Investing in Their Future: The SCMS Advantage

Choosing the right educational environment for your child is a crucial decision. With options like home schooling, public schools, and private institutions, it’s important to understand what each offers. At Sugar Creek Montessori School, we believe our approach provides unique advantages that significantly benefit your family’s bottom line while also benefiting your child’s growth and education. Here are some key reasons why Sugar Creek Montessori School stands out.

Cost

The approximate hourly cost of our five-day programs ranges from $5 to $10. This includes the added benefits of peer interactions, a structured curriculum, experienced and certified teachers, an authentic Montessori approach, low class ratios, low staff turnover, indoor and outdoor play spaces, well-equipped classrooms, and a wealth of developmentally appropriate educational materials, all within a regulated and safe learning environment. For context, the average cost of a babysitter in Houston is $17.98 per hour, according to multiple sources, including Care.com.

Home Schooling

Research shows that children should ideally start school by age two to benefit from a structured environment and group settings, such as parallel play, which is not typically available in a home environment. Even if parents purchase Montessori materials for home use, they are usually not trained to demonstrate, track, or assist with these materials effectively. In our programs for children aged three and older, our students benefit from the expertise of AMS or AMI certified teachers, who undergo rigorous training lasting one to two years to ensure a deep understanding of Montessori methodology.

Furthermore, quality early childhood education is an investment in your child’s future. The University of Pennsylvania has reported a positive return on investment (ROI) for quality early education. A study by the Society for Research on Child Development supports this, suggesting that sustained high-quality early education can have long-lasting benefits. This study used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which followed children from diverse economic backgrounds from early childhood to age 26.

Public Options

Public pre-K programs are often designed for students not fluent in English, focusing on language development at the expense of subjects like math, science, and history. Some families have also reported that these programs do not provide the low student-to-teacher ratios they expected.

K-8/K-12 Private Schools

While K-8 and K-12 private schools can offer excellent education, they typically come at a significantly higher cost. The resources and facilities available at these schools may not be of benefit for younger children. For this reason, it can be wise to keep your child in a smaller setting for as long as possible before applying to public or private K-12 schools. Some K-12 schools may claim low acceptance rates unless students are admitted at a young age, but this is not representative of the situation at many private K-12 schools.

Sources:

1. [University of Pennsylvania – Early Childhood Toolkit](https://www.impact.upenn.edu/early-childhood-toolkit/why-invest/what-is-the-return-on-investment)
2. [National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study](https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/seccyd)
3. [Napa Center – Parallel Play](https://napacenter.org/parallel-play/)
4. [Care.com – Babysitter Costs in Houston](https://www.care.com/cost/babysitters/houston-tx)