BERLIN – A new educational facility in northern Worcester County is focused on providing children with a hands-on approach to learning.
Coastal Early Learning Center, a Montessori school, opened this week in a brand new facility on Seahawk Road. The center is designed to offer a Montessori education to children between the ages of two and five.
“It’s an individualized learning process so children can learn at their own pace,” said Carrie Coots, the center’s director.
A Montessori education, based on the method developed more than 100 years ago by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, puts an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits and respect for a child’s natural development.
“It’s not memorization,” said Coots. “It’s a hands-on approach. When we teach kids their numbers, for example, we involve all five senses so they actually retain the information.”
The Coastal Early Learning Center opened this week in a new building on Seahawk Road in Berlin. Photos by Charlene Sharpe
Coots has long been an advocate for Montessori-style teaching. She worked in her parents’ Montessori school in Texas before moving to Washington D.C. and teaching in Montessori schools there. When she moved to Ocean Pines and had her son, she knew she wanted him to take part in a Montessori program.
“I looked around and there wasn’t anything,” she said.
When she realized several of her friends were interested in enrolling their children in Montessori programs as well, she opened one in her home. For the past two years, she taught 11 children there.
The space constraints and continued interest exhibited by local parents prompted her to expand.
“When I started, I knew I wanted to expand it eventually so more children in the community could have Montessori,” she said.
She chose the four-acre lot at the corner of Seahawk Road and Flower Street because of its proximity to Stephen Decatur Middle and Stephen Decatur High School. She said the parcel itself was ideal because it provided enough space for the 4,800-square-foot building, a playground and area for a potential future expansion.
The school features two classrooms for children 2-3 years old and two classrooms for children 3-5 years old. There will be two teachers in each classroom, at least one of whom will be Montessori certified.
Classrooms are outfitted with an array of learning tools, ranging from wooden puzzles to colorful math beads. Everything is meant to help children master basic skills.
“Everything in Montessori is a progression,” Coots said. “It goes from simplest to more complex. They have to master the simple before they can move on to the complex.”
Coots says parents who have visited have been impressed with the new building. She had 30 children signed up for the program before the facility opened. The school can handle an enrollment of 64.
Coastal Early Learning Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., offers a variety of options. Prices, which range from $336 a month to $805 a month, vary based on attendance.
