Mission

Founded in 1967 as a 501-C3 charitable organization, NKMC is committed to providing an enduring preschool alternative for area families and children. Our mission is to embrace the rich Montessori tradition, known for a century to instill in young children inner discipline, self-motivation, self-confidence and a love for knowledge. Our program additionally promotes self-respect, respect for others and respect for our planet.

NKMC provides a three-year program of individualized learning that optimizes the intellectual, social and emotional development of each child. Children attend from age three through their kindergarten year, in a mixed-age group setting. The importance of a three-year commitment to the Montessori method cannot be over-emphasized. Parents, who approach Montessori preschool as just a two-year preparation for kindergarten, may be surprised to know that the goals of a Montessori classroom are more closely related to those of a first grade class than those of a kindergarten. “In a Montessori environment, the emphasis is on each individual’s cognitive growth, based on a firm foundation of sensory and motor skill training. In most traditional kindergartens, the primary emphasis is on developing social skills with some preliminary work in cognitive readiness.” The Kindergarten Experience" , The American Montessori Society

"There are many things no teacher can convey to a child of three, but a child of five can do it with the utmost ease. There is between them a natural mental "osmosis." Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method