(Sept. 8, 2016) Coastal Early Learning Center in Berlin held two successful open houses last week, and the Montessori school is looking forward to operating in its new base of operations, according to owner Carrie Coots.
An Oklahoma native, Coots moved to the area nine years ago. She holds a degree from Oklahoma State University in hotel and restaurant management and has a Montessori certification through the American Montessori Society.
“My parents actually owned a Montessori preschool in Houston, Texas, so I worked with them and taught as well as ran the business side of things,” she said. “I had always dreamed of opening my own Montessori Center.”
When she moved to the area, she realized there was no Montessori school for her young son to attend.
“I ended up starting my own Montessori class out of my home in Ocean Pines, and I expanded to what you see today,” she said, referring the large, new center at the corner of Stephen Decatur Highway and Flower Street, in Berlin.
“Montessori is really a hands-on, concrete approach for children,” Coots said. “Instead of teaching everyone the same thing, Montessori is more of an individualized learning system. It teaches the children at their own pace, and the children are really able to get a more personalized learning experience.
“Some kids might be more interested, for instance, in the math area than another child at the same age. It depends on what the children are interested in, and it depends on how they learn. Do they have to see things? Are they visual learners Are they tactile learners? Montessori is all about learning with your senses,” she added.
The school offers two, three and five-day “extended” full-day classes, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and two and three-day half-day classes, from 8:30-11:30 a.m., for children 2-3 years of age.
For children 3-5 years old, the school offers five-day “extended” full-day classes, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., five-day full-day classes, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and two, three and five-day half-day classes, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Enrollment is open year-round.
“It’s individualized learning, so we can take children throughout the year,” Coots said. “They haven’t really missed things, because the Montessori teacher will sit down with the child, one on one, to give them lessons to get them where they need to be.”
Coots said she hopes to add an accreditation from the Maryland State Department of Education for kindergarten during the next year.
“Eventually I would love to be able to accept younger kids, as well as older kids,” she said.
For more information, visit the Center at 9729 Seahawk Road in Berlin, call 410-603-4224, or visit www.coastalearlylearning.com.
An Oklahoma native, Coots moved to the area nine years ago. She holds a degree from Oklahoma State University in hotel and restaurant management and has a Montessori certification through the American Montessori Society.
“My parents actually owned a Montessori preschool in Houston, Texas, so I worked with them and taught as well as ran the business side of things,” she said. “I had always dreamed of opening my own Montessori Center.”
When she moved to the area, she realized there was no Montessori school for her young son to attend.
“I ended up starting my own Montessori class out of my home in Ocean Pines, and I expanded to what you see today,” she said, referring the large, new center at the corner of Stephen Decatur Highway and Flower Street, in Berlin.
“Montessori is really a hands-on, concrete approach for children,” Coots said. “Instead of teaching everyone the same thing, Montessori is more of an individualized learning system. It teaches the children at their own pace, and the children are really able to get a more personalized learning experience.
“Some kids might be more interested, for instance, in the math area than another child at the same age. It depends on what the children are interested in, and it depends on how they learn. Do they have to see things? Are they visual learners Are they tactile learners? Montessori is all about learning with your senses,” she added.
The school offers two, three and five-day “extended” full-day classes, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and two and three-day half-day classes, from 8:30-11:30 a.m., for children 2-3 years of age.
For children 3-5 years old, the school offers five-day “extended” full-day classes, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., five-day full-day classes, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and two, three and five-day half-day classes, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Enrollment is open year-round.
“It’s individualized learning, so we can take children throughout the year,” Coots said. “They haven’t really missed things, because the Montessori teacher will sit down with the child, one on one, to give them lessons to get them where they need to be.”
Coots said she hopes to add an accreditation from the Maryland State Department of Education for kindergarten during the next year.
“Eventually I would love to be able to accept younger kids, as well as older kids,” she said.
For more information, visit the Center at 9729 Seahawk Road in Berlin, call 410-603-4224, or visit www.coastalearlylearning.com.