Primary (3-6) Program
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PROSPECTIVE TODDLER FAMILIES:
As of March 1, 2023, WMS has paused the acceptance of additional Toddler applications for the 2023-24 school year to ensure we have the space for new applicants. Based on the high percentage of current Toddler students returning for the 2023-24 school year and the large number of applications we have already received from new families, we are working to reconfigure classrooms to allow more students to benefit from a WMS education.
We anticipate re-opening the Toddler 2023-24 application by mid-March 2023 once the school is certain that it will be able to offer additional spaces in the Toddler Program for the 2023-24 school year. Thank you for your continued interest in a WMS education for your child. If you have additional questions or would like to be notified when the application reopens, please contact admissions@wmsde.org.
(3 to 6 years old - Preschool and Kindergarten)
The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one's self. Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow, and is working to create the adult, the person that is to be. Such experience is not just play... it is work he must do in order to grow up.
– Maria Montessori
At Wilmington Montessori School, the Primary Program is designed to meet the developmental needs of children between the ages of 3 and 6.
These preschool and kindergarten-age children are in what Maria Montessori called the first plane of development—the stage in a young child’s life characterized by a need for order, concrete thinking, sensitive periods for learning, and great strides in emotional, physical and cognitive development. During this time, children learn at their own rate, and it’s common for knowledge to be acquired in bursts with plateaus in between.
As in the Toddler Program, Primary students are learning through their senses, but they are no longer simply absorbing the environment as they did as toddlers. Each child follows a different learning trajectory, and moves along the developmental continuum through individualized lessons. Our teachers adapt and modify the curriculum to ensure access for all students, regardless of their skill or ability level.
Independence is crucial for children in the Primary Program. When students are able to button their coats for the first time, write their names without help, sequence numbers to 100 or read a book all by themselves, their confidence grows. They develop an enthusiasm for learning. Once they are able to do for themselves, they are capable of doing for others.
Full- and half-day, three- and five-day, programs are available. Read about our program options and hours.
Curriculum
- Practical Life
- Social
- Sensorial
- Mathematics
- Language Arts: Reading and Writing
- Cultural Studies: Social Studies and Science
- Assessment of Learning
- Specials/Enrichment Programs