Hi, I’m Jessica Elkins,
a homeschooling mother of 3, and a Montessori in-home provider.
In 2010, I realized there was a great need for a different type of in-home childcare. While looking for what I needed for my own children, I discovered so many other parents who needed the same things. But, we were left empty handed; no childcare facility or provider offered the unique education parents desired and children deserved. I set out to solve this problem.
In 2020, during the novel Coronavirus outbreak, I was shuffled in many directions. I kept coming back to the same things: what did I want to do? Did I want to continue my early childhood Montessori program, or work on the hybrid program I’ve dreamed about for many years? I have been homeschooling since 2014, and I knew I envisioned something different.
In 2021, I took the BIG STEP. I decided a Montessori-inspired preschool program was what I really wanted. I have poured my heart and soul into this program, and my dedication I believe is evident. Below, you’ll find information about the program, what to expect, fees associated including tuition, and more.
Video: “A Parent’s Perspective: Montessori and Public Schools”
Why Montessori?
Students enjoy a morning work cycle followed by a community circle time, outdoor classroom time, and a lunch period. During the morning work cycle, students work independently or in small groups in the curriculum areas of Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Cultural Studies (Geography, History, Zoology, Botany, Science, and Spirituality).
Overview of Program
The Early Childhood program provides students:
- lessons designed to build a child’s self-confidence by allowing him/her to be successful at a task;
- freedom to direct their own learning in the classroom, and they also understand the expectations of responsibility;
- to nurture children’s critical thinking abilities and vision of the world and universe around them.
Curriculum Overview
- Grace and courtesy are encouraged and consistently reintroduced to the children. These lessons include: how to interrupt, what level their voice should be, the steps of a work cycle, how to push in a chair, how to roll a mat, how to welcome a visitor, how to solve conflicts, how to sit on line, and how to greet others. Grace and courtesy are essential to ensuring a smooth work cycle and sets the framework of a successful working Montessori classroom.
- Practical life prepares the child for life. It is the foundation of the Montessori environment that nurtures the needs of the early childhood child. There are four main goals in practical life activities: order, concentration, coordination, and independence.
- Montessori philosophy indicates that our ability to understand math can be sourced to our innate intelligence and the quality of the environment in which we are placed. Montessori practice begins with concrete experiences that will innately lead to abstraction when the child is ready.
- Children learn through their senses. The sensorial materials train and sharpen the sense of the child and bring awareness to learning in other areas. Language is woven through the sensorial lessons. Language activities build self-confidence by expanding the child’s vocabulary and ability to communicate thoughts more precisely.
- Geography, history and science are interrelated ideas and materials. The lessons are introduced with a leading question, then the child works with the materials, and draws his/her own conclusions/inferences. The purpose of this work is to provide the children the opportunity to understand their own relationship to the planet.
How the Enrollment Process Works:
- Express interest and ask questions via the form below, or enroll directly.
- Attend your virtual Introductory Meeting (we will schedule this together!)
- If accepted into the program, read the complete handbook, fill out & return required items. (A virtual group onboarding/paperwork completion meeting is optional!)
- Welcome to the Peachtree Prep family!
If you have further questions or are interested in an interview, please submit an inquiry form below. If you are ready to enroll, please complete the enrollment application here.
Little LEXplorers 