The year most families leave, and the year that matters most
In Montessori the kindergarten year is the third year of a three-year cycle — the year a child becomes the oldest in the room, teaches what they know, and pulls together everything the two years before were preparing. Leaving before it is like reading two thirds of a book.
What is different about this room
- The third year is the payoffThe first two years are largely investment. In the third the child consolidates, abstracts, and starts using the whole environment fluently. Families who move to a traditional kindergarten for the free year almost always tell us afterwards that they did not realize what the third year was.
- Leadership that is earned, not assignedThe kindergarten child is the one younger children ask. Being the person who knows how does more for a five-year-old’s confidence than any certificate.
- Reading, writing and mathematics come togetherMuch of the abstraction that traditional schools spend first and second grade on happens here, on materials the child has been handling for two years.
- And it does not have to endBecause Mills continues through fifth grade, the kindergarten year is a step in a path rather than the exit. That is unusual on this part of the Peninsula.
What this costs
Every rate and fee the school charges is published in full — no inquiry form standing between you and a number.
What parents ask about kindergarten
- Why not just use the free public kindergarten?It is a real question and cost is a real factor — we have written an honest comparison on free TK and kindergarten versus Montessori. The short version: the public option is free and perfectly good, and the Montessori third year is a specific thing you give up to take it.
- Is Montessori kindergarten academically rigorous?Children in the kindergarten year are typically reading, writing extended pieces, and working with four-digit operations, fractions and geometry using concrete materials. The difference is that the work is chosen and self-paced rather than delivered to the whole room at once.
- What happens after kindergarten?Children can continue at Mills through fifth grade in our elementary program — no new school, no new method, no starting over.
- How do I know if my child is ready?Come and see the room, and talk to us about your child specifically. Call the school office at 650-616-9000 and we will find a morning.
Come and watch a morning
A Montessori room at 10 am tells you more in twenty minutes than any website can. Tours run during the school day, year-round.
Call or request a tour
Call the school office at 650-616-9000, or request a time online and we will find a morning that suits you.
Apply when you are ready
Complete the enrollment application with the $200 new-student fee. Enrollment is open year-round, subject to availability.
Agree a start date
We settle on a schedule that fits your week and your child begins the settling-in the classroom is designed for.
Come see a morning at Mills
Tours run during the school day, year-round, by appointment.