OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
Students can choose to work with Montessori materials in the classroom courtyards or practice natural gross motor movements, such as balancing on a beam or walking a labyrinth.
Wildscape
Students have many opportunities to explore our 5-acre wildscape, learning about plants, insects, and other wildlife who visit this wondrous space.
GARDENING AND ANIMAL CARE
Our students fully engage in caring for our pig, Rufus, and our chickens on a daily basis. Students are also active participants in planting, maintaining, and growing fruits and vegetables in our gardens.
Nontraditional Learning
Children thrive in both our indoor and outdoor classrooms where curiosity about the world drives them to learn. We provide professional guidance, the prepared environment, and scientifically developed materials for children to live
up to their full potential.
Learning Happens through purposeful activity
Children work with specially designed learning materials, manipulating and investigating them to master the lessons they embody.
abstract ideas in concrete form
Children use real objects to translate abstract ideas into concrete form. The example above, the binomial cube, physically represents a mathematical equation, which is (a + b)³ = (a + b) (a + b) (a + b) = a³ + 3a²b + 3ab² + b³.
Outdoor learning prioritized
Safety is our highest priority and we are lucky to have a 13-acre campus which provides students with many opportunities to work outside. Each classroom also has an exterior door, so when it’s too hot or cold outside, students can move into a well-ventilated indoor space.
Committed professionals
Our committed and credentialed professionals foster a child’s cognitive, physical, and social/emotional well-being, leading children to become enthusiastic, intrinsically motivated learners.
TMA at a Glance
Our Global Community
With students and staff members representing more than 20 countries, we consider TMA to be a small-scale global community.
Highly Committed Teachers
29% of our teachers are in their second decade of service at TMA, while the average tenure of lead classroom teachers at TMA is 9 years. The average tenure of all teaching staff at TMA is 7.5 years.
Accreditation
TMA is fully accredited by the American Montessori Society. We are 1 of only 3 fully accredited schools in the DFW area. There are only 6 schools in Texas that hold this level of accreditation.
“The child who has never learned to work by himself, to set goals for his own acts, or to be the master of his own force of will is recognizable in the adult who lets others guide his will and feels a constant need for approval of others.”
– Maria Montessori, Education and Peace
A Walk through Early Childhood
What does a typical day look like?
Indoor Classroom
Students engage in academic and other purposeful work using hands-on, scientifically developed materials.
Outdoor Classroom
Students engage in academic work, gardening, animal care, gross motor development, and imaginative play.
How is Montessori Different?
HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT VS. CORE COMPETENCE
Holistic Development vs Core Competence
Montessori education values the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs which are essential for the development of the whole child.
Traditional systems of education value teaching children mastery of skills and test performance.
Self-Discipline vs TEACHER DIRECTED DISCIPLINE
In Montessori, the learning structure and prepared environment of the classroom promote motivation and self-discipline through freedom coupled with responsibility.
In traditional education, the teacher disciplines and encourages motivation using a system of external rewards and punishments.
Cooperation vs COMPETITION
Mixed-age classrooms and self-directed learning encourage cooperation and the development of social skills in a Montessori classroom.
Individual learning graded by the teacher; collaboration and cooperation are secondary in a traditional classroom.
Concentration vs COMPLETION
Long work periods in a Montessori classroom allow children to focus on deep learning.
Tightly scheduled days in a traditional classroom value completion of teacher-directed work.
Active vs PASSIVE LEARNING
The child moves freely around the Montessori classroom, choosing her own work — and the pace at which she does it — while being guided by the teacher.
The child listens to and follows directions from the teacher who sets the pace of instruction in a traditional classroom.
Self Motivation vs EXTERNAL MOTIVATION
Montessori education emphasizes internal (self) motivation. The classroom is a precisely prepared environment for individual instruction and self-paced learning. Well-tested teaching techniques and materials are designed to maximize children’s time in the classroom. Teachers show students how to create order and discover principles by means of carefully demonstrated lessons that can then be practiced at will.
Traditional education relies heavily upon external motivation. Students are expected to learn specific subjects according to fixed, uniform schedules. Whole class instruction often requires that childhood enthusiasm be suppressed to preserve teaching plans and to maintain classroom order.
Can’t Visit in person?
If you can’t visit in person, check out our photo and video highlights to acquaint yourself with what happens on campus.
Lower School PHOTO & VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
See what happens in our Infant, Toddler, and Early Childhood classrooms.
