Montessori Preschool Program
Our Montessori preschool program offers a joyful, steady beginning for your little learner during one of the most meaningful stages of early childhood education. At International Montessori Academy, we believe children ages 3-4 flourish when placed in a thoughtfully prepared environment where they can choose meaningful work, build language skills in English and their secondary language, and develop critical thinking through hands-on exploration. Guided by Dr. Maria Montessori's research on the absorbent mind and supported by decades of studies from the American Montessori Society (AMS) and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), our preschool program nurtures confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning. Here, comforting routines, rich educational activities, and a warm community help preschoolers feel safe, curious, and excited to explore their world.
Schedule a tour, visit our Montessori preschools, and experience the warmth that families feel the moment they walk into our classrooms.
We Offer a World-Class Curriculum That Inspires Students to Make an Impact
We provide full-time programs for children between the ages of 12 months and 2nd grade. By pairing our advanced academic curriculum with an engaging learning environment, our programs are designed to provide students with a deep understanding and effective application of knowledge. We are committed to delivering high-quality educational programs to local families. We have three campuses in the Seattle and Bellevue area, offering exceptional children's education programs.
Bellevue and Seattle Preschool Program Enrollment
Ages Served
Children ages 3 to 4 years (preschool-age children)
Location
Our Montessori preschool classes are available at all three IMA campuses, West Bellevue, Eastgate, and Capitol Hill.
Schedule Options
Full-day schedules are available.
Hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
Potty Training Required
No, our guides gently support toilet independence as part of daily routines
Curriculum Focus
Our Montessori preschool curriculum strengthens early language (English, Spanish, or Mandarin), practical life skills, sensorial exploration, early mathematics, early literacy, cultural studies, and social-emotional development. Through a calm, beautifully prepared educational environment, your child builds coordination, critical thinking, communication, independence, and enthusiasm for early learning, skills that prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
Daily Routine
Each day includes morning greetings, calendar time, bilingual language lessons, invitation-based Montessori work periods, inquiry-based thematic units, practical life activities, outdoor play, rest time, and warm social interactions. These routines help preschoolers feel grounded, confident, and joyfully engaged throughout the school year.
Classroom Experience
In our Montessori classrooms, children ages 3-4 thrive within their learning community that mirrors Dr. Maria Montessori's vision for early childhood development. Guides offer one-on-one and small-group lessons while encouraging independence, leadership, collaboration, and curiosity. Together with parents, we create a learning environment where every child is understood, supported, and celebrated.
About Our Montessori Preschool Program
Preschool is a magical time when curiosity blossoms, independence strengthens, and children begin to understand themselves as capable learners. At International Montessori Academy, we honor this important stage by offering an early childhood education model grounded in Montessori principles and enriched by language immersion, cultural awareness, and real-world exploration. Research shows that children ages 3-6 learn best through sensory-rich, self-directed activities. Our preschool classrooms, which reflect Dr. Maria Montessori's concept of the Children's House, give your child space to explore early literacy, math, motor skills, geography, biology, and cultural studies at a pace that honors their developmental needs. Rather than memorization or worksheets, your child receives hands-on experiences that build genuine understanding and a lifelong love of learning.
From Age 3 to Age 4: Child Development Support For Every Stage
Preschoolers learn through movement, exploration, repetition, and meaningful relationships. Our Montessori program supports this early age range with a comprehensive approach to child development, language immersion, academic readiness, social growth, and problem-solving.
Sensory Development
Your preschooler explores sensorial materials, like the Pink Tower, Color Tablets, and geometric solids, that refine perception of size, shape, color, dimension, and sound. American Montessori Society research shows that sensorial work strengthens critical thinking and early math pathways by helping children classify, compare, and organize information.
Freedom of Movement & Gross Motor Skills
With child-sized furniture, open spaces, and thoughtfully arranged shelves, preschoolers move freely through the classroom, carrying materials, unrolling mats, and engaging in purposeful work. This supports body control, coordination, and physical confidence, essential foundations for future academic learning.
Fine Motor Development
Through pouring, tweezing, tracing, pin punching, and pre-writing activities, preschoolers refine motor skills needed for handwriting, math work, and everyday independence. These age-appropriate activities help children build strength, focus, and pride.
Early Language Foundations
Language immersion is woven into each day through circle time, stories, bilingual conversations, vocabulary lessons, and exposure to poems and songs in Mandarin or Spanish. Research by the US Department of Education shows that dual language and immersion programs significantly strengthen communication skills, phonemic awareness, cultural understanding, and long-term cognitive development.
Practical Life: Early Independence
Preschoolers participate in real-world activities like food preparation, table washing, sweeping, caring for plants, using dressing frames, and setting up snacks. Dr. Maria Montessori believed a child's inner drive to learn and build themselves is at the heart of education. These practical life activities honor this instinct by giving children real, meaningful work that builds independence, confidence, focus, and a genuine love of learning.
Emotional Security & Social Development
In their Montessori classroom, younger preschoolers learn from older peers while developing early leadership skills. Guided by respectful conversations, children develop empathy, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and a sense of belonging.
Executive Functioning & Problem-Solving
Puzzles, math materials, phonetic games, sequencing cards, and project-based thematic units teach preschoolers to think logically and creatively. These activities support planning, working memory, adaptability, and the ability to follow multi-step processes.
