Montessori Children's House of Durham

Montessori Children’s House of Durham (MCHD) lays foundations for intellectual, moral, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual competence in our students. We shape young people who have a sense of the grand order of the universe, who can assume their rights and responsibilities, find joy in learning, and who delight among the peoples and in the places where they live.

To accomplish these goals, MCHD implements the classical Montessori principles: the development of concentration, order, and coordination, which foster the discipline required for independence. These skills enable the child’s freedom of inquiry, while multi-age classrooms promote individualized education. Confidence and enthusiasm is gained from the ability to self-initiate and from success.

These principles provide the framework for every level of our work -- the layout of the classroom, the design of the curriculum, the modeling of each activity, and the intention of each lesson with the individual child.

The teachers each day guide children toward

learning to make decisions in their practical lives, exploring a myriad of sensory experiences, savoring the power of words, reveling in the elegance of mathematics, cultivating their unique voice through the arts, discovering continents and cultures in geography, observing the marvelous wonders of the natural world, and linking the past to the present through historical studies

In addition to our outstanding teaching staff, our programs are also set apart by a dedication to Montessori’s foundation in respect for the child. At MCHD, we respect the child’s innate desire to learn and inborn power to be competent.

Moreover, teaching children to be responsible members of their community, and imparting the skills they need to problem-solve and resolve conflicts, is as important as academic instruction. Students learn to care for themselves, for others, and for their environment, and practice community responsibility and service as part of the curriculum. Each classroom becomes a community built on respect and trust.