Question 1

Do you have a nursery for babies aged 0 to 3?

Accepted Answer

No, we do not have a nursery for babies aged 0 to 3. And usually, another question follows: "Why not? You'd fill it up right away! You'd make a fortune!" And the answer is always the same: It was never in our plans to open a nursery, nor will we ever open one. We have strong reasons for being so clear about this, and it is that we know (and we want to emphasise the verb "know", because this is not a mere opinion, but rather based on proven science) that where a baby needs to be until they turn 3 is in the care of an attachment figure who can dedicate exclusive time to them or, at the very least, share that time with only a very few other children (two or three). In other words, a baby is best cared for by mum, dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbours, or even a person hired exclusively to care for the baby at home (so-called "day mothers"), with whom a secure attachment relationship exists. We will try to explain this statement as briefly as possible because, certainly, it is not a simple matter to develop in just a few lines. As John Bowlby established, during the stage from 0 to 3 years, the baby is in what is called the egocentric stage. It receives this name because it is the stage in which the human being develops their "self" and, in turn, because while the baby is in this stage, they naturally have no empathy towards others. We are all born with the capacity to develop empathy, and this will happen from the age of 3, if the child has lived a healthy egocentric stage, but at birth, we completely lack empathy. Any exhausted mother in the first months of her baby's life can attest to this, as the baby cries demanding food without noticing the size of the dark circles under their mother's eyes. This is because until the "self" has been formed and completed, the capacity to see the "other" will not develop — the ability to perceive others as beings who have the same needs and the same emotions as oneself. And sometimes it seems that a baby is expressing empathy, but it is nothing more than the activation of their mirror neurons, which precisely serve to learn from the world around them. They reproduce what they have seen us do at some point, following a cause-and-effect pattern. So then, how does a baby form their own "self" in a healthy way? By being in constant contact with their attachment figures, being cared for, and perceiving in this way that they are attended to unconditionally — that when they express a need, it is met. This is how their self-esteem is preserved, and their brain gradually but constantly perceives: "I am cared for, I am important, I am worthy." The baby in the egocentric stage goes through different phases of reaffirmation and gradual separation that must be respected and understood: First, they need to be in constant contact with the maternal body that carried them (the so-called exterogestation, which lasts 9 to 12 months after birth), they also go through successive breastfeeding crises (stages in which the baby's demand for breastfeeding increases considerably, so that as suckling increases, the composition of breast milk changes to become more nutritious and complex as the baby grows), or they reach the tantrums phase, which is nothing other than a major identity and reaffirmation crisis, healthy and necessary (the famous constant "no's", which only mean "I", and which is when they most need to feel accompanied and understood by their attachment figures), and so on. Therefore, everything we are told about how if we give our babies too much holding, or too much affection, they will never be independent, is categorically false. Our human nature dictates that the more we are cared for and protected during the egocentric phase, the better that stage will have been fulfilled, and the greater the self-esteem, autonomy, and independence that will develop when the social stage arrives, which the child enters from the age of 3. Greater emotional health, without a doubt. A baby's brain is not like an adult's brain, only smaller… It is completely different, and goes through stages that are essential to take into account. And precisely because we are talking about stages, it is important to clarify that we are not saying that what a baby needs in the 0-to-3 stage is the same as what a child needs in the 3-to-6 stage, for example. "But… Nurseries are great for them, they play with other children and socialise." This is not true either. As we explained above, babies are not capable of feeling empathy, they do not see other people as equals, therefore they do not socialise, and they do not play together. If you observe two babies who appear to be playing together closely, in reality they are only playing in parallel, in the same space, with the same thing, but without any real interaction. In fact, they are very likely to argue and fight, and even become aggressive, precisely because they are in that egocentric stage in which, consequently, they are unable to share. Human beings begin to be social from the age of 3, when we cease to be naturally dependent babies. "Nursery is really good for them, they toughen up quickly." In response to this statement, the answer is as simple as being clear that earlier is not better. Forcing a baby to survive at a pace that does not correspond to them will never be positive for their psyche, as we will only be sowing the seeds for potential problems of all kinds. True resilience in human beings is not generated by forcing babies to stop being babies. Without wishing to overlook in any way that today's society barely allows for a true work-life balance, we at least want to make a general appeal to awareness that nurseries are purely and merely a need of adults, never of babies. No, they don't need them — we do. And, at the very least, let us be aware that the less time they spend in them the better, and that if there is no choice but to take them, it will be very important to compensate afterwards with a strong presence of mum or dad. On the other hand, perhaps it would also be worth questioning whether the vast majority of families in our country truly need, out of absolute necessity, to contribute two salaries to the family economy, or whether perhaps, at least for a time, both parents (when both are present, of course) could sit down one day to do the maths and see what they can do without while one of the two dedicates themselves to raising their child during the stage when they need it most. Perhaps this "welfare society" and compulsive consumerism is deceiving us about what our true needs as human beings really are. In short, there are many debates that could be opened, not to mention asking ourselves what is causing the waiting lists at child psychologists and child psychiatrists to grow longer and longer. What is happening to our babies, what is going on during that 0-to-3 stage, when we believe they are not aware of anything and therefore nothing is happening to them, but in reality so many things are happening… Things they will not remember when they grow up, because babies' brains only function at the limbic level — their neocortex has not yet developed to store conscious memory of events — but what they have lived through remains in the brain, at a very deep emotional level, and determines the future appearance of fears or phobias, nervousness, hyperactivity, and even addictions and depression in adolescence that are interpreted as mysteries, with no suspicion of where they might originate. "This child… He was just born that way," people say. And the matter is closed. In conclusion: "Why don't you also open a nursery at Cuarto Creciente?" Well, in short, it is simply a matter of principles, because we opened Cuarto Creciente Montessori School to meet the true needs of children, and that is what we are doing, and what we will continue to do. "… happy is the child who goes everywhere with his mother, in the streets and the market, on trams and buses, listening and looking, accumulating impressions of intense interest and safe all the while in the care of his natural protector." – Maria Montessori –

