Benefits of an Orthodox Christian Montessori Sunday School Program:

	Benefits For the child:          The Child's spiritual formation is nurtured during the "sensitive period" of development.          The child's participation in the Divine Liturgy becomes richer and deeper.          The effects of early faith experience will last a lifetime.
Benefits to building a Children's Room in your parish: The program is designed for fifteen to thirty children, depending on the size of the room, in a mixed group of three to five year olds. The program can be set up as a weekly (for Sunday school) or a daily program (for preschool). Children experience and grow in their faith. Parent interest is peaked as children share what they are learning. Some parents, who have stopped coming to church, return in order to enroll their children in the hands- on Montessori style Sunday school. Contributes to building community as parishioners become involved with the making of materials for the three different levels.  Students remain in the same room with many of the same classmates for three years.
Faith Blossoms	The child experiences spirituality in The Church.
"The child is father of the man"	"What children hear is impressed as a seal on the wax of their minds."                       -Saint John Chrysostom
Children experience joy in their faith.	The children become active participants in their own church experience.
The children realize that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and He knows them.	The children understand that Jesus Christ Our Lord is real, that He lived in a real time and a real place.
The children are invited to pray and express their faith.	The children become at home in God's House.
The children enjoy learning and practicing the gestures of the Divine Liturgy.	They learn: to make the sign of the cross, to bow, to kneel, to kiss the icon, to light a candle, to kiss the hand of the priest, the way to receive anditheron, and the way to receive Holy Communion
The Child learns in a particular way.  The methods used appeal to the senses of the child and the child's way of learning.
“The spiritual faculty, the nous of the baptized infant knows God through immediate experience.”    (The Philokalia)
Benefits For The Parish As adults become involved in building the "children's room" (prepared environment) a sense of community is developed: The teachers, The parents, The grandparents The carpenters, The musician, The seamstress, and Many artisans and skills are called forward to help with this work, for the very young children. People who help with this work learn about the program and become inspired. It is common to hear from established programs, that church membership and attendance increase after the opening of the "children's room".  Adults learn from the children Church attendance increases Church membership increases Many needs of the young working family are met when the daily model is chosen; an Orthodox Montessori day school for 3-6 year old children.
“The child is the builder of the human personality.  That this personality be Christian or not depends on the environment around him and on those who guide his religious formation. Protect in their development those natural energies implanted in the souls of children by the guiding hand of God. ” Maria Montessori's last message to educators
http://montessoriteachercenter.com
*Maria Montessori's pioneering work (1917) in the field of education and the developmental and spiritual needs of the child are the foundation of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program. In 1954, Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi  developed the program drawing  upon Montessori's work: her religious schools, religious materials, research, and experience  as depicted in Montessori’s many books including; The Child in the Church, (1937).   Cavalletti's classic work describing her experience with children  is The Religious Potential of the Child ( 1992)