Upper School PHOTO & VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
See what happens in our Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms.
A Peek Inside
Early Childhood Multiplication Board
Elem & Early Childhood Reading Buddies
Lower Elementary Botany
Infant Peer Interactions
Early Childhood Sandpaper Letters
Upper Elementary Decimal Multiplication
Early Childhood Preparing Snack
Toddler Transferring
Early Childhood Wet Pouring
Infant Imbucare
Early Childhood Easel Painting
FAQs
We have gathered some of the most frequently asked questions in one place to make finding information easier for prospective parents. This information is covered in greater detail in our Family Guide or other locations of our website. We encourage prospective families to read through these questions and sign up for a visit to find out even more details about our programs.
We are open between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The school day is from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, with Before Care from 7:00-8:30 am and Extended Day from 3:30-4:30 pm or Extended Day Plus from 3:30-6:00 pm.
Our Tuition and Fee Schedule is available online. Please note that the $300 application fee is fully refundable until an enrollment contract is signed.
Yes. Tuition can be paid in-full or on a monthly basis. If you choose to pay on a monthly basis, we require you to purchase tuition insurance, which is 3% of the annual tuition and is paid with your first tuition payment.
Yes. Our enrollment contracts cover an entire year, offering options for a traditional school year of 10 months or a year-round, 12-month option. If you are admitted after the beginning of a school year, your tuition is pro-rated based on when you enroll. There is a 3-week trial for students enrolled in our Lower School.
Each new school year begins in August and closely follows the Arlington ISD school calendar. We offer enrollment throughout the school year on a space-available basis, with tuition being pro-rated for those who start later in the year.
Our ratios vary by program:
— Infant – 1:4 (2 teachers for 8 students)
— Toddler – 1:8 (2 teachers for 16 students)
— Early Childhood – 1:12 (2 teachers to 24 students)
— Elementary – 1:18 (1 teacher for up to 18 students)
While these are the minimum ratios, we have an additional teacher available for each of the Infant, Toddler, and Early Childhood classrooms throughout the day. Elementary students also participate in Enrichment classes with Enrichment Specialist teachers.
All families provide their own healthy lunch options for their children.
Parents provide snacks and lunch for children enrolled in the Infant program.
A few times each year, families with students enrolled in the Toddler and Early Childhood programs will receive a list of groceries to purchase to bring for the classroom snack. As part of the Practical Life work in class, students will prepare snack each day.
Elementary students will bring snacks for themselves each day.
The nap schedule for infants is individualized and based on an infant’s age and need.
Toddlers and 2.5 to 3-year old Early Childhood students take a nap in the afternoon, after lunch.
Early Childhood students who are 4-years old are asked to rest for at least 30 minutes each day, with some still needing a full nap and others only resting their bodies for a short time.
Early Childhood students who are 5-years old are asked to rest for at least 30 minutes a day and take part in special enrichment classes or work in the afternoon.
Parents of children with diagnosed allergies or asthma are required to provide the school with an individualized health care plan, signed by the child’s medical provider. A list of children with medically documented food allergies is posted in every classroom throughout the school, and a list of the classroom allergens is posted outside of each room.
TMA was established as a parent cooperative and, as such, requires parental involvement. Not only does community service help to build stronger bonds between community members, but it also provides excellent modeling for the volunteerism that we wish to instill in our students.
Parents pay a Community Service Fee of $300 each year, $150 for the fall term and $150 for the spring term. If one or more members of your family volunteer at TMA for 5 hours each semester or 10 hours for the year, you will be refunded the entirety of the Community Service Fee, or you may contribute it to the Scholarship Fund.
To protect the health of all children and to satisfy state regulations, current medical information for each child is required prior to enrollment. These records, which must meet state immunization and hearing and vision screening requirements, need to be updated when new screenings or immunizations are given. An annual physical is required for children in the Infant, Toddler and Early Childhood programs.
The state of Texas allows certain immunization exemptions and we follow all state guidelines.
Several forms of communication are used to meet the needs of our community. These include email, texting, phone calls, written documentation, parent/teacher conferences, a parent portal on our website, a closed Facebook group, and Bloomz, a photo/video sharing app so parents can catch glimpses of the work their children are completing.
We produce a weekly e-newsletter to keep parents informed about school-wide activities and events which is available via email, text, our closed Facebook group, the parent portal, and through Bloomz.
For infants, in additional to daily, in-person communication, teachers and parents complete a daily form so both parties know when diapers were changed, meals/snacks were eaten, and naps were taken.
