Parent Anai Cortez says Montessori program helped her 5-year-old learn to read

Anai Cortez spoke during the public comment period to describe how a Montessori classroom this year helped her five-year-old begin reading and to praise the program’s emphasis on independence and creativity.

Cortez said her child, who is five years old, “El programa de Montessori es una gran oportunidad para los niños para aprender a socializar con otros niños de diferentes edades, aprender a hacer actividades donde ellos crean su propia creatividad.” (The Montessori program is a great opportunity for children to socialize with peers of different ages and to take part in activities that develop their creativity.) She told the meeting that her son learned the sounds of each letter of the alphabet and is now reading, even though the school year is not yet over.

She described the classroom as a mixed-age setting that includes three-, four- and five-year-olds in the same room, saying that arrangement fosters independence: teachers organize activities but children choose what they want to work on and practice independently. Cortez said the class does many hands-on activities and that her son has enjoyed and benefited from them.

Her remarks were presented as first-hand testimony about a child’s progress in an early childhood Montessori classroom; the transcript provides no motion, vote, or formal action connected to the program.

The public comment captured only Cortez’s perspective and examples from her child’s experience; the transcript does not include responses from staff or any decision by school officials related to the Montessori program.