About our school and the Montessori method

The School History

Valley Forge Kinder House was founded in 1977 by Susan and Edward Kelly. The Kelly’s, already committed to the Montessori Method, wanted an excellent school for their own child. Susan, an A.M.I. trained teacher, started the first class in a church in Wayne, PA with her one-year old daughter in tow.

Thirty years and four more Kelly children later, the same focus holds. The Kelly’s and the faculty of VFKH are dedicated to providing each child with an outstanding A.M.I. Montessori education.

Montessori Method

The Montessori classroom is a ‘child- size world.’ Whatever is in the world outside can be incorporated meaningfully in the Montessori classroom. To a child, the world can be a bit overwhelming – it is too big, too complex and too confusing. Here a special environment is set up. The Montessori materials, unlike other pre-school equipment, are designed to lead the children to the discovery of specific information and for the development of certain basic learning skills. With this opportunity for exploration, the children can realize their fullest potential at each stage of their development. Because of this, Montessori children are often viewed by observers as exceptional children.

The materials and the activities in this environment are self-correcting and are designed to stimulate independent exploration on a level that the child can understand. The children can proceed at their own pace from simple activities to more complex ones. Through this process, the child’s natural curiosity is satisfied and he begins to experience the joy of discovering the world around him. Montessori develops a love of learning. Children leave Montessori with strong fundamental academic skills, and statistics show that Montessori children continue to excel through their academic years. To achieve the fullest benefit of a Montessori education, a child should spend from the ages of 2½ to 6 years in the Montessori environment.  This whole experience is maximized as the children continue on in an AMI Montessori Elementary program. 

Links to More Montessori Information

More information about the Montessori philosophy can be found at these web site:

Association Montessori Internationale
Association Montessori- USA (link on the Internationale front page)
  www.montessori-ami.org