Sundborn Children's House nurtures the human spirit by educating, empowering and supporting children and parents to thrive as individuals, in families, and in communities.

 

A Developmental Montessori Environment for Children from 2.5–6 years of age. Students typically start between 2.5 and 3 years and remain in the community until they start first grade.

 

 
 

Joyful and creative atmosphere that encourages initiative

Practical living skills with real tools

Follows the natural development of the child

Children's garden and outdoor covered area

Unique "self-correcting" multi-sensory materials
that lead to independence and successful learning

Multi-age classroom that promotes leadership, cooperation, respect for others, and a sense of community

Cultural materials that encourage a
citizen-of-the-world view and promote self-esteem

Carefully designed materials that integrate art and music with language, math, geography, and the natural sciences

 

Sundborn Children's House is a non-profit, independent Montessori School in Albany, Oregon.

 

Each child possesses an innate curiosity about the world and a love of learning. Sundborn Children's House is a safe and stimulating environment that gives your child the freedom to explore, to build, and to grow.

 

Primary Montessori

Classrooms for children ages 2.5–6 years old

The Primary Montessori program, which serves children ages 2.5–6 years old, is where Dr. Maria Montessori began her work in education, and is the foundation of the Montessori educational philosophy. In this developmental stage, children are drawn to order and beauty. They have an innate desire to learn and refine skills, to develop relationships and contribute to their community, and to gain a deeper understanding of the world in which they live.

At Sundborn Children’s House and in Primary Montessori communities around the world, children can be found playing and exploring outdoors, tending to gardens, writing stories, learning various mathematic concepts, and working on practical life tasks such as washing dishes, tying their shoes, and sewing buttons. Montessori education places a great deal of value on caring for and educating the whole child, and offers plenty of opportunities for mental and physical wellness and development of real-life skills in addition to academic learning.

Sundborn recently grew to two Primary classrooms, and we are very intentional about being one community. All staff and students are familiar with each other and children regularly interact with everyone during outdoor play, special gatherings, and birthday and holiday celebrations, as well as several all-family events throughout the year.

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Extended Care

After school hours for current students

Sundborn operates as both a school and a child care center. In order to best serve working families in our community, the “center” aspect of Sundborn is that we also offer extended care in the afternoons, after school time. Extended care hours are from 3:00–5:0pm. (Limited space available at this time)


Summer at Sundborn

Sundborn Children’s House is a year-round school.

At Sundborn Children’s House, we are committed to meeting the developmental needs of the child, and one of these needs is consistency. Humans, and especially children, thrive in consistency, routine, and order. A 3-month break during the summer is a huge disruption not only to the child’s routine, but also to any breakthroughs that might be happening at school. Imagine being right on the cusp of learning a new skill, and then stopping for three months. When they return in the fall, all momentum to master the new skill is gone, leaving them to start again.

Out of respect for these sensitive periods in learning and for the routines of our students and their families, Sundborn operates as a year-round school, running from July–June each year, with short breaks throughout the year.

 

Follow the child.

 

The idea of “following the child” is central to the work we do. This means that we don’t have a set curriculum that we expect the entire class to follow. We understand that everyone learns at a different pace, so children are given individual, hands-on lessons based on their unique interests, skill level, and developmental capabilities. 

 

Nhimbe for Progress.

 

The vision for the Nhimbe Preschool was kindled by a partnership with Ancient Ways of Albany, Oregon. When Sundborn and Ancient Ways founder, Jaiaen Beck, discussed the work in Zimbabwe, we immediately saw a connection for our school. A mutual friend had traveled with Jaiaen in November 2000 to the Nhimbe area and brought back stories and insights about the project. Karen had always had a vision to help Sundborn Children’s House connect globally, and the Nhimbe for Progress community had a very special place in its heart for a creche. 

 

Making it possible.

 

Like most independent schools, enrollment and tuition rates do not actually cover our expenses. Because we receive no funding from any federal, state, or religious organizations, we rely on donations and sponsorships from generous individuals and businesses in our area in order to serve families in this community. We invite you into partnership with us as we continue our commitment to quality education for young children.

 

Sweden and artist Carl Larsson.

 

Sundborn Children’s House takes its name from the district of Sundborn, Sweden. Dalarna County in Sweden, where Sundborn is situated, is known for its characteristic red houses, which we have emulated in our own little “Sundborn Village” in Albany, Oregon.