Photo courtesy White Rock Montessori
In August 2022, White Rock Montessori School, which opened in East Dallas some 45 years ago, one of Dallas’ first private schools, will begin offering year-round early childhood programs for the first time. School officials say it is part of an effort to better serve the needs of working families in our area.
Director Connie Laufersky says her team recognizes that year-round care for young children is essential in today’s environment and that it’s difficult for parents to fill in gaps during summer months and holidays.
“Offering a year-round early childcare program is an essential component to welcoming those who need a consistent program for their child/ren in the summer as well as during the typical school year,” she says. ”
The curriculum at the Montessori school involves outdoor learning in large part. The students at WRM have “outdoor classrooms, a natural extension of the classrooms where the indoors and outdoors are seamlessly merged,” according to Laufersky.
The campus sits on 4.5 acres and a discovery garden, a creek, a natural playground, hiking trails, rainwater well, goats, chicken and ducks.
After the pandemic, schools that incorporated a lot of outdoor learning had an advantage, says the staff at WRM.
“In many ways the new normal here is not that different from the old normal,” notes a school representative in an email. “As Montessorians, we were able to quickly prepare!”
The schools offers year-round enrollment.
More about the programs is available at whiterockmontessori.org
