Lefferts Gardens Montessori
527 Rogers Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11225
(718) 773- 0287
An affiliate of the American Montessori Society (AMS)
About LGM
Our multi-ethnic school is dedicated to the philosophy and methods that evolved with Dr. Maria Montessori's experiences of learning that began in 1907 in her original Casa de Bambini, the Children's House in San Lorenzo, Italy.
Our program is a child-centered approach that helps foster self-esteem and the development of the whole child.
Our community of children, comprised of mixed ages from 2-6 years, is guided by respect as they work and play--respect for themselves, each other and the environment.
Our classroom experiences emphasize our teacher's role as facilitators who do not overpower the imagination and desire for creative exploration and discovery in our children. Montessori-trained teachers allow learning to move along natural pathways which embrace the students' interests and natural curiosity in five broad fields of learning: practical life, sensorial, mathematics, language and cultural. We also recognize the importance of the arts and their physical development. Enrichment programs include dance, music, science/nature and a second language.
An array of beautiful, sequenced materials occupies the shelves throughout the classroom. These materials range over all areas of the Montessori curriculum. Children choose their work by listening to their inner guidance, a process fully supported by our teachers and integrated with the wishes and needs of the other children.
Upon graduation from LGM, many of our children continue on to some of the other top schools within the five boroughs: Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn Heights Montessori, St Ann's, Little Red and Brooklyn magnet schools.
Lefferts Gardens Montessori welcomes students and faculty of any race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin in administration of educational policies and other school-administered programs.
History of LGM
Out of her love for children and teaching, in 1973 Mrs. Lenore Briggs founded a nursery school known as “Mom’s Center for Early Childhood Development”. The name of the nursery school grew out of the fact that Lenore was, and is still, affectionately referred to as “Mom” by children and adults alike in the neighborhood. She ran the nursery school from her home located at 151 Hawthorne Street. By 1982, due to the success of her program, the need for expansion was evident. She moved the nursery school from her home to 559 Rogers Ave.
During her teacher training in her native island of Grenada, W.I. she learned about and became intrigued with the Montessori Method. Lenore obtained a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from New York University and was a student of the first graduating class of the NYU Montessori Teacher Certification Program.
Recognizing the value of the Montessori Method, and her desire to offer more than just a nursery school, Mrs. Briggs founded Lefferts Gardens Montessori School in 1986, and the pedagogy of the school was shifted to embrace the Montessori philosophy.
In 1993 the need for expansion was again evident and an additional classroom was opened at 527 Rogers Avenue. In 2010 a new 2 year old program was started on the first floor of this location.
A certified veteran Montessori teacher heads each classroom with one or two assistants. Interns from The College of New Rochelle in collaboration The Center for Montessori Teacher Education Program (CMTE) and West Side Montessori School (WSMS) Teacher Education Program (TEP) also assist in the classroom.
Today, Lefferts Gardens Montessori is preparing for expansion once again. In September of 2011 we will open new classrooms at 527 Rogers Avenue. The building has undergone a complete renovation from top to bottom and we are seeking LEED certification.
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Child's Play
You may think a 2-6 year old child's life is simply child's play. Maria Montessori had other ideas. Maria believed that if we respond to and support the interests of children's spirits, this will lead to accomplishments and fulfillment throughout childhood and adulthood.
The spirit of the child is always seeking the light of day. It is the child's first and best teacher. Ask Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google. Ask Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Ask the actress Anne Hathaway. They all attended Montessori schools and they credit their Montessori years as a major factor in their success.
You know how quickly your child changes during the first few years of life. One minute they had difficulty standing up, the next they're running up the stairs. In an instant, the cooing and gurgling turned into full sentences. Holding a spoon was impossible yesterday; now they're feeding themselves.
An infact has no control over its body, can't distinguish where his body ends and another person's begins, has no grasp of time, space and the surrounding environment, and cannot comprehend language. By the the age 2 or 3, when they're ready to attend Lefferts Gardens Montessori, they have inexplicably and without concious effort, made enormous strides in piecing the puzzle together.
Clearly there's more than child's play in the play of a child.
At Lefferts Gardens Montessori, we put Maria Montessori's ideas and methods to work so your child's play can take advantage of the newly developing capacities and skills. We maintain an enviroment that is supportive of your evolving child. Our teachers are trained to observe and respond to your child's maturing needs.
We take these years seriously so your child has the opportunity to fully blossom. The enhanced growth of your child is our singular focus.
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The Whole Child
From the perspective of Maria Montessori and those who have followed in her steps, each child is a whole child with an intellect, cognitive capacities, linguistics and social skills housed in a physical body and an unassailable spirity. A Montessori environment is prepared for the whole child and children are encouraged to make use of the whole enviroment.
The instinctive strides of a child's earliest years now, by the age of three, four, and five, give way to more deliberate efforts to make sense of and master their world. At LGM, children receive support to look inside for inspiration and to do things for themselves.
On a practical leve, this requires a worth ethic on the part of the teacher and the child. We hekp children learn to problem-solve so they can think for themselves, rather than give them the answers. Though there are group and one-on-one presentations by our teachers, our teachers do not say "Today I am going to teach you". They model and authentic engagement with lide and learning through the class materials. Thus, children learn the Montessori method of selecting an activity, settling down to work, respecting their companions as they work, focusing and completing the work at hand, and replacing the material when finished to complete the process.
From such a simple method, the whole child blossoms. Our modeling demonstrates a way of being. They develop habits of mind that naturally result in soundness of spirit and a trustworthy autonomy. From their freedom, they learn responsibility, self-respect, and acquire an innate self-discipline.
Out of this, children gain self-confidence and develop an appreciation of aesthetics. They move gracefully within their environment and relate to the world through a serenity and joyfulness that results in dignity, respect for others, and respect for the materials and their environment. These children with to be respected, not as embryonic adults but as individuals who respect the liberties to which their are accustomed and deserving.
This result trascends the classroom to reveal something about human nature-- order, respect, and self-discipline result in freedom, creatvity, self-respect and dignity which in turn generates respect for others.
In our Montessori environment, children learn to love to focus and concentrate, work hard, seek knowledge, problem-solve and live harmoniously.
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