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Building Lifelong

Learners


Why do so many families choose Twin Parks Montessori?

Twin Parks Montessori Schools ignite children’s natural curiosity to be self-learners in engaging, diverse environments that prepare them to become independent, confident, creative, caring, and successful human beings.


Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, our AMS-accredited programs are enhanced by

daily, extended, and active periods outdoors in nearby parks and on neighborhood explorations,

fine art and music learning opportunities integrated throughout each day, and parent community participation

that supports friendly relationships, plentiful communication, and effective home-school partnerships.


Our program achieves the balance between realizing the benefits of a Montessori approach with teacher-directed projects that ensures Twin Parks children are familiar and well-prepared for their choice of ongoing schools.

Our Programs

We offer programs for children from 3 months through 6 years.

What Parents Think

  • Having been part of the Park West Community for the past 3 years, now with our second child continuing there, we have the utmost appreciation for the teachers and administrators who have helped nurture our children's interest while helping them grow socially, emotionally, and academically.  The school has helped our children become more independent and allowed us to feel confident in our abilities to meet our children where they are and continue to support each of their individual needs.  The teachers have always been supportive of us as parents (at times even asking “how can i help support you?") every step of the way, while encouraging and guiding us whenever we have had any questions or concerns about our children.  We couldn’t be happier with the Park West Montessori community!

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • We are so happy we are a Twin Parks Family, and are looking forward to another great year next year as we transition into the Orange Room.

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • Over the past two years we noticed how much more inquisitive and outgoing socially our son has become. We believe this experience will instill in him a lifetime love of learning

    Riverside Montessori School Parent
  • It has been such a caring and friendly environment for our children. Every day, we picked them up from school with a smile on their faces, full of stories of what they were learning, the work they were doing and the friends they had made.

    Central Park Montessori School Parent
  • We can't thank you all enough for such a wonderful year at Central Park Montessori!  We were so sad leaving the school today for the last time.  It has been such a caring and friendly environment for our children.  Every day, we picked them up from school with a smile on their faces, full of stories of what they were learning, the work they were doing and the friends they had made.

    Central Park Montessori School Parent
  • In such a short time, you have instilled in them a love of learning, a love of life and the world around them, a sense of independence and helpfulness, a great appreciation of friendships, and the stamina to walk very long distances!! Thank you! You are teaching these children such important qualities, as well as a first rate academic education at such a young age. The curriculum is fantastic. We are very grateful for the time, energy and enthusiasm that all of you put into your work every day.

    Central Park Montessori School Parent
  • Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for hiring such fabulous, dedicated and caring teachers to take such amazing care of our little boy. He has grown so much because of his experience in Green Room A. We are so happy we are a Twin Parks Family, and are looking forward to another great year next year as we transition into the Orange Room.

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • We are impressed with the implementation of the Montessori method at Park West. The daily schedule allowed time for children to come together as a community for circle time, snacks and lunches while also allowing time for children to focus on self-directed and small group activities during work cycles and daily trips to the playgrounds in Central Park. The children’s interests guided the activities and projects that took place throughout the year.

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • One of the defining aspects of an excellent school is a teaching staff that interacts with the children and guides their learning each and every day. The experience, commitment, caring and compassion demonstrated by all of these teachers created a nurturing and positive environment where all the children in the Blue Room could develop and thrive and truly be themselves.

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • There was a tremendous sense of community fostered at Park West. Park West was a wonderfully positive, fulfilling and nurturing experience for our son. We offer our sincere thanks and gratitude to all of the dedicated staff of Park West.

    Park West Montessori School Parent
  • Our son came home most days excited about what he had done in school. He was constantly talking about his friends and teachers, and was eager to return to school each morning. He was proud of the jobs he had each morning, his accomplishments, and the things he learned. He was very quiet when he began at Montessori, and over the past two years, we noticed how much more inquisitive and outgoing socially he has become. We believe this experience will instill in him a lifetime love of learning.

    Riverside Montessori School Parent
  • As parents, knowing that he was attending school with experienced and friendly teachers put our minds at ease. Seeing your child run into a classroom and hug a teacher each morning makes it much easier to say goodbye for the day. We feel very fortunate to have been part of the Montessori family.

