News

As the end of the first semester approaches, we know that many parents begin to evaluate and weigh options for their children’s educational paths. As we learned in late September, Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, spent over a year considering the alternatives for his next philanthropic venture, and to the surprise of many, Bezos announced that one of his two projects is pledging $1 billion to fund “high-quality, full-scholarship, Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities”.  

Montessori has been a priority for the Bezos family since Jeff attended a Montessori preschool.  His mom recalls his years in Montessori as a time when he would be so engrossed in an activity, his teachers would have to literally lift him out of his chair to move him to the next activity (The Montessori Mafia, Wall Street Journal, April 5, 2011). Montessori shaped the way he thinks about the world and how he runs his company. Bezos recognizes the importance of a child’s early experiences, acknowledges the great impact of a child’s early years and asserts that Montessori principles offer a “giant leg up for any child”.

As you can imagine, Montessori professionals around the United States are ecstatic about his announcement, and Montessori organizations, including AMI, have joined Bezos in conversations about how to make his idea a reality.  Allowing more young children to embrace lifelong learning, independent thinking, respectful interactions, and harmony with nature will ultimately lead to Bezos’ charitable goal of having positively impacted the world right now and into the future.

So as you, as parents, consider the best path for your children, we hope you will spend time thinking about who you want your children to become and what Montessori and Springmont can do to help you raise children who love learning, respect others, care for the environment and are prepared to be effective in high school and beyond.  We encourage you to observe, ask questions and attend our upcoming Meet the Teachers parent education series.