CLASS in Action: Measuring What Really Matters The Interactions in a Classroom …And How CLASS Supports Teachers Research has long confirmed what many educators know in their hearts: the interactions between children and their teachers play a direct and powerful role in children’s learning and development. The CLASS tool (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) was developed to measure these critical […]
Why Interactions Matter: From Graduate Research to the CLASS Tool While earning my master’s degree in Child Development, I had the privilege of being advised and taught by Dr. Lynda Stone—an expert in teacher-child interactions with decades of research in the field. Her work inspired me to conduct my own research on how teachers interact […]
What Is Considered a Small Class Size, Anyway? When I think of a small class size, I think of thirteen students. In my experience, this number creates the ideal setting for quality learning to take place. Research backs this up. A well-known study from Tennessee conducted in the 1980s found that smaller class sizes led […]
The STEAM Summer Program 2025 Unlock your child’s creativity and curiosity this summer at American River Montessori! Is your child aged 4-6? Give them the chance to explore, experiment, and thrive with our STEAM Summer Camp Program at ARM! WHAT’S IN STORE? Hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math activities. A safe, engaging environment for […]
Welcome Readers, My name is Debbie Doss and I am the director and lead teacher at American River Montessori. I have been teaching children and supporting parents for over 13 years. At my Montessori school children and teachers are encouraged to learn and explore ideas. When I first began my teaching adventure I had no […]
There is a plethora of literature and research out there that tells parents their parenting style is an important factor in how their children will turn out. What are parenting styles exactly? A parenting style is defined as “a constellation of parents’ attitudes and behaviors toward children and an emotional climate in which the parents’ […]
Transitioning to a New School Starting school for any child is challenging enough. It can be even harder when your child is starting at a new school after already being in school for a while. There are many reasons why a family might want/need to have their child transfer to a new school. Regardless of […]
Our academic school year (September to May) offers programs for Toddlers, Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten to students 2 to 6 years old.
At American River Montessori, we practice multi-year teaching. This is done through a process called “looping.” Looping refers to when a group of children stays with the same teacher or teachers for at least two or three years. There are many benefits to looping that affect children, parents, and teachers. In this blog post, we […]