Early Montessori

The Canyon Heights Academy early Montessori program provides a peaceful, nurturing environment for children ages 18–36 months. Here, children learn and grow together, supported by Montessori principles that foster independence, curiosity, and a love for learning. These practices make Montessori different from any play-based program, babysitting service or daycare center.

What is a Montessori School?

Montessori is an educational philosophy developed by Dr. Maria Montessori who spent her life researching youth education. This philosophy strongly emphasizes independence and encourages a child’s curiosity and spontaneous activity.

Four Montessori Pillars

A strong Montessori education is built on four key pillars:

Respect for the Child

The goal of early education should not be to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of studies. It should be to cultivate his or her natural desire to learn.

Absorbent
Mind

Dr. Montessori spoke of the child’s brain as the “absorbent mind” because of its great ability to learn and assimilate effortlessly and unconsciously from the surrounding environment.

Sensitive
Periods

A sensitive period is a time of intense fascination for learning a particular characteristic or skill, such as going up and down steps, putting things in order, counting or reading. It’s easier for a child to learn a particular skill during the corresponding sensitive period than at any other time.

Prepared Environment

A Montessori classroom is intentionally prepared to support development with clean, organized spaces and materials tailored to inspire growth.

Key Aspects of a Montessori Education

Prepared environment with child-sized furniture and materials
Hands-on, experiential learning materials
Freedom within limits
Focus on peaceful, respectful interactions between children and adults
A belief that children are naturally driven to learn and discover
A belief that each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace

Why Montessori for Toddlers?

A Montessori education teaches children to work cooperatively, set goals, be self-directed, organize their time, see projects or goals to completion, resolve conflicts peacefully, and value individual differences.

Children enrolled in Montessori programs consistently outperform peers in reading, math, and science. They also demonstrate better executive functioning, social cognition, problem-solving and more positive peer interaction.

Early Education & Faith-filled Curriculum

At Canyon Heights, our Montessori curriculum incorporates age-appropriate teachings of faith, virtues, music, and art. Inspired by the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, toddlers are introduced to Catholic traditions, liturgy, and Scripture in ways that inspire joy and understanding.

Canyon Heights is a proud member of the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Developed in 1954 by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi in Rome, this program is rooted in Montessori principles and emphasizes hands-on materials based on the Bible, sacraments, and Church teachings.

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Canyon Heights Student Life

Discover what makes student life at Canyon Heights so vibrant — from athletics and fine arts to after-school clubs, family-friendly events, and more.

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Canyon Heights Spiritual Life

At Canyon Heights, religion is more than just a subject in school. We believe that growth in a student’s spiritual life lays the foundation for success in academics and beyond.

Explore Faith-filled Formation

What Our Families Are Saying

“CHA has a wonderful and diverse community and the smaller class sizes and focus on Integral Formation help the school stand out from the rest. Two of our children have graduated from CHA and one child is currently enrolled. Both of our graduates have excelled in high school and college thanks to CHA.”

J. D.

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