Older kids often help younger ones learn how to master new skills. The length of the day depends on the school and the age of the students. Montessori schools believe in teaching children about a wide range of cultures, and most actively seek a diverse student body. If you'd like your child to be exposed to kids from all walks of life, this might be the place. Most Montessori schools take children starting at age 3 or 4, and prefer that they are able to go to the bathroom on their own.
Some facilities offer limited programs for infants and young toddlers.
The more than 750 Waldorf programs around the world aim to stimulate and develop these three elements in young children by immersing them in nurturing surroundings. Kids are encouraged to engage in creative free play rather than watching TV and videos and playing computer games because those activities get in the way of using all five senses to absorb and actively engage in life. In the classroom Waldorf early childhood teachers try to create a comfortable, homelike environment that offers children plenty of opportunities to freely imitate what they see and to indulge in creative play. Daily activities range from painting, coloring, singing, and reciting poems to modeling with beeswax, baking bread, building houses out of boxes, sheets, and boards, and dressing up and pretending to be parents, kings, and magicians. Who it's best for Waldorf programs tend to be more group-oriented than those at Montessori schools, for instance.