Zoe Jones (Montessori Minded)

Childminder

Welcome to Montessori Minded. I am Zoë Jones and I offer a high-quality childminding service for a small number of children, following the ethos of Montessori education.

I am a Level 5 Montessorian with a decade’s experience working with children from 0-10 in homes, schools and nurseries in Japan and the U.K. I have been a Mothers’ Help, a Primary School Teaching Assistant, and a Nursery Teacher at both a British Montessori Nursery School and a bilingual International School in Japan. In addition to this role, I was the Head Teacher of Kansai International School’s Early Learning Centre over six campuses, in charge of curriculum and training; and I have a 2.1 (Hons) in English with Law. I am now also a mother myself. This variety of experience gives me a great starting point from which to understand and support children and their families.

I am to provide a loving and warm Montessori Minded home, in which your child feels secure and supported as they embrace their innate desire for independence.

The Jones family are Ollie, a site technician; Huxley, born in October 2013 and Quinlan, born April 2016, both attending Dale Hall Primary. We are a non-smoking, pet-free household, on Broom Hill Road. We have taken a Montessori approach to raising our boys to encourage independence, support emerging life skills and foster logical and creative thinking. We have designed our living space to incorporate child-sized furniture and allow appropriate independent access to activities and resources.

What is Montessori?

A child Maria Montessori was observing said; "help me to do it by myself". It is an innate urge in children to want to do everything for themselves. Montessori is about breaking down skills and teaching it in logical stages so the child can truly achieve independence. This means we encourage hands on learning; for as Dr Montessori said: "what the hand does, the mind remembers".

Montessori Minded embraces the fundamental principles of Montessori education and adapts them for our home environment. To me, Montessori is about understanding how the child develops, and responding to the child’s immediate needs and emerging skills in a respectful, gentle manner.

Dr. Montessori said; "follow the child, but follow as his leader". The child needs firm but gentle guidance as we - both parents and care providers - nurture his/her innate needs for exploration, movement, repetition and order. At Montessori Minded I aim to provide a beautiful environment and activities for your child to use independently. I support your child’s desire to learn how to do things for themselves. I offer carefully prepared activities to refine different smaller life skills in preparation for bigger tasks. This is based on close observation of the child: s/he is offered the next stage of the activity as and when s/he is ready for it, and only then.