Question 2

During the settling-in process, how long will I be able to accompany my child?

Accepted Answer

For as long as the child needs. You will be able to remain in the classrooms accompanying them throughout the entire day, since, as we always say, in our classrooms we have nothing to hide. There are children for whom a few hours of accompaniment are enough, while others need a full day, some need a week, others two weeks, and others perhaps a couple of months. Once again, we will follow the pace that each child shows us. But there will always come a moment when your child will look at you and with a smile will say: "You can go now," because they will feel that they are in a safe place.

Question 3

If my child were to transfer to your school from a non-Montessori school, would they adapt well to the method?

Accepted Answer

They will adapt very quickly and satisfactorily, precisely because the Montessori method is based on the true way the human brain learns. Therefore, it is not difficult for children — they adapt to it naturally and, above all, they love it. Even regarding the second language, English, which frightens some children because they may not have learned it properly at their previous schools, as soon as they experience it the way we do it at Cuarto Creciente — with two teachers always in the classroom, one who speaks in Spanish and the other who speaks in English as a native speaker — they gradually become accustomed to it, and before long they not only lose their fear but begin to feel encouraged to speak and respond, discovering that they are perfectly capable of learning it naturally, and they enjoy it. And of course, it is also important to highlight how they will be received by the rest of the students, in an atmosphere of respect and camaraderie, where no one is left behind, because at our school we take great care of the social and emotional wellbeing of our students, and this is reflected in the kind of people they are and in how they relate to one another. When the educational method trusts the child and their abilities, rather than perceiving them as a being to be subdued, children give us back the best version of the human being.

Question 4

What happens when children finish Year 6 of Primary Education at your school and have to move on to secondary school?

Accepted Answer

The transition always takes place in a very positive way, in every respect. To understand the answer to this question, it is first important to understand how the child's brain develops and how it passes through different stages, as Jean Piaget explained, because a child's brain is not like an adult's brain only smaller — it possesses different structures that evolve throughout its development and, therefore, must also learn differently depending on the stage it is in. Very briefly, from 0 to 3 years, the human being is in what is called the SENSORIMOTOR stage, meaning the baby's brain focuses on developing the senses and movement; then comes the PREOPERATIONAL stage from 3 to 6, in which the child needs to touch and experiment to truly learn because the brain does not yet have the capacity to represent and move objects in the mind. For this we need to reach the CONCRETE OPERATIONS stage, from 6 to 12 years. In this stage we can, for example, add 2+2 by representing in our heads 2 things on one side, 2 things on the other, putting them together and knowing they add up to 4, but these must always be concrete concepts, having first passed through the phase of hands-on manipulation and experimentation. It is not until the age of 12 that the brain moves to the FORMAL OPERATIONS stage — the ability to directly represent in our minds any type of concept, whether concrete or abstract. This means that at age 12, when the transition to secondary school takes place, the child's brain is perfectly prepared to be educated through abstract methods such as learning from textbooks (the traditional method). When the brain has been learning appropriately at each stage, not only are the concepts acquired not forgotten, but the desire to continue discovering the world around them is maintained. And since the brain has not been overwhelmed by textbook-based education at a time when it was not appropriate, when the transition to secondary school comes, students embrace it eagerly and face this new stage with enthusiasm, very well prepared for it. But they are not only well prepared cognitively — they are also, and this is even more important, well prepared socially and emotionally. Because, in the end, it is a change for everyone: for those who move from their state school to secondary school, and even for students from subsidised schools who move to a different building, with new teachers and classmates… It is about how well-packed our own backpack is each time we face a challenge, and that is what our students especially take away from Cuarto Creciente — a backpack full of meaningful experiences that serve them for life, for each new challenge they face: my first day at secondary school, my first day at university, my first day at work...

Question 5

Are the studies provided at Cuarto Creciente Montessori School officially recognised?

Accepted Answer

Our studies are fully recognised, as a school authorised by the Regional Department of Education of La Rioja with school code 26008827, and not only in Spain, but in any country in the world, as an international centre accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC, Boston, USA). They also constitute an added value in the admissions processes of international secondary schools and universities, stemming from the recognition that comes from a school successfully completing a lengthy accreditation process with this prestigious American institution.

Question 6

Do your students have to take any placement test when they move on to secondary school or transfer to another city or school?

Accepted Answer

No, they do not have to take any test to validate their studies, nor any placement test. Studies at Cuarto Creciente Montessori School are fully valid in their own right, and when our students transfer or need to move on to a Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) centre, we always issue the corresponding academic transcripts and records showing the grades obtained in each of their subjects, just as any other educational centre in La Rioja would.

Question 7

What is Cuarto Creciente's position regarding screen use by students?

Accepted Answer

As we have been saying, human beings have a specific programming for getting to know the world around us, and all our learning mechanisms, especially in children, are based on the use of our senses — which we have, by definition, to absorb our environment. Furthermore, it is essential to properly develop gross and fine motor skills through movement and the manipulation of objects. This is how our brain makes connections and builds solid structures. When we replace sensory exploration and movement with sedentary screens, we are very seriously interfering with these mechanisms, with development, with the perception of the world and with self-concept. Video games and apps, even those that call themselves "educational", are only designed using an addictive structure of light, sound, and movement. Bright, intense colours, attention-grabbing images… Programmed to produce the instant dopamine that comes from the immediate reward of achieving things at the frequency needed to keep me hooked. So, even when we use a digital whiteboard to teach a preschool child that, for example, to colour a car blue, they only need to tap the colour blue from a palette with one little finger, and then tap the inside of the car with that same finger for it to automatically fill with blue, followed by stars and cheers to reward that minimal effort — that absorbent brain believes that the real world is like that. Then, when we place a piece of paper in front of that same child where they have to colour a car with a crayon using the movement of their own hand, gripping it correctly to cover the entire surface, suddenly real life feels slooow and boooring, because they are becoming addicted to instant dopamine, and they lose the ability to pay attention if the reward is not easy and immediate. They will therefore reject anything that requires effort and concentration, and in a few years, reading a book, for example, will be unthinkable for them. It is also important to distinguish between interactive screens and passive screens. Teaching our children to browse the internet to find information and develop critical thinking — being aware of which information is truthful and which is not — watching documentaries or even films, is one thing; but a video game, the interactive screen that rewards me with virtual prizes, followers, "likes" or whatever, and that is programmed to be addictive, is something very different. With an interactive screen, a child's brain, which has not yet developed its prefrontal cortex — that is, its inhibitory control — cannot self-regulate. It needs to be said clearly: The digitalisation of classrooms, and of children's lives in general, has only brought very negative consequences — attention deficit, zero frustration tolerance, speech development delays, difficulties in human relationships, increasing bullying and aggression, suicidal ideation… The list keeps growing. Therefore, we strongly advise against the use of video games at any age. They are not just another game, nor something children should have because everyone else does, but rather something from which they specifically need to be protected. It is no coincidence that the leaders of the digital world do not allow their own children to have mobile phones, social media, or play video games. They, who are the ones programming these products, know full well why they do it — they market them, but they do not want them for themselves. In short, let us also be smart, and take care of those we love the most.

Montessori School in Logroño, La Rioja

Cuarto Creciente Montessori School

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4.7

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Internationally recognized

Montessori Method

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Teacher/student ratio: 1/10

Bilingual school

Adaptation period

Self-regulated toilet training

Self-discipline

Freedom of movement

Daily record of each student's progress

Respect for individuality

Respect for feelings

Encouraging cooperation, not competition

Families are part of school

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Cuarto Creciente Montessori School