About Old Colony Montessori

Old Colony Montessori School (OCMS) is the oldest Montessori institution south of Boston, and is dedicated to providing a Montessori education to children on Massachusetts' South Shore and beyond. Our students develop a natural love of learning that lasts a lifetime, and approach the world with self-confidence, intellectual curiosity, joy, and respect.

The school is run by our Head of School, Tracey Buckeridge, and the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees brings a wide range of expertise to OCMS and shares a deep commitment to carrying on the vision that started many years ago. As an independent, non-profit corporation, our Board collaborates closely with the Head of School, teachers, and staff to ensure smooth operation.

Video: Welcome to Old Colony Montessori School (2:30)

Welcome to our school

Quick Facts

  • Old Colony Montessori was founded in 1963 in Hingham, MA.

  • Our Children’s House is one of two AMI-certified Montessori schools in all of Massachusetts.

  • We serve students ages 18 months to 9 years old.

  • We have one Toddler classroom, three/four Children’s House classes and one Elementary class.

  • Our Toddler classroom is a mix of children ages 18 months - 2.9 years old. Children’s House classrooms are a mix of ages 2.9-6, and our Elementary classroom is a mix of grades 1-3.

  • On average, the school has about 100 students enrolled each year.

  • Students come from all over the South Shore to attend OCMS: Abington, Braintree, Carver, Cohasset, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Quincy, Rockland, Scituate, Weymouth, and Whitman.

  • We have many fun family events each year, including our Fall Festival Winter Sing-a-long and Spring May Day Celebration.

  • We have an organic garden on site that we maintain with support from Holly Hill Farm, and grow a variety of herbs, vegetables and flowers, including kale and sunflowers.

What does it mean to be AMI certified?

Old Colony Montessori School is accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the organization founded by Dr. Maria Montessori. AMI maintains the very highest standards of Montessori principles.

AMI’s Mission

We aim to fulfil the right of children and adults around the world to have access to nurturing, developmentally appropriate, educational environments. We do this by delivering relevant and accessible training, targeted advocacy and intentional innovations that increase the impact and reach of Montessori principles and practice.

To achieve our mission, we collaborate and partner with individuals, communities, governments and organisations who share our vision and the commitment to quality, justice and peace for which AMI is widely known and respected.

Objectives

As per our Articles of Association, the objectives of the association are to uphold, propagate and further the pedagogical principles and practice formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori for the full development of the human being, specifically by:

  1. Upholding the rights of the child in society, and making known the child’s importance for the progress of civilisation;

  2. Making known the natural laws of growth in order to help the child to develop naturally in the family, school and society;

  3. Awakening public opinion with regard to the moral dignity of the child as ‘the Father of Man’, and to make clear the true nature of adult responsibility toward the child as the worker whose spontaneous activity produces the full-grown man;

  4. Spreading and upholding the pedagogical principles and practice formulated by Dr Maria Montessori, which ensure the independence of the child’s personality through successive stages of growth until he reaches full normal development by means of his own activity;

  5. Providing opportunities wherever possible for children to develop normally, thereby helping all adults to enter into a new life of harmony and co-operation with children; and by thus unifying the two fundamental phases of human life, to lead the way to a higher and more peaceable civilisation;

  6. Functioning as a social movement that will strive to obtain recognition for the rights of the child throughout the world, irrespective of race, religion, political and social beliefs; co-operating with other bodies and organizations which further the development of education, human rights and peace.

“AMI pedagogical standards maintain the level of excellence that Maria Montessori envisioned. Established by the AMI Scientific Pedagogy Group, the standards ensure that each school offers programs for their children that allow for their full intellectual, social, physical, and psychological growth, and ensure that the philosophical approach is consistent with what is presented in AMI training courses worldwide.”

To learn more about the standards for an AMI Affiliated classroom visit the AMI website.