Abhishek Tandon
Director and primary guide
Abhishek founded Beech and guides one of the primary rooms. He is at the door most mornings, speaks Hindi with families who would like it, and is the person to ask about a visit.
Montessori preschool and kindergarten
Three rooms, and a child's own pace through them
Beech is a small Montessori school in Worthington with a toddler room, a primary room and a kindergarten year. Children choose their work from low shelves, and a guide who knows them well is always close by.
Our rooms
Three rooms, and how a child moves between them
- 01
Toddler room
Ages 2 to 3SkillsCarries a tray to a table and returns it to its place on the shelf
Pours, scoops and wipes up what spills
Puts on shoes and hangs a coat on a low hook
Joins a short story and a song in a small circle
Moving upA guide and the family talk when a child seems ready for a longer morning among older children. The move starts with short visits to a primary room, with the toddler guide beside the child.
- 02
Primary room
Ages 3 to 5SkillsChooses work from the shelves in a long, uninterrupted morning
Prepares snack for friends and cleans the table afterward
Counts with wooden bead chains and traces letters in sand
Shows a younger child a piece of work they have already learned
Moving upChildren stay in the same room, with the same guide, as they grow. In the year a child turns five, the guide and the family talk about the kindergarten year.
- 03
Kindergarten year
Ages 5 to 6SkillsWrites short sentences with a pencil and a moveable alphabet
Works on a project of their own across several mornings
Gives a lesson to the room on something they have learned
Takes on a job for the whole community, such as the plants or the library shelf
Moving upAt the end of the year, families choose an elementary school. The guide writes a note about the child's work for the next teacher, and we are glad to talk it through.
Where to startBook a tour to see which room fits
Sample levels.
Every child moves at their own pace. A move is decided with the family, never by a birthday alone.
The team
The people in the rooms
Ten adults work at Beech: a guide and an assistant in every room, a school administrator and the director. Three of the guides are here.
Ezell Hanks
Kindergarten year guide
Ezell guides the kindergarten year. He gives short lessons on the rug and then steps back while children work, and each spring he writes every family a note about the year's work.
Bella Copeland
Toddler room guide
Bella guides the toddler room, where a child's first weeks are slow and short. She keeps the shelves low and the room quiet, and she is glad to talk through a first day with a parent.
Programs
A room for each age, and three ways to spend the week
| Ages | Adults to children | Group size | Three mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.3 days | Five mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.5 days | School day8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.5 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toddler room2-year-oldsA room of its own, with a guide and an assistant | 1 adult to 7 children | 14 | Offered | Offered | OfferedRest after lunch |
| Primary room3-year-oldsMixed in age, with the same guide through the years | