Contact us! Call 424-360-0166 or email info@beachcitiesmontessori.com
Our Mission
It is Beach Cities Montessori School's goal to create an environment where each child feels safe, valued, and accepted. Culture and diversity are embraced here at BCM! We believe children learn best when they are actively involved in their environment. In supporting the "whole child" we aim to engage each child in meaningful activities that foster all ares of growth. We practice Dr. Maria Montessori's method of guiding children to help them blossom in their own individual ways. Our environment creates opportunities for each child to experience the roles of both the observer and role-model. We help each child develop a love of learning at an early age and encourage the children to become independent, self-confident, and caring individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're just beginning to explore Montessori, you're in the right place. Families join us at Beach Cities Montessori in El Segundo from nearby communities like Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hawthorne, and many of them started right here with the same questions you have now.
Montessori education benefits children by developing independence, deep focus, and a lifelong love of learning — skills that research shows carry well beyond the early years. Rather than sitting and being taught, children choose meaningful, hands-on work at their own pace, which builds genuine confidence rather than compliance. Studies consistently link Montessori early education with stronger reading, math, and social skills — but most parents notice the self-assurance first.
A Montessori preschool is a prepared learning environment where children ages 2–6 explore and discover at their own pace, guided by a trained teacher rather than driven by a fixed curriculum. The classroom is organized into hands-on areas — language, math, practical life, sensorial, and cultural studies — and children move freely between them based on their interests and readiness. Teachers observe each child closely and introduce new materials when the child is developmentally ready, not when the calendar says so.
The Montessori method is a child-centered approach to education based on the belief that children learn best when they're free to follow their natural curiosity in a carefully designed environment. It uses hands-on materials, mixed-age classrooms, and long uninterrupted work periods to help children build deep understanding at their own pace. The teacher's role is to observe, guide, and step back — trusting each child's developmental process rather than pushing a standardized timeline.
The purpose of the Montessori method is to develop the whole child — not just academic skills, but the inner qualities that lead to a fulfilling life: focus, independence, empathy, and the ability to find meaning in work. Dr. Montessori believed education's highest goal was helping children build a strong inner compass, not simply preparing them to pass tests. The early childhood years are an especially powerful window for this kind of foundational development.
Montessori differs from traditional preschool in one fundamental way: the child drives the learning, not the teacher. In a traditional program, all children do the same activity at the same time; in Montessori, children choose their own work from a range of self-correcting materials and work at their own pace, often for extended periods of deep focus. There are no letter grades, no tests, and no competitive comparisons — progress is observed and documented by the teacher through close daily observation.
A Montessori classroom is a calm, carefully ordered environment with child-sized furniture, open shelves, natural light, and distinct learning areas arranged throughout the room. The materials on those shelves are unlike anything in a traditional preschool — each one is designed to isolate a specific concept and allow children to self-correct without needing an adult to tell them they've made a mistake. Nothing in the room is there by accident; every element is intentional and supports the child's focus and independence.
The Montessori method was created by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator born in 1870. She was the first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree and initially worked with children with developmental disabilities, observing that they could achieve far more than expected in the right environment. In 1907, she opened Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) in Rome — and the approach that emerged from that experiment has now spread to tens of thousands of schools on every continent.
An authentic Montessori school can be identified by a few key markers: trained and credentialed teachers, genuine Montessori materials (not worksheet-heavy curricula), multi-age classrooms, and uninterrupted three-hour work periods. Because "Montessori" is not a legally protected term, any school can use the name — so asking about teacher credentials matters. The two most recognized training bodies are AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) and AMS (American Montessori Society). At Beach Cities Montessori in El Segundo, we're happy to walk you through our approach and qualifications in person.
In Montessori, "work" refers to the purposeful, self-chosen activity that children engage in throughout the day — not homework or busywork, but meaningful tasks that children take seriously and find deeply satisfying. A three-year-old carefully pouring water between pitchers, a four-year-old tracing sandpaper letters, a five-year-old counting bead chains to explore place value — all of this is Montessori work. It's how children build concentration, fine motor skills, vocabulary, and genuine understanding of concepts.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
At Beach Cities Montessori Montessori School, we believe in fostering independence, creativity, and a love for learning in each child. Our Montessori-trained teachers guide children to discover their passions and develop their full potential. Learn more about our programs today!
Beach Cities Montessori is open daily from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM with flexible scheduling: half-day (7:00 AM – 12:00 PM), full-day (7:00 AM – 3:00 PM), and extended care (until 6:00 PM). We serve children ages 2–6 across four age-specific programs: New and Two (ages 2–3), Pre-Primary (ages 2–4), Primary (ages 3–5), and Kindergarten (ages 5–6), plus a full-summer camp program.
Scheduling a tour at Beach Cities Montessori is simple: fill out our contact form, call us at (424) 360-0166, or email info@beachcitiesmontessori.com. We offer morning and afternoon tour times most weekdays and are happy to work around your schedule.
Enrollment at Beach Cities Montessori begins with a tour — once you visit and decide we're the right fit, we'll guide you through the next steps based on current availability. If a spot is open, your child can start right away; if we're at capacity, we'll add you to our waitlist with a simple application and registration fee.
Learn more about enrollment and our waitlist →
Our Team
The Teachers
The Administration Team
The Administration Team
The Teachers at Beach Cities Montessori are the biggest asset to the preschool. All of our lead teachers have received Montessori training and certifications. All of our assistant teachers have achieved successful completion of early childhood education classes.
The Administration Team
The Administration Team
The Administration Team
The administrative staff at Beach Cities Montessori are proud to manage the facility and enable teachers in doing what they do best -- cultivate happy children and happy families.
Contact Us
Call or Email to schedule a tour!
It is Beach Cities Montessori School's goal to create an environment where each child feels safe, valued, and accepted. We believe children learn best when they are actively involved in their environment.
Beach Cities Montessori School
2233 East El Segundo Boulevard, El Segundo, California 90245, United States
Hours
Open today | 07:00 am – 06:00 pm |
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.