My oldest (now 7 and in first grade at Canandaigua Primary) did Kindergarten with Mrs. Wadsworth during the 2021-2022 school year. This was after starting in the primary class when he was 2-almost-3 in 2018 and moving through the Montessori program. We had been in constant communication with his teacher about when to start Kindergarten given his fall birthday. The Covid year cemented the decision and his teacher and I agreed that he should have an extra year of the Primary class at age 4-almost-5. This allowed him to start Kindergarten at age 5-almost-6 and he EXCELLED. The consistency of the Montessori program allowed him to quickly learn how to read and write as well as develop socially and emotionally. He moved through the math curriculum and by the end of the 2021-2022 school year he was starting on division. Division!! In Kindergarten! I was never in doubt of Mrs. Wadsworth’s ability to stay ahead of him and keep him challenged while also giving him a great Montessori education and allowing freedom of choice in the works he chose. He has been VERY well prepared for starting 1st grade at Canandaigua Primary. He’s now in enrichment classrooms for both literacy/reading and math.
My second son also moved through the Toddler and Primary programs at CMS (1.5 yr age gap between my two older boys). However, he has been doing Kindergarten at Canandaigua Primary and there is a definite difference in the approach to learning how to read and write and the daily activities. I credit CMS for giving my second son a baseline in reading and writing, which gives him a marked advantage compared to his Kindergarten peers. He already knows his letter sounds and can read at an end-of-kindergarten level. Canandaigua Primary is a great place to learn, but CMS is better. The differences are easily seen in the approach to reading. CMS focused on letter sounds and figuring out the words on the page. It seems as though Canandaigua Primary’s focus is on sight words. Which sight words do have their benefits and we did practice some at CMS, but it feels very akin to memorizing an answer to a problem rather than learning how to figure out how to solve the problem. The smaller atmosphere, the Montessori approach, and the amazing teachers make CMS the must have Kindergarten experience.
My youngest (currently age 2 and in the Toddler program) also has a fall birthday and I have no doubts that he will be spending his time at CMS through his Kindergarten year.
Canandaigua Montessori School 