What is Montessori?

Athens Montessori Classroom

The Montessori education style emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development. At New Moon we host the "absorbent mind" age group: 2-4 years old, when a child absorbs the most knowledge. Montessori is a constantly rotating, prepared environment keeping children engaged. It is characterized by:

Uninterrupted blocks of work time
A Constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
Specialized educational materials developed by Maria Montessori (founder) and her collaborators

New Moon is an excellent option if you're seeking a preschool, Montessori, or even just daycare in the Athens, GA area. We are more affordable than most other preschools, and we have a smaller classroom size which allows your child more one-on-one attention to have their individual needs met.

Meet the Instructor

Cindy Jones has been an educator for 16 years and has owned and operated New Moon for 7 years. She has a Masters in Social Work from UGA. After enrolling her own children in Montessori, she became an instructor herself to learn more about the style of education. In 2006 she ventured independently to found New Moon Learning Environment, which is located on her property in Winterville, GA (Athens-Clarke County).

Meet the Expect?

Outside of the Montessori activities in our classroom, you can expect a variety of experiences for your child. We take bi-monthly trips to the Winterville library, a Fall Harvest trip to Washington Farms, trips to Bear Hollow, the UGA Insect Zoo, the local fire station, and many more education places near and in Athens, GA.

A typical classroom day includes individual work time, group learning, songs, group lunch and a nap. On nice days, the children enjoy unstructured exercise in our play yard where they learn to play respectfully with the other children.

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