7 AM–6 PM year-round. 1:5 teacher ratio. Daily Mandarin and Spanish. Same campus through 1st grade — no school transfer. Available at all three Montessori Academy campuses.
Montessori TK vs. Public TK
Public TK is free. Here’s what the full comparison looks like for working families in Los Angeles.
Three Campuses
All three campuses run the same TK program — same hours, same ratio, same Montessori method. Pick the one that fits your commute.
What They Learn
California public TK follows state standards delivered to the whole class. Montessori TK delivers all five curriculum areas individualized to each child’s developmental stage.
Phonics, letter recognition, handwriting, reading readiness, and early chapter books — introduced through Montessori sandpaper letters, moveable alphabets, and the three-period lesson. Each child advances at their own pace through the sensitive period for language.
Number sense, counting, addition, subtraction, and early multiplication — all introduced through concrete Montessori materials (golden beads, spindle boxes, stamp game) before abstract notation. Children understand math before they memorize it.
Daily Mandarin and Spanish (Culver City & West Adams) or Spanish, French, and Tagalog (Downey) woven into circle time, routines, songs, and direct instruction. Children entering TK after the primary program already have 2–3 years of immersion exposure.
Geography, biology, history, and physical science introduced through Montessori cultural materials — puzzle maps, botany specimens, timeline of life. TK children lead lessons for younger classmates, deepening their own understanding through teaching.
The Montessori practical life curriculum teaches concentration, independence, and executive function through purposeful real tasks — pouring, folding, food preparation, care of environment. These are the skills that kindergarten teachers notice immediately.
Music, visual art, and movement integrated throughout the week. Optional enrichment through Webby (yoga, dance, gymnastics) available at additional cost at all three campuses.
A Day in TK
The uninterrupted morning work cycle is the heart of the Montessori TK program — and the biggest structural difference from a public TK classroom.
Children arrive and self-select work from the prepared environment. Teachers observe and note readiness for new presentations.
Group circle in Mandarin and Spanish (or Spanish/French/Tagalog at Downey). Calendar, weather, vocabulary, songs. TK children often lead songs and lessons for younger classmates.
The core of the day. Teachers present individual or small-group lessons targeting each child’s current sensitive period — whether that’s early multiplication, chapter-book phonics, or advanced geometry shapes. Children self-select follow-up work. No interruptions, no whole-class transitions.
Children bring their own lunch (Downey provides meals). Outdoor play, garden work, or structured outdoor Montessori activities. TK children take responsibility for cleaning up the outdoor environment.
Continued work cycle, reading group, project work, or optional Webby enrichment (yoga, dance, gymnastics — additional cost). Teachers update individualized learning records for each child.
No extra charge. Children continue in the prepared environment until families arrive. Pick-up any time from 3–6 PM.
What Comes After TK
One of the most practical advantages of Montessori TK: children don’t transfer to a new school for kindergarten. They stay in the same classroom, with the same teachers, among familiar peers.
Ages 4–5. Montessori primary classroom. Three-hour work cycle begins in full.
Ages 5–6. Continued in the same mixed-age classroom. Advanced reading, writing, and math materials introduced.
All three campuses. Montessori lower elementary begins. Downey continues through 3rd grade.
Children at Culver City and West Adams continue through 1st grade at the same campus. Downey families can continue through 3rd grade without any school transfer.
Common Questions
Open Enrollment — No Waitlist
See the 1:5 ratio in action, meet the TK teachers, and let your child try the work cycle. In-person, Zoom, or drop-in family day — your choice.