Our Families

Originally founded as a parent cooperative, Morningside continues to thrive thanks to a deeply engaged parent community. We value close parent-staff communication and the active participation of families in the classroom, at social events, and as volunteers. As a small community, the involvement of our families is vital to our success!  

Alumni families will tell you that they made lifelong friends in our intimate and down-to-earth community. Parents have numerous opportunities to socialize; from family events like picnics, Yankee games, and the Big Apple Circus to adult-only trivia night, coffee gatherings and nights out. Morningside families also lead the annual Spring fundraiser benefitting our scholarship fund.

To help families extend Montessori learning into their home life, we also offer Parent Education Workshops. These workshops are open to all and cover a range of topics, including supporting siblings, toilet training, healthy cooking for children, and incorporating Montessori principles into the home environment. 

As parents to a toddler (our first child), we routinely feel like rookies. The parenting workshops at MMS have been an invaluable source of education for us. We've gleaned big picture insights on how preschoolers develop, as well as practical tips for how to cultivate our son's confidence and independence while maintaining a peaceful, loving home environment. In the first workshop I attended, "Continuing Montessori Education at Home," we gained tips on how to foster our son's independence by creating opportunities for him to do things on his own -- from putting a hook in a "cubby" so that he can hang up and retrieve his coat, to placing his shoes in an area that he can easily access. This small tweak has helped to make our getting-out-the-door routine much smoother. We have tweaked our playroom to better model a Montessori classroom, with the understanding that "less is more" and that stimulation can come from natural elements and 99 cent store items as easily as expensive toys.

– Helen C., Morningside Parent