New Cohasset preschool launches inaugural school year in September
McGRATHPR.com – South Shore Montessori School (SSMS), the region’s new Montessori-method educational preschool, opens its doors to students on Cohasset Common on September 3 for its first school year. The school’s founding Codirectors Alycia Clutterbuck and Heather Vinci welcome the public to visit the facility for a “Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony,” on Thursday, August 29, 10 am to 12 noon, at its new location in the educational wing of Second Congregational Church, 43 Highland Avenue, Cohasset. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be followed by open house tours of the classroom and grounds. Admission is free, families are welcome, and refreshments will be served.
“This is such a milestone moment in our long-anticipated vision,” shares SSMS Cofounder Alycia Clutterbuck. “With so few small, home-like Montessori school options on the South Shore, the possibilities seem endless in launching our community school. We’ve already enrolled many wonderful families and look forward to sharing the remaining openings with the special little ones we’ve yet to meet!”
Opening as a one-room schoolhouse, SSMS launches with an enrollment capacity of 16 students, embracing a mixed-age model that educates children ages 2.9 through 6. “Older children in multi-age Montessori classrooms learn and model for their younger peers by serving in a leadership role,” shares co-founder Heather Vinci. “Younger students learn early independence-growing life lessons – putting on shoes, zipping up jackets, and practical activities of everyday living. Our older students enjoy further developing those skills, while moving through sensorial, language, and math academics.” The co-founders have developed a rich learning environment combining Montessori materials in home-like, community-centered classrooms, full of natural sunlight, where children can thrive. Students will engage in gross motor development through music, yoga and mindfulness activities, and ample recess periods in the school’s fenced-in outdoor ‘nature’s classroom’ and playground environment. “It’s like a home away from home, very peaceful and serene,” shares Vinci.
Montessori-style learning was the innovation of Dr. Maria Montessori – physician, educator, advocate for world peace – and founder of the Montessori education method. Dr. Montessori developed her unique teaching model and materials in the 1800s, still thriving today. Montessori educator certification is a two-year program, incorporating the many facets of a Montessori environment, from language, math, geography, science, nature, sensorial, and practical life – the cornerstone of the Montessori education.
Both Clutterbuck and Vinci are Montessori-certified educators. “Our vision for education is that children are the cocreators of their learning, with a focus on parent education and community involvement. We provide hands-on, proven materials, instruct lessons, while fostering curiosity, joy, and creativity through social skills, curriculum, nature, yoga, and musical expression,” shares Clutterbuck.
The founding team met two decades ago while teaching at Natick Montessori School. Vinci had previously served as a middle school English teach while residing in Connecticut, and Clutterbuck was serving as a nanny for a Massachusetts family. Vinci earned her master’s degree in early childhood education shortly after relocating to Massachusetts. Soon after, she observed a Montessori classroom at the recommendation of a peer director, and immediately realized she “knew that it was the right environment for me and my children!” The two now-codirectors made a pact to partner to launch their own school, settling in on Boston’s South Shore.
Montessori educators cultivate the naturally eager and capable qualities in children, inspiring them to self-explore the initiation and pursuit of learning, guided by their own interests. Educators deliver guidance through thoughtfully prepared, age-appropriate activities and environment, nurturing children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Students embrace the agency to self-select work, leading to intrinsic motivation and sustained attention.
To learn more about South Shore Montessori School’s full and half day programs, enrollment, extended day programs, or to contact the directors, visit ssmontessori.com. To connect on social media, follow South Shore Montessori School on Facebook.
About South Shore Montessori School
Founded in 2024, South Shore Montessori School (SSMS) opened as a one-room, 20-student schoolhouse in the educational wing of its partnering organization, Second Congregational Church, on Cohasset Common. The Montessori-style, mixed-age model educates students from ages 2.9 through 6. Co-foundering Directors Alycia Clutterbuck and Heather Vinci, both Montessori-certified educators, have developed a rich learning environment combining Montessori materials in home-like, community-centered classrooms, full of natural sunlight, where children can thrive. Students engage in gross motor development through music, yoga, and mindfulness activities, and ample recess periods in the school’s fenced-in outdoor ‘nature’s classroom’ and playground environment. South Shore Montessori School is located at 43 Highland Avenue, Cohasset. To learn more about SSMS’s full and half day programs, enrollment, extended day programs, or to contact the directors, visit ssmontessori.com. To connect on social media, follow South Shore Montessori School on Facebook.
