Dr. Maria Montessori began the first Montessori children's house over a century ago in Rome. In her observations of children and how they learn, she designed a "prepared environment". In this environment, children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities. The learning materials are designed to help develop a sense of order, confidence, concentration, coordination, and independence, and are sequenced from simple to complex.

Dr. Montessori discovered a three year age range in one classroom works best. The older children help the younger ones to learn, which in turn, gives the older child confidence in their knowledge, and inspires the younger child to learn what their classmate knows.

Each child is considered an individual, where they are allowed to learn at their own pace. The Montessori teacher observes each child, which tells them when the child is ready to be introduced to a new skill or concept.

What makes Small Steps Big Dreams so special is that we bring Christianity into the Montessori classroom. Each day your child will be in a faith-based atmosphere. As your child develops a relationship with God, they will also be learning about the goodness of other children and be able to build a positive relationship with others. We feel the Montessori classroom combined with the Christian atmosphere equals the perfect learning environment!