Guide Me Home to North Jersey

The Westmont Montessori School is located at 577 Route 24 in Mendham. It offers the Montessori method of education, which ‘fosters children to build upon their own successes, thus building a foundation for future exploration and a love of learning’. Their focus is on fostering a child’s self esteem and independence, with each child progressing at their own developmental level.

The program has been in operation in Mendham since 1964, but moved locations twice before settling in their current facility on Route 24. The building is beautiful, light filled and spacious, with two levels of classroom and activity space, as well as two large areas for outdoor play. In addition to the traditional preschool program, Westmont offers many enrichment programs, such as Movement, Spanish, Music, Science, Art and Cooking. There is also an Extended Day program for parents looking for extra time. A new program being offered is ‘Montessori & Me’ for children 18 months and up.

Westmont is having an Open House on January 23, 2010 from 10:00am-12:00pm. They also offer private tours of the facility. Check out their website by clicking here or give them a call at 908-879-6355.

Posted by:Nicole Atorino

Deciding to send your toddler to preschool and where to send them can be a daunting process. In Mendham, there are five very good preschool programs to choose from and it is my goal to educate you on each of them so you can make an informed decision and feel comfortable in choosing the best program for you and your child. As a mother of four, I have had a lot of experience with children and various preschool environments and hope to pass on some of that knowledge to you.

Hilltop Christian Nursery School (HCNS) is a preschool program that has been in operation since 1994 through The First Presbyterian Church of Mendham. It is licensed with the State of New Jersey and each class has one state certified teacher and an assistant. It was created out of the ‘desire to provide the community’s children with a strong educational foundation enriched by Christian values’. HCNS offers programs for 2 ½, 3, and 4-year olds in either a morning session or an afternoon session. For 3 and 4-year olds, there is an opportunity to participate in Lunch Bunch, where the child brings lunch and eats with their friends at school. HCNS offers many additional activities as part of their program, such as a Halloween Parade, Thanksgiving Feast, PJ Pancake Party, Donuts with Dad, Christmas Pageant, Computer Program, Musically Together as well as various field trips throughout the year in and around town. There are plenty of opportunities for parent involvement as well. HCNS has a wonderful playground and is conveniently located right next to Hilltop Elementary School in the heart of town, which makes pick up and drop off so easy.

For more information, contact the Director, Rhona Buzbee, at 973-543-0054.

Posted by:Nicole Atorino