Childcare (0-5)

An Authentic Montessori Foundation for the Early Years

At West Coast Montessori, our Childcare program provides a nurturing, high-quality early learning environment for children from birth through to age five. Montessori isn’t an activity we add to the day. It is the way our classrooms are set up, the way our educators work with children, and the way children learn.

Our children have the freedom to move, choose their work and spend time becoming absorbed in what they are doing. They use real Montessori materials, take part in practical everyday tasks and gradually learn to do more for themselves.

We combine the Montessori approach with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), giving children a strong foundation for their early years while offering families the flexibility of long day care.

The Montessori Difference in Childcare

In a traditional daycare setting, activities are often adult-led and play-based only. In our Montessori Childcare classrooms, we follow the child. Our educators act as guides, observing each child’s unique "sensitive periods", those windows of time when a child is most captivated by learning a specific skill, such as language, order, or sensory refinement.

Program Highlights:

• Mixed-Age Classrooms: Children learn from their peers, with older children acting as mentors and younger children feeling supported in a family-like atmosphere.

• Purposeful Work: "Play" is a child’s work. Our classrooms are filled with specialised Montessori materials designed to be handled, explored, and mastered.

• Independence & Agency: From preparing their own snacks to choosing their own activities, children develop the confidence that comes from saying, "I can do it myself."

• Flexible hours and accessible fees: Our program offers the flexibility of childcare hours while maintaining the academic and social integrity of a Montessori classroom. We offer competitive fees, with Child Care Subsidy (CCS) available for eligible families to help make Montessori education more accessible.

Our Curriculum: The Five Pillars of Learning

Our program is structured around five key learning areas that support "the whole child", physically, socially, and cognitively.

• Practical Life: Children engage in real-world tasks like pouring, polishing, and food preparation. These activities build fine motor skills, concentration, and a sense of responsibility for their environment.

• Sensorial: Specialised materials help children classify their world through sight, touch, sound, and smell, laying the groundwork for mathematical and scientific thinking.

• Language: We nurture communication through rich oral language, storytelling, and phonics. In our 0–5 program, children often begin the journey toward reading and writing spontaneously through tactile exploration.

• Mathematics: Using concrete materials like beads and rods, children grasp concepts of quantity and sequence long before moving to abstract symbols.

• Cultural Activities: We ignite curiosity about the wider world through hands-on exploration of Geography, Science, Biology, and the Arts.

A Calm and Orderly Environment

Within our classrooms, you won’t find the over-stimulation of bright plastic toys or loud music. Instead, you will find a calm, aesthetic, and orderly space where:

• Freedom of Movement: Children are free to move throughout the room and choose work that interests them.

• Grace and Courtesy: We place a strong emphasis on social harmony, teaching children how to interact with respect, empathy, and manners.

• Deep Focus: By allowing children to work uninterrupted, we help them develop the long periods of concentration necessary for future academic success.

Transitioning to Children's House

Our Childcare (0–5) program serves as a beautiful precursor to our Children’s House (3–6) school program. For many families, this creates a seamless educational pathway, allowing children to remain in a familiar, supportive Montessori community as they transition into their Kindergarten and Primary years.