Enquiring Minds Montessori welcomes the opportunity to nurture and support young children of all ages from Toddler Level to Upper Elementary.  The Montessori Learning Spaces are peaceful, happy places designed to meet the developmental needs of each child in every stage of learning.  Children move freely throughout the environment, choosing activities that interest them, or working with our educators, individually, or in small groups.  All our Programs strive to meet the child in age-appropriate ways, based on Dr. Montessori’s system of education.

Unique to Enquiring Minds Montessori is our extensive Arts Program bringing specialized classes in Movement, Music and Visual Arts.  Core Arts Programs begin at the CASA level.  Children receive weekly instruction in Tap, Acrobatics and Ballroom with an additional option of Ballet and/or Jazz.  Yearly accreditation examinations are taken in these disciplines through The Royal Academy of Dance, the British Association of Teachers of Dancing, Acrobatic Arts Canada, and the Canadian Dancesport Federation.

Music education begins at the Toddler Level with SmartStart, a Royal Conservatory of Music early childhood program and progresses to Practical Examinations in Violin performance, also through the RCM.  Our Visual Arts curriculum includes drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking, photography as well as film arts.  This is a comprehensive study that compliments the child’s Montessori curriculum.

The Language Enrichment Program begins at the CASA Level where students are introduced to Mandarin and then French in CASA 3.  Language studies continues throughout the Elementary grades with four classes per week of instruction.  Children studying at Enquiring Minds Montessori will exceed the language requirements as set out by the Ministry of Education FSL curriculum standards.  The Mandarin Program will progress to standardize language tests with YCT and HSK.

We monitor our students’ wellness and progress, using Transparent Classroom, an online student database platform.  Transparent Classroom allows parents/guardians to follow their child’s daily routine as well as their progress through their own parent portal.  Our students progress is mapped in measurable increments using curriculum goals that ensure that they achieve and exceed the Ontario Ministry of Education standards.

Program Statement

This program statement is consistent with the Minister of Education’s policy statement on programming and pedagogy issued under subsection 55 (3) of the CCEYA (Child Care Early Years’ Act) and shall review the program statement at least annually for this purpose as follows:

In keeping with the Minister’s policy statement of programming and pedagogy as outlined in the document ‘How Does Learning Happen?’, Enquiring Minds Montessori programming reflects a view of children as being competent, capable, curious, and rich in potential.

The following goals guide the programs offered at Enquiring Minds Montessori program and are implemented to:

• promote the health, safety, nutrition, and well-being of the children
• support positive and responsive interactions among the children, parents, educators, and staff
• encourage all students to interact and communicate in a positive way and support their ability to self-regulate
• foster the students’ exploration, play and inquiry
• provide child-initiated and adult-supported experiences
• plan for and create positive learning environments and experiences in which each student’s learning and development will be supported
• incorporate indoor and outdoor learning, as well as active activities, rest, and quiet time, into the day, and consider the individual needs of the students
• foster the engagement of and ongoing communication with parents about the programs and their children
• involve local community partners and allow those partners to support students, their families, educators, and staffs
• support staff or others who interact with the students at Enquiring Minds Montessori in relation to continuous professional learning
• document and review the impact of the strategies set out in above on the students and their families. The Director shall ensure that all new educators, staff, students, and volunteers review the program statement prior to interacting with students and at any time when the Program Statement is modified and annually thereafter. Enquiring Minds Montessori shall ensure that the approaches set out in its Program Statement are implemented in the operation of its program.