All preschool placements are managed by Preschool for All (PFA). If you’re interested in your child attending The Montessori House in the future, you can apply with PFA and choose our school as a preferred option. The first enrollment window for the 2025–2026 school year is April 2nd–30th. We do not have any private-pay spots.
Ages 3–6
Preschool
The Montessori House has three Primary classrooms, all of which are led by trained guides who hold diplomas from the Association Montessori Internationale, and who are supported by at least one assistant. Our classrooms—"Eagles", "Hummingbirds", and "Quetzals"—all have between 16 and 18 students.
We are a "school year, school day" program, which means we operate for 6 hours a day, 10 months a year. We generally follow the Portland Public Schools (PPS) yearly calendar, but we have other closures as well. You can see our current school calendar here.
As a Preschool for All (PFA) school, our contract is from 9:00–3:00, Monday through Friday. We also offer a 1:00 pick up for families that prefer for their child to nap at home. PFA families that choose a 1:00 pick up are welcome to extend their child’s day to 3:00 at any time. We offer Early Morning Care options from 7:30–9:00am and Aftercare options from 3:00–4:30—both of these options require an additional fee not covered by PFA.
At 9:00, the morning work cycle begins, during which the children explore the classroom environment, participate in teacher-lead gatherings, are given lessons by a guide, serve themselves snack, and care for the environment and each other.
Near noon, children begin either school-provided lunch, or outdoor time on the playground. At around 12:45, napping children begin Siesta, while non-napping children participate in an afternoon work cycle ("Owls"), or join other activities such as yoga, art, or food preparation with our chef.
At 2:30, some students again begin outdoor time, in anticipation of dismissal. Aftercare students continue their activities at this time, then later also head outside for dismissal.
Our authentic Montessori work cycle in the morning includes activities in Practical Life, Language, Sensorial, Math, and Artistic and Cultural Appreciation.
Practical Life: This area focuses on the care of the environment, the care of the person, and development of coordinated movement.
Sensorial: The children refine their developing senses with all of our beautiful sensorial materials.
Language: Language is all around us with the spoken language of storytelling, poetry, songs, and books. Each classroom has a complete area of hands-on materials for writing and reading.
Math: Our math activities are hands-on and offer concrete experiences with number symbols and quantities.
Culture: There are also many cultural extensions through geography, music, and art. Our art activities build upon the development of the senses and allow the children to dive deeper into their understanding of the world around them while exploring various media and learning about notable artists.