Injuries will be promptly treated by a staff member and parents will be notified either by telephone or through a copy of a completed Accident/Incident Report form. Parents will receive a short report which documents how, when, and where and accident or incident occurred.
Students are prepared to succeed wherever they go for middle school. The elementary program provides opportunities for students to practice time management, collaboration, and problem-solving skills on a daily basis, enabling them to adapt to their new schools, whether private, public, or parochial. Want to hear directly from alumni how their transitions were? Check out our Alumni Thoughts page!
What do parents say about TMA?
We are happy with TMA, my child has been attending the school and he has learned so much. The school environment is clean and has so much for my son who loves to be in outdoors. Teachers and the administrators are helpful.
Great Schools
After touring over a dozen preschools, TMA came out on top for us. We love the focus on teaching important life skills and building character, not just behavior. The teachers interact with the students in a way that helps them to become independent and thoughtful little people.
Google Reviews
This is a GEM in the middle of the metroplex, with acres of nature surrounding the school. Kids are given a unique opportunity to experience and enjoy nature in a caring environment, while learning so much, both in and out of the classroom. Our child really likes it here.
Niche Reviews
TMA is a great school that helps students gain independence, learn concepts deeply, and become well-rounded citizens of the world. The teachers are dedicated, and the campus is beautiful and inviting. TMA is a great place to be!
Private School Review
4 Easy Steps to Admission
Our admissions team will lead you through the entire process to answer your questions and provide all the information you need so your family can make an informed decision about whether TMA is the right choice for your child and your family. We understand that choosing the right school is an extremely important decision and we will be here to guide you through the decision-making process.
Schedule a Visit
All of our visits are scheduled online and held during the morning hours so visitors can observe students during their morning work cycle.
Apply Online
To begin the admissions process, complete an online application and submit $300 application fee. The application fee is fully refundable until an enrollment contract is signed.
A 3-day classroom evaluation will be scheduled for students applying for a space in the Elementary program; a 3-week trial may instead be offered during the summer months when an evaluation is not possible.
Meet with the Head of School
During the 1½ hour meeting, “fit and match” between the family’s expectations for their child and TMA’s vision is explored and information about the classroom evaluation (if applicable) and a detailed tuition payment schedule will be discussed.
Complete Online Enrollment
Upon acceptance to TMA, the enrollment process begins with a contract being offered. The Application Fee becomes non-refundable after we receive your contract. Once we have received your online enrollment and first tuition payment, your enrollment is complete.
Important Dates
Gallery of Student Work
Infant - Stacking Blocks
Stacking blocks refines a child's fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, and concentration. This student enjoys stacking them and knocking them down, mastering the action with repetition. He is also able to maintain focus, even when the block falls behind the basket, showing his understanding the concept of object permanence. As adults, we may wonder why he would do this activity on a shelf when his movements are inhibited, but emerging toddlers enjoy challenging themselves in new ways as they move their body purposefully.
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Early Childhood - Pink Tower
She is so proud of her work! The Pink Tower, iconic to the Montessori classroom, is a scientifically designed material in the Sensorial Area of the classroom. Dr. Montessori believed that working with the Sensorial materials enables children to refine their senses, so they have a clearer understanding of what they see, feel, touch, or smell. The cubes are all the same color, shape, and texture so the student focuses on only one differentiation of the material, its size. It consists of 10 wooden cubes, ranging in size from 1 cubic cm to 10 cubic cm, differing in the three dimensions of height, width, and depth. The Pink Tower aims to refine a child's visual and tactile discrimination. As a child transfers each cube, one at a time starting with the smallest to a work rug, they can feel the weight and progression of its size. As they build the tower, they gain control of their body through purposeful movement.
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Multi-age Classrooms and Collaboration
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, as children pass through the planes of development, they begin to develop certain attributes and needs. Each period of transformation is taken into consideration in the Montessori classroom, where children are grouped according to their plane of development to maximize the child’s learning.
In each mixed age classroom, the older students have the opportunity to become mentors to the younger students. These mentors help to teach their mentees concepts and ideas that are more advanced. This form of peer-to-peer learning is beneficial to the mentor and the mentee, as both of them gain skills by collaborating with one another. Teaching the younger students helps the older students reinforce their own knowledge base and gain leadership skills, while the younger students have even more opportunities for mentorship from their peers as well as the adult guides.