Peaceful Routines & Natural Rhythms
Daily rhythms, from morning greetings to extended work cycles to afternoon rest, help children feel secure and focused. Our Montessori uninterrupted work cycles allows preschoolers to enter deep concentration and meaningful learning.
Exploration Through Safe, Prepared Environments
Low shelves, open floor areas, accessible materials, and a homelike environment allow preschoolers to choose their work, care for their space, and move independently. This prepared environment communicates: "You are capable," helping children rise excitedly to the expectations around them.
Our Montessori Preschool Program Enrollment and Registration
We'd love to welcome your family into our preschool community. Learn more about our admissions and enrollment processes, and schedule a tour to see our Montessori preschool program in action.
Why Families Trust Our Montessori Preschool Programs
Families choose International Montessori Academy because our three campuses offer far more than a traditional early education setting. They offer a globally minded Montessori community where children residing in nearby neighborhoods and children living across the broader region feel genuinely seen, supported, and inspired. Our Montessori preschool program is built to meet the diverse needs of eligible preschoolers, honoring each child's developmental stage, interests, and emerging independence.
We offer:
- Montessori-trained guides who deeply understand early childhood education, creating experiences aligned with each child's abilities, culture, and natural learning rhythms.
- Classrooms are purposefully designed around Montessori program priorities, supporting independence, collaboration, and critical thinking through hands-on learning.
- Dual-language and immersion models that nurture true bilingualism, allowing children to strengthen both English and their heritage language (Spanish or Mandarin) during the most sensitive period for language development.
- An international Montessori preschool curriculum that blends academic readiness with social-emotional growth.
- Accreditations by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
- A supportive school-family partnership, where communication is open, community is cherished, and each program year feels like a shared journey of growth.
Together, these elements reflect the heart of our mission: to cultivate an educational environment where young children receive extraordinary early learning experiences, build authentic self-confidence, and grow into compassionate global citizens.
Private Montessori Preschools Serving Seattle and Washington
We invite you to visit our campuses, meet our Montessori guides, and explore our preschool, toddler, and elementary programs. Start your admissions journey today!
Other Montessori Programs Available at Our Locations
Our Montessori toddler program offers a nurturing start where little learners build early independence, language skills, and motor development through meaningful, hands-on exploration in a calm, bilingual environment available across all three campuses.
Our Montessori Pre-K program gently expands your child's preschool foundation with deeper academic exploration, growing confidence, and continued language immersion at all three campuses.
Our Montessori kindergarten program bridges early childhood and elementary learning with enriched bilingual experiences that strengthen academic readiness, independence, and joyful curiosity at our West Bellevue campus.
Our Montessori lower elementary program supports children ages 6 to 8 as they grow into thoughtful, capable learners through a bilingual curriculum that nurtures critical thinking, cultural awareness, and a deeper sense of responsibility at our West Bellevue campus.
In our Spanish immersion program, children learn Spanish naturally through everyday classroom life songs, stories, play, and daily conversations, helping them grow confident in both English and Spanish.
In our Mandarin immersion classrooms, our students spend most of the school day hearing and using Mandarin through materials, routines, and lessons, giving them a strong foundation in the language early on.
Other Montessori Programs Available at Our Locations
Our Montessori toddler program offers a nurturing start where little learners build early independence, language skills, and motor development through meaningful, hands-on exploration in a calm, bilingual environment available across all three campuses.
Our Montessori Pre-K program gently expands your child's preschool foundation with deeper academic exploration, growing confidence, and continued language immersion at all three campuses.
Our Montessori kindergarten program bridges early childhood and elementary learning with enriched bilingual experiences that strengthen academic readiness, independence, and joyful curiosity at our West Bellevue campus.
Our Montessori lower elementary program supports children ages 6 to 8 as they grow into thoughtful, capable learners through a bilingual curriculum that nurtures critical thinking, cultural awareness, and a deeper sense of responsibility at our West Bellevue campus.
In our Spanish immersion program, children learn Spanish naturally through everyday classroom life songs, stories, play, and daily conversations, helping them grow confident in both English and Spanish.
In our Mandarin immersion classrooms, our students spend most of the school day hearing and using Mandarin through materials, routines, and lessons, giving them a strong foundation in the language early on.
Parent Reviews
Punthawat H.
January 14, 2025
Excellent take care kids and friendly.
Wenjing Q.
November 5, 2024
Loving teachers and that our kid is able to have the same teachers for the past year.
Siddhi G.
July 2, 2024
The environment at the school is so warm and welcoming to the children. The teachers are also very caring and take great efforts to ensure that the kids are doing well in school. We are very happy with how well our child is doing at International Montessori Academy.
Michelle H.
May 14, 2024
The teachers and staff are fantastic. it feels like home and my kids are happy there. I also really like the curriculum design.
Weiwei L.
March 5, 2024
The teachers are very good, elegant environment, unique teaching
Helen L.
January 10, 2024
Absolutely fantastic teachers!
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Montessori Preschool Program
Our Montessori preschool programs give students meaningful, hands-on experiences that strengthen early learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking throughout the school year. Research shows that when students explore at their own pace, they develop a deeper understanding that prepares them for kindergarten and beyond.
Schedule A Tour
Visit our campuses, meet our Montessori guides, and discover how our Montessori preschool programs will provide your little one with the educational foundations they will need for success. Start your admissions journey today!