3 Mariposas Montessori

General Information

We are an early education Montessori school located in La Cienega, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Approximately 60% of our students are Dominicans and Haitians living in poverty and are attending the school on scholarship and donations. Our focus is on three demographics: children, teachers, and parents. We offer opportunities for individual volunteers, work groups, certified Montessori teachers, interns, and anyone looking to get involved. We'd love to hear from you!

Mission

Alongside parents and teachers, we provide children with the foundation for educational success and a happy, healthy life.

Programs

Bilingual (Spanish/English) Early Childhood Programs:

• El Nido Classroom: This program starts with children as young as 12 months up to 3 years, and continues to foster and encourage curiosity, independence, and active learning.
• Primary Classroom: This child-centered, hands-on program for 3 to 6 year-olds allows the children to thrive. Our classroom environment fosters the fulfillment of the young learner’s highest potential – social, emotional, behavioral, physical, artistic, and intellectual – as a member of a family and a community.
• Elementary Classroom: The Montessori philosophy implemented in our classroom fosters and promotes independence and a lifelong love of learning. Throughout the 3-year cycle, teachers provide clear curricular and behavioral expectations with encouragement and challenge each child at his/her developmentally appropriate pace. Lessons with the teacher, interest based explorations, self-correcting Montessori materials, and cooperative work groups, all serve to cultivate creative problem solving, budding scientists, reading and language skills, and mathematical proficiency. Our whole child approach to education instills self-direction, confidence, empathy and an awareness of each student’s role in the care of our community.

Parent Education:

• School Store: We have an on-site school store that one of our parents runs. By doing this, she does customer service, develops her math/accounting skills, learns how to run a store, and takes home 100% of the profit. The items which are sold in "La Tienda" are donations from the community (clothes, household goods, etc).
• Monthly Parent Meetings: 3MM holds monthly parent meetings and part of these meetings are centered around the Montessori philosophy and what/how their children are learning at 3MM. And, on occasion, 3MM gives ideas as to how the Montessori philosophy can be brought into the home, as well.

Teacher Training/Professional Development:

• Regular training is given to the teachers in order for them to reach a mastery level of the Montessori methodology. One crucial lesson the teacher learns is “to stir up life, but leave it free to develop" - Maria Montessori.
• 3MM is sponsoring 3 Dominican teachers to study English.
• 2 Professional Develop days are scheduled per year. Every topic varies, but we primarily focus on the Montessori methodology, technology and communication skills.