Having the opportunity to interact with other children, who are either younger or older, can help a child develop important social skills. Furthermore, by being around children of different ages, they are exposed to three or more levels of all subject areas. This constant cognitive stimulation sparks a greater and more organic interest in learning.
#intrinsicmotivation #cognitivestimulation #collaboration #leadership #learnfrompeers #socialskills #independence #mentor #mixedageclassroom #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontradtional #themontessoriacademyofarlington
Early Childhood - Multiplication Bead Board
Look at that focus and concentration! This student is using the Multiplication Bead Board to begin to visualize and internalize essential multiplication math facts. This material concretely represents single digit multiplication equations so it is easy for a child to understand the underlying concept. This student is practicing the multiplicand of 4, working independently with autonomy and self-confidence.
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Lower Elementary - Stamp Game: Dynamic Multiplication
This student is very focused, using the Stamp Game material to solve dynamic multiplication problems. The Stamp Game is a material that children begin to use in the Early Childhood program and continue to use through the Lower Elementary years for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is more abstract than the Golden Bead materials, while still providing a concrete representation of the decimal system. Here, a student uses the Stamp Game to multiply 1,328 by 3.
#concretetoabstract #handsonlearning #focus #concentration #mathisfun #stampgame #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington
Toddler - Zipper Frame
This student is so proud of his accomplishment! The purpose of the dressing frames is to build concentration, coordination, and control of movement, all while encouraging children to become more independent as they learn to care for themselves. As students develop more coordination and control, these become easier and they move on to more challenging frames, such as tying or buckling.
Dr. Montessori believed that "Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence." The child who is able to say, "I did it all by myself!" has a feeling of joy and accomplishment and a sense of belonging in his world.
#practicallife #handsonlearning #experientiallearning #finemotorskills #order #concentration #coordination #independence #controlofmovement #selfsufficient #joy #icandoit #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington
Early Childhood - Geometric Cabinet
Look at that focus! The Geometry Cabinet is part of the Sensorial area of the classroom. It is used to further develop the child’s visual sense in the discrimination of shape and form. Additionally, this material is an indirect preparation for handwriting. Each shape inset has a knob that the child lifts and lowers using a three-finger grip, which is the same used to hold a pencil. Through the repeated removal and replacement of the shape, a child's fingers are being prepared for the correct pencil grip. As a child's fingers trace the contours of the shapes, he is controlling the muscles of the hand and developing a firmness of touch, which will help him as begins to learn to write.
#focus #order #concentration #coordination #independence #geometriccabinet #visualdiscrimination #shapeandform #preparationforwriting #handsonlearning #alwayslearning #experientiallearning #tma #montessori #privateschool #arlingtontx #arlington #texas #infant #nido #toddler #earlychildhood #preschool #kindergarten #elementary #education #privateeducation #nontraditional #themontessoriacademyofarlington
Infant - Benefits of the Outdoors
During a hike in our 5-acre Wildscape, the infants are given freedom to explore the various elements under supervision, using their developing senses to feel and smell the leaves, rocks, sticks, and dirt. Young children are constantly learning through exploration as they gain understanding of the world around them, therefore, the exposure to the outdoors can foster this natural curiosity. Our wildscape is a perfect space for the children to navigate different terrains to build their gross motor skills as they walk through trails and climb over tree logs.
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Lower Elementary - Geometry
The Geometric Sticks introduce a student to the building blocks of geometry. Using this material, they will construct, label, and define different types of lines, angles, and plane geometric shapes. They can create their own convergent, divergent, perpendicular, parallel, and oblique lines. In doing so, they internalize these concepts and develop the ability to mentally manipulate area and shape.
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Early Childhood - Practical Life
Maria Montessori observed that children are driven by an inner desire to perfect themselves. Often, they repeat an activity over and over for the pleasure of the movement itself. In the process, they develop skills that are important and necessary for their growth and development as human beings.
One important and necessary skill is control of the body, and movement is the key to control and coordination. Young bodies are changing rapidly, and children need many opportunities to move to keep pace with these changes. In particular, the hand requires much practice in performing a variety of movements to develop coordination. Practical Life activities, like pumpkin hammering, provide the stimulation necessary to support development of hand-eye coordination, as well as body control.
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It is the policy of The Montessori Academy to maintain a school environment that is free from discrimination and to conduct its educational practices, admissions program, financial aid policies, hiring, and other school-administrative programs on the basis of an individual’s qualifications and abilities. The Montessori Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (unless it is required as a bona fide occupational qualification), sex, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
