months through 5 years

Public or Private? Private

Tuition Info: 2022-2023 

Religious Affiliation: None

Student/Teacher Ratio: Nido – 4:1 (3mos – 18 mos), Preschool (18 mos – 3 years) 7:1, primary 10:1 (3 years -5 years)

School Mission: To nurture and inspire an open-minded community, so that our children and parents will grow in the best version of themselves.

Educational Philosophy? We have adopted the philosophy of the American Montessori Society which states that the Montessori philosophy is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive. Montessori education offers our children opportunities to develop their potential as they step out into the world as engaged, competent, responsible, and respectful citizens with an understanding and appreciation that learning is for life.

• Each child is valued as a unique individual. Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways, and accommodates all learning styles. Students are also free to learn at their own pace, each advancing through the curriculum as he is ready, guided by the teacher and an individualized learning plan.
• Beginning at an early age, Montessori students develop order, coordination, concentration, and independence. Classroom design, materials, and daily routines support the individual’s emerging “self-regulation” (ability to educate one’s self, and to think about what one is learning), toddlers through adolescents.
• Students are part of a close, caring community. The multi-age classroom—typically spanning 3 years—re-creates a family structure. Older students enjoy stature as mentors and role models; younger children feel supported and gain confidence about the challenges ahead. Teachers model respect, loving kindness, and a belief in peaceful conflict resolution. This is unique compared to the typical day care or childcare center.
• Montessori students enjoy freedom within limits. Working within parameters set by their teachers, students are active participants in deciding what their focus of learning will be. Montessorians understand that internal satisfaction drives the child’s curiosity and interest and results in joyous learning that is sustainable over a lifetime.
• Students are supported in becoming active seekers of knowledge. Teachers provide environments where students have the freedom and the tools to pursue answers to their own questions.
• Self-correction and self-assessment are an integral part of the Montessori classroom approach. As they mature, students learn to look critically at their work, and become adept at recognizing, correcting, and learning from their errors.

Given the freedom and support to question, to probe deeply, and to make connections, Montessori students become confident, enthusiastic, self-directed learners. They are able to think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly—a skill set for the 21st century.  

What sets your school apart? 

Our well-educated fantastic teachers and staff treat our children like family.  Everyone at Kinder Haus genuinely cares about making the world a better place by giving children a good foundation in education to take with them through the rest of their lives.  We teach them to be responsible people.  

What extracurricular activities exist for students? Culinary Kids comes and conducts cooking classes with the primary and preschool children including helping to make lunch.  We grow a lot of food on the grounds and the children can watch their food growing and then taste it.  We do composting. We try to involve the community in teaching the children such as visits from a therapy dog and her handler and another visit to learn about trees. This summer, we are offering kid fitness classes by a local Mandeville Mom. We also offered Soccer Shots this past year. We often have Science Fridays which can vary from learning about fossils and dinosaurs. Before the pandemic, we conducted fundraisers for local groups.  But the biggest thing we do is to teach the children to care for their environment and how to clean up the earth and take care it.  

What advice do you have for parents looking for a school for their child? It is never too early to start looking. A good foundation really makes the difference in the type of child you want to raise. Our favorite Maria Montessori quote is “Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society”.  

Describe your admissions process: Registration opens for the upcoming school year in January of that year. Registration for the 2022-2023 school year has already occurred but there is a wait list available. 

Local Mom’s Perspective:

When I was searching for a good place for my then 3-year-old son, I knew of Montessori but I had no real notion of what it actually was. My parents had apparently considered sending me to a Montessori school back in the day (the 1980s to be exact) but declined for vague and slightly skeptical reasons that seemed to have to do with open classrooms. When I was an adult, for some reason, I had it in my head that Maria Montessori was German, not Italian, so I envisaged very well-behaved children going through rote memorization. As with a lot of things, I was completely wrong.   

The reality is that Montessori, specifically the Kinder Haus Montessori version, is focused on the whole child and educating them in all areas of learning. It is because of Kinder Haus that my son at 12-years old still loves to vacuum and my daughter, at 9 ½ can keep herself amused for hours on her own. The lessons they learned from their two and four year stints during their formative preschool years have stayed with them to this day and show no signs of abating. 

During the time they were there, my children’s milestones were celebrated while at the same time they were encouraged to continue to increase their competency. And in classic Montessori style, they helped the younger children with their lessons as they grew older although this lesson has not stuck with my son who huffs and puffs like a volcano whenever I ask him to help his sister with her homework.  

My children aged out of Kinder Haus a long time ago, but I still wholeheartedly recommend it to friends with small children who are looking for a special place to entrust their academic, holistic, and character development.