(406) 240-2523
MONTESSORI PLUS INTERNATIONAL
Preschool · Daycare Center · Missoula, MT
MONTESSORI PLUS INTERNATIONAL
LEARN ABOUT US
Since the founding in 2015, as a small-scale, top-quality, bilingual pre-K school, we have served
over 120 families in Missoula. Currently we are a state licensed, STAR 4 Early Childhood Education
Center with assessment scores way surpassing the requirement for STAR 5, the highest level in the
quality rating system. (We chose to stay at STAR 4 because we decided that, instead of going through the
national accreditation process - an extra step required by STAR 5, we’d rather focus our limited time and
energy on supporting current students, staff, and families in our school community).
The 2023-24 school year is our 9th academic year. We look forward to another year of joyful
learning and meaningful connection in our school family!
Our Mission
At MPI we recognize that early childhood is the most critical stage of life for human development and
thus deserves the most mindful treatment from qualified educators. We strive to create optimal education
and developmental experiences for young children. Our highest priority is to build a solid foundation for
each child’s life success.
Our Vision
We are passionate about providing quality, responsive, and individualized care/support/guidance
to each young child. We deeply enjoy being part of their growth at this critical, formative stage of life.
Diversity and inclusion are integrated into our core values, curriculum, and environment. Each child is
respected as a unique individual with endless potential. At the same time, we strive to build a healthy,
supportive, and inclusive school family where all children have a sense of belonging and can thrive.
We believe:
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Love and security are the foundations of positive childhood development,
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Social and emotional development are critical for young children,
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An enriched and well-prepared environment is the key for a satisfying experience for children at school,
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Following the lead of the child is the core Montessori philosophy,
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Bilingual education benefits children cognitively, socially, and culturally.
Age Eligibility
MPI mainly serves families with children who are 3-6 years of age. If there is availability, a child
who is turning 3 by Oct 31 during the school year may start school at MPI at the beginning of the school
year. A child is expected to be potty trained when they start school at MPI. An MPI preschool graduate
may stay for Kindergarten (up to 2nd grade) if so desired by parents.
BILINGUAL , NOT IMMERSION
At our school, Chinese language is a bonus, not the purpose. Children are exposed to daily Chinese language learning opportunities. However, we are not a “language immersion” school. The reasons are:
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We choose teachers based on their abilities to treat children right and guide children effectively, not their foreign language abilities. There are many daily occasions and moments when coaching social-emotional skills is more important and appropriate than teaching a second language.
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We believe it is more important for children to feel secure, understood, supported and comfortable in the environment, especially during the transitional period, than picking up a new language.
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We have a diverse, mixed-age group. Some children are bilingual or even trilingual; some children only spoke English when they started with us, while some others did not understand any English at all. We tailor our teaching and interactions with children based on the needs of each individual child. Children also learn from each other.
SMALL, DIVERSE, ACTIVE
On Nov. 2, 2015, our school had a happy and humble start with only 1 student. In less than a year, by word-of-mouth, MPI grew into a dynamic and diverse school community of 16 great families.
Over the past few years, while cautiously growing to include more diversity, we've built a supportive, positive, and inclusive school community.
Although we have a big space and could admit way more students, we have chosen to have no more than 24 students at any time at school to ensure the best educational experience for children at our school.
To avoid misunderstandings, here are two things potential parents should know about us:
a) We have daily fieldtrips outdoors (rain or shine), walking in the neighborhood, exploring nature, and playing in the parks;
b) We follow children's interests, provide a lot of intellectual stimulations, and support children's academic exploration, but we don't push on academics.
“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.”
Plato
