Seedlings Montessori Preschool

Montessori Education:

Montessori education is based on the belief that children are individuals, with their own strengths, needs, likes and learning styles. As such, a Montessori classroom is a specially prepared learning environment designed to meet the developmental needs of young children and to appeal to their diverse learning styles.

There are mixed-age children, spanning a three year age gap, a wide range of beautiful didactic materials and carefully designed activities across curriculum areas that are available to the children at their own point of readiness, and trained and dedicated teachers to guide each child within the group.

The teachers facilitate the structured learning environment and help foster an atmosphere of trust and respect. Careful observation, planning and record keeping ensures that each child touches base with what they need to during the 3 or 4 years that they attend school.

Seedlings Montessori:
Seedlings Montessori Preschool offers a place of love and respect in a specially prepared environment where your child can grow and develop holistically at his or her own pace. We are confident that we will give your child an excellent foundation for an independent, self-directed time of learning.

Our Toddler Environment aims to offer parents that would like their children to begin school at around 18months/2 years of age, a little ‘home away from home’ setting that is designed to be both purposeful and beautiful. It is especially prepared to meet the developmental needs of young children. It serves to prepare them for the pre-school environment and offers lots of fun exploration and beginning social experiences as appropriate for their age and stage of development.

Our Preschool Environment is especially prepared to meet the needs of children between the ages of three and six years. The layout of the classroom encourages exploration, communication and the development of relationships on all levels. Everything in the classroom is accessible to the children and it is full of interesting and fun things to do. Children develop holistically on all planes of development - physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually.

Grade R forms part of the last year that children attend Seedlings, finishing off a beautiful three or four year cycle of child-centered learning. In your child’s last year at the school the accumulation of knowledge, time and exploration come together, allowing them time for practice, consolidation and perfection. There is time for the whole child’s being to be nurtured in a safe and known environment, where as a group, and at an individual level, there is time for work, play and spontaneous learning, following the unique interests of the child. In this way the child becomes confident, independent and well-grounded before transitioning to their Grade 1 learning environment.

About Us
Seedlings Montessori Preschool opened in Hilton in January 2008. It is privately owned and managed by 3 partners; Anna Prentice, Gemma Stegen and Silvia Forsyth.

A bit about Anna: I attended high school and university in Port Elizabeth. After traveling and working throughout Europe for a number of years I embarked on my Montessori journey, registering to study (in South Africa) through the St Nicholas Training Centre in London. [St Nicholas has since merged with London Montessori Centre to become Montessori Centre International (MCI)]. I completed my Early Childhood Diploma (Birth – Six Years) in 1994. I was fortunate enough to work at a Montessori school during my course, gaining valuable experience. I have had partnerships in two Montessori pre-schools in Johannesburg and trained/lectured for The Montessori Academy for many years. Whilst living in Johannesburg, I attended the Montessori Academy’s Infant/Toddler Course – looking specifically at the development of children from birth to three years of age. I also audited The Montessori Academy’s 6 – 9 Course (Montessori Junior Primary)
Since moving to Hilton and opening Seedlings in 2008, I have attended MCI’s Trainer’s Course and have tutored Montessori distance learners. I have also been involved with training and lecturing for Montessori Centre South Africa (MCSA) in Durban and our school is one of the practical teaching host schools for Montessori students from this training centre. I am married to David and have 2 children, Samuel and Thomas. We moved from Johannesburg to Hilton in 2006 and are currently living in Winterskloof.

A bit about Gemma:
I was born and grew up in Hilton, I was schooled here and later I enrolled at UKZN, Pietermaritzburg, where I studied humanities and Psychology. During that time I had a few part time jobs au pairing etc. before embarking on my Montessori journey. In 1995 I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Montessori, where I was introduced to the wonderful world of child directed education. I was intrigued by it at only five years old and knew that this was the path I wanted to pursue.
In 2010 I stood in for an absent directress at Seedlings and I haven’t strayed far since. I completed my Montessori course and have been with Seedlings for a few years now. In 2013 Anna asked me to join Seedlings as a partner. Later that year I got married to Brad, we are currently living in Hilton. We now have a son, Eli, born in 2016.

A bit about Silvia:
I joined the Seedlings team initially as a student in January 2014. Since then, my role in the school has developed and grown from staff member in the preschool to a partner in the Seedlings team. Completing my Masters in Research Psychology in 2005, I worked in the HIV/AIDS prevention and research field for 6 years at a rural research centre. During this time, I got married and, with the thought of a family in mind, decided to make the move and pursue my other interests and passions in early childhood development. I completed my dual diploma in Early Childhood Education, Montessori Teacher Training through Montessori Centre South Africa and Montessori Centre International in 2014 and have never looked back! During this time, my family grew in number and I became mum to a daughter, Avalyn (2013). Our son, Sennett, was born in 2016.Both myself and my husband Angus, live in Hilton and, with close family and friends, love the community and sense of lifestyle that it provides for families.
So, with an interest in developing a Grade R environment at Seedlings, a wonderful partnership and common vision has emerged

Together we are members of SAMA – the South African Montessori Association and have attended numerous Montessori-related conferences and workshops. We subscribe to the Montessori International magazine for Montessori news worldwide and strive to keep up with the latest developments in the field of education and child development in general.