The Montessori Nido is a calm, cozy, homelike environment for babies. “Nido,” which means “nest” in Italian, captures the idea of warmth and security. Maria Montessori used this word to describe the infant classroom, within which little people feel cared for and loved, so that they will feel safe to explore and grow!

A child’s early years are a time of great sensitivity to bonding in order to establish trust in the world; as well as language, order, sensorial impressions, and development of coordinated movement, both fine- and gross-motor. Each of our Infant/ Nido rooms support the child’s development of movement, independence, and capacity for active exploration. Because an infant’s brain is wired for language acquisition, our environments offer rich opportunities for babies to learn through plenty of reading, singing, sign language and a running dialogue as your child’s caregivers explain the events of your child’s day. Our respect for each child shows by how we engage him in each care-giving activity with warm eye-contact and verbal explanations of each step, rather than merely just doing the tasks to the child.

In the Nido classroom, you will see..

• Low shelving with materials for fine-motor development and cause/effect, such as puzzles, rings on a post, and containers to open and close.

• Opportunities for purposeful water play.

• A stair with low steps and a railing to practice climbing up and down as well as a slide!

• Pull and push toys to promote gross motor movement.