Palisades Montessori Center, Pacific Palisades

Palisades Montessori Center opened its doors over twenty years ago to a small group of pre-schoolers, ages two through six. Dedicated to following the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician and expert in child development, the school’s popularity grew. Today, it is a positive force and renowned center of early childhood education in the Pacific Palisades community and throughout the Westside of Los Angeles. The basic Montessori curriculum is divided into five parts. The Practical Life section is devoted to teaching the child how to master everyday, self reliance skills such as dressing one’s self, preparing one’s own snack, pouring one’s drink, cleaning up after one’s self, etc. How proud our students are when they can peel and slice a banana (safety cutters, of course!) on their own and serve it to their friends for snack. The Sensorial exercises help to teach children to use their senses as a pathway to discovery.