A new class for parents of young children is being offered to the community by Santa Barbara Montessori School.

“Montessori Beginnings,” unlike the school’s other classes, is for parents and their younger children to share together in Dr. Maria Montessori’s program for young children. The next two classes will be from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19 and 26. To register or for more information, contact SBMS Admissions Director Aran Klingensmith at 805.685.7600 or admissions@sbmontesori.com.

“This is really a great opportunity for parents with young children to see and experience for themselves the wonder of how Maria Montessori’s discoveries can help parents help their children at home, and in all facets of their child’s development,” SBMS Head of School Jim Fitzpatrick said. “Our teachers will be involved with their children alongside the parent, actively doing and explaining the variety of different Montessori activities throughout the classroom. Parents will be amazed to realize that the Montessori method of hands-on learning and self-discovery actually does relate to the youngest infants. There are amazing insights that will be shared and demonstrated during each class.

“Parents will bring their young children into our toddler classroom, and each afternoon class will feature different aspects of childhood development based upon the children and parents attending the class. So, not only will discussions focus on the insights and discoveries of Montessori’s theory, but each young child will have the opportunity to engage with their parents while they’re busy with activities in the classroom.”

The trained Montessori teachers leading the “Montessori Beginnings” classes — Cindi Kessel and Bridget Cathie — have years of experience of working with young children.

“Cindi has worked with SBMS for years,” Fitzpatrick said, “and although this is Bridget’s first year at SBMS, she’s worked in the community with young children for more than a dozen years, and she’s also hosted vacation camps and other opportunities for young children. They both bring years and years of experience to these classes.”

Each “Montessori Beginnings” class will be based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s guidelines for raising infants, with comprehensive exploration of the first three years of the child’s life, and will incorporate the furnishings and activities she created for the care and comfort of babies, as well as older toddlers. From the design of a baby’s bedroom to the child-sized kitchen table, from diet and food preparation to clothing and movement, the “Montessori Beginnings” classes will provide guidance for creating a beautiful and serviceable environment for babies and very young children. The classes will introduce concepts and tasks, including such skills as dressing themselves, food preparation and toilet training.

“Today, Montessori education is internationally acclaimed, but it’s often times misconstrued as only a ‘preschool’ program when, in fact, her discoveries and her program actually begins at birth, and continues all the way through high school,” Fitzpatrick said. “These classes will help families better understand the importance of their children’s first three years for their development, and they’ll be crazy fun, too, because there’s nothing quite like a room filled with babies and young children along with child-sized furniture and activities all around them. It’ll be fun times, for sure!”

— Jim Fitzpatrick is the head of school for Santa Barbara Montessori School.