Early School

A Message from Angel Carey, Head of Early School

Thank you for your interest in the Early School at Charlotte Preparatory School. The Early School is a nurturing pre-K community based on the Montessori philosophy. We believe this to be the most successful method to teach young children, and the most effective way to enable them to reach their fullest potential.

Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator, began her work with children in Italy in the early 1900s. Many of her theories about early childhood education were revolutionary at the time. Dr. Montessori’s method is based on meeting each child at each of his or her different developmental stages. She created specific materials to complement and develop these stages. All materials are designed to help promote concentration, coordination, independence and a sense of order. Dr. Montessori’s materials are self-correcting, so children develop confidence in their abilities and a sense of pride with each accomplishment. In short, the Montessori Method (link to Montessori page) teaches children to teach themselves so they become equipped with the ability to learn for the rest of their lives.

Our Early School teachers all are degree-educated and Montessori-certified. The classes are multi-aged and multi-cultural with a balanced number of 3-, 4- and some early 5-year-olds from diverse backgrounds. Charlotte Prep is a member of the American Montessori Society, and our Early School follows its guidelines as a basis for our program.

Our classrooms are stocked with authentic Montessori materials, and each features the seven areas of Montessori: Practical Life, Sensorial, Geography, Science, Math, Language and Art. The children also have circle time each day, which includes music, and they take a music lesson once a week with the school’s music teacher.

Leadership and character development are a critical part of the school’s mission, and we begin teaching these attributes as soon as the children enter school. We believe that we give them the very best foundation for their transition into Kindergarten and beyond: The children take with them a joy of learning and motivation to be successful and independent.

You’ve known Ms. Angel Carey as the school’s Executive Administrative Assistant for many years. What you probably didn’t know is that Ms. Carey is a veteran preschool director. She came to Charlotte Prep with 25 years of teaching experience, including 12 years as the co-director of a preschool. This summer, Ms. Carey moved across campus to take the position of Head of Early School. She is currently completing her Montessori certification and North Carolina day care licensing coursework.

Warm regards,

Angel Carey

Head of Early School