Our Children's Center Montessori

The mission of Our Children’s Center is to educate children in a dynamic, warm, engaging, responsive, multi-cultural environment designed both to stimulate and to nurture them; to support and fairly compensate a highly-skilled professional staff; to promote and maintain a diverse student and staff population; and to foster a strong sense of community among families. Our Children’s Center (OCC) is a private, non-profit Montessori preschool and kindergarten. We welcome families from diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Located in downtown State College, OCC offers a variety of educational programs with flexible options for children ages 15 months to 6 years. OCC is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, admissions, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability or performance. OCC does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or veteran status. Our School: Our Children’s Center Montessori School is conveniently located in State College, Pennsylvania, just minutes from the Pennsylvania State University. Our facility is situated within the Education Wing of the University Baptist & Brethren Church in the borough of State College. The school is not affiliated with the church. Our Children’s Center (OCC) is a private, non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors composed of parent volunteers and community members. OCC is licensed by both the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. OCC welcomes families from diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Philosophy: OCC offers early childhood programs for children from 15 months through six years based on the Montessori Philosophy and Method of teaching young children, which encourages individual, whole-child development. Using this approach, we strive to achieve a balance in each child’s physical, social, emotional, and academic development. Our aim is to aid the children in their development of order, coordination, concentration, and independence. These are the basic principles of a Montessori education and are achieved through the use of Montessori Materials in a prepared environment. Respect is at the core of the Montessori philosophy– respect for oneself, for others, for life, and for the environment. Ground rules and behavioral expectations for both children and adults in Montessori settings are based upon these tenets. Our aim is to aid the children in their development of order, coordination, concentration, and independence. These are the basic principles of a Montessori education and are achieved through the use of the Montessori Materials in a prepared environment. In keeping with the Montessori Philosophy, we strongly encourage families to offer their children the opportunity to complete the full Three-Year Cycle in the Primary Classrooms. The third year at OCC offers children a unique and wonderful opportunity to learn and develop across all developmental domains with activities such as the Bank Game, the Bead Cabinet, the Farm, and the Sewing Baskets.

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