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Montessori (Age 3 - K)

Our accredited Montessori preschool is the foundation of a Woods education.

Our program for three- to six-year-olds includes a Montessori Kindergarten year, where students internalize the basics they learned as three- and four-year-olds and are armed with the tools they need for life. Because peer group learning is intrinsic to Montessori, there is often more conversation — more language experience — in our classrooms than in conventional early education settings. Daily Spanish and French instruction begins right here in Montessori, giving your child a head start most families spend years searching for.

"We've really seen our son blossom in the Montessori program. He is more confident in his abilities and has gained so many new skills."
— Montessori Parent, 2025–2026

From Montessori to Grade 8

Montessori is just the beginning of your child's Woods journey. More than half of our Grade 8 graduates started as Montessori students — meaning most Montessori families stay all the way through, watching their child grow from their first independent task at age three to walking across the stage at graduation. The transition into Lower School is designed to feel seamless, building on the independence and confidence your child develops right here, not starting over.

Our Montessori Faculty

The Woods Academy Montessori teachers are trained and certified Montessori teachers, either through AMS (American Montessori Society) or AMI (Association Montessori Internationale). They, and their assistants, are essential to the success of our program, and all wear many hats, from responsive adult, to role model, resource, and observer—giving lessons, providing structure, and preparing and maintaining interesting environments. Their central goal is to help each student grow in independence and self-regulation as they become life-long learners.

Four Lower School girls running and playing during recess at The Woods Academy in Bethesda, Maryland

 

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Two Montessori students developing fine motor skills and cooperation at The Woods Academy in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

How We Teach

We honor questions, exploration, intrinsic motivation, and creativity. Here, our Montessori students lead, teach, interact, and learn through collaboration, cooperation, and observation. They experience many firsts in our mixed-age, child-centered classrooms that are modeled on family and community, as they are encouraged to try new things, be curious, and see the many routes to success. They are also urged to express their feelings, connect socially, develop interests and affinities that support self-esteem, and recognize that effort is more important than perfection.

Students work together while pursuing their own interests, under the guidance of our dedicated and well-trained teachers and staff, with access to age-appropriate technology and opportunities for community service. They also enjoy activities and programs in school and through field trips that enhance classroom activities and provide new experiences.

Montessori student practicing letters and spelling at The Woods Academy in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

Sample Montessori Schedule

 

8:00 AM - 8:20 AM Arrival & Outdoor Play

8:30 AM - 8:50 AM Morning Circle

8:50 AM - 10:20 AM Work Time 

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM Group Time (snack, story, songs, poems, etc.)

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM Outdoor Playtime; 3 year-olds Dismissal at 11:30AM*

11:30 AM - 12:30 AM Kindergarten Lunch & Recess

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM 4 year-olds Lunch & Recess

12:30 PM -2:45 PM Kindergarten Afternoon Work & Specials

1:00 PM - 2:45 PM 4 year-olds Afternoon Work (cooking, library, science, Monart)

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Dismissal

*3 year-olds have the option of extended care to extend their day until 2:45 PM or later

 

What is Montessori?

Determine if Montessori is the right fit for your child.

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Choosing the Right Preschool

Find the best preschool for your child.

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See Why Families Choose The Woods

Hear directly from parents and alumni about what makes The Woods the right fit — and why so many never looked anywhere else.

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