Beijing Jiade Montessori Bilingual Kindergarten is located in the CBD area of Beijing near Honglingjin Park. The school is under Wisdom International Education Group, who also run the International Montessori School of Beijing (MSB) and the International Montessori Teaching Institute (IMTI) in Shunyi.
Jiade is designated as an experimental kindergarten by the Chinese Society of Education, with both parties carrying out project work and research to explore combining the national curriculum and the standard curriculum of the American Montessori Society (AMS). The school accepts both foreign passport holders and local Chinese students, and caters to children from 2 to 6 years of age. Class sizes are from 20 to 25 students, with 25 per cent foreign passport holder enrolment. The curriculum is bilingual, with a native speaking English teacher in every classroom. More than 95 percent of the teachers hold international Montessori teacher certification.
By age 6 children at Jiade will be reading phonetic material, and have begun reading non-phonetic materials. They will also have started cursive writing and be working up to the 1000s in mathematics.
The campus is spacious and brightly lit with a colorful central double height hall overlooking an outdoor play area. The classrooms are arranged around this central hub. The school follows the Montessori theory of education, with classrooms structured and equipped to engage children in self-directed work. The school aims to develop a strong foundation in language, math and cultural activities while also nurturing the kids’ development into well-adjusted, self-confident people.
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Photos courtesy of Beijing Jiade Montessori Bilingual Kindergarten.