    Riverside Montessori School Parent

Twin Parks Blog

When at Wit’s End
April 14, 2025
Discover four key strategies to strengthen your parent-child connection: understanding mistaken goals, using playful parenting, scheduling special time, and creating visual routines.
What Kind of Learning Do We Value?
April 7, 2025
Human beings are creatures of habit. Habits are comfortable, and it is generally easier to continue doing things the way they have always been done. Change is messy, confusing, and often pretty challenging. At our school, we believe in the importance of examining our habits periodically. We think it’s critical to ask ourselves: “Why are things done this way?” “What is our motivation for taking this particular path?” We think it’s vital to stop, recognize our values, and make sure that our actions align with those values. So, this brings us to today’s question: What kind of learning do we value? In many ways, our current conventional education system reflects one that was created long ago, and to satisfy the needs of a culture that has changed drastically since then. Let us pause to consider what learning is, what our goals and values are, and what we might do to align the two. Defining And Categorizing Education And Learning Let’s get right to the point: learning : 1. the act or experience of one that learns 2. knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study 3. modification of a behavioral tendency by experience education: 1. a. the act or process of educating or being educated b. the knowledge and development resulting from the process of being educated 2. the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools Long ago, the original goals of schools were to provide children with the knowledge they would need to successfully enter the workforce. This is still largely the case, although as a society we have begun to recognize the importance of inspiring a love of learning and developing the child as a whole person. There are many schools and educators who have worked hard to develop new methods and adjust old ones to meet the needs of today’s students. Have we come far enough? What Are Our Values? What do we, as a society, consider to be important? As we have all realized in recent years, values can be highly personal and they also have the potential to be incredibly polarizing. We believe there is a way to blend the desires of various groups and viewpoints. We think it’s not only possible, but critical for us to all consider the importance of both individual liberty as well as empathetic support of those around us. The following are some of our most important values; we encourage you to reflect and consider your own: Equity Justice Freedom Truth Innovation Empathy Individuality Environmental Stewardship What Do We Hope Our Children Will Gain? If our children are spending the bulk of their waking hours at school, of course we want that time to be valuable for them. In generations past the goal was to impart knowledge from adult to child. While that idea remains in a sense, the way we access and share knowledge has shifted dramatically. So what should we want from our children’s education? Instead of memorizing dates and historical figures, could we instead draw lessons from our collective mistakes and triumphs? Could we honor the work of those who have come before us, while also acknowledging what hasn’t gone well? Do we want to administer extensive amounts of predetermined courses, or might we ensure children have a solid understanding of basic information, as well as the motivation and skills to pursue deeper studies of their own interests? Might we acknowledge that learning is not linear, nor does a room full of children progress at the same pace? Could we utilize a system of mathematics education that allows each individual child to progress incrementally as they master specific skills? Are we prepared to teach our children how to differentiate between fact and fiction? Do they know what sources to look to and which ones they should question? Are we directly teaching soft skills regularly and with as much reverence as we give academics? Do we want school to prepare our children for the workforce, or do we want school to prepare our children for life? Does Our System Of Education Reflect These Goals And Values? We are sure you can see where we’re going with this. We believe Montessori does, indeed, meet our shared goals and values for children’s learning and education. Our approach is dramatically different from that of many of our conventional counterparts. Conventional schools are making changes, and we are hopeful that the pendulum will continue to swing away from rigid learning approaches and toward more modern ones. Montessori is ready to tackle the challenges of today’s students and their learning needs, and we’re ready to do it right now. We honor each child as an individual who deserves to be heard and respected. We recognize that individuals move at different paces and have different interests, talents, and needs. We believe in nurturing a society based in deep empathy - empathy for other humans, for other living things, and for the earth itself. We know there needs to be a balance between solitude and cooperation. We think it’s critical to help children master the basics. Still, at a certain point, they must learn how to find high-quality information, rather than memorization of endless facts deemed important by someone else. We want children to find joy in their learning, to feel compelled to explore, and to regard their education as a foundation that will carry them throughout their lives. We hope this article, at the very least, gave you a chance to pause and consider. We would love to hear your thoughts.
Our Montessori Bookshelf: Autism Awareness
March 31, 2025
Celebrate Autism Awareness Month with our curated book list, fostering understanding and appreciation of neurodiversity in children. Explore stories that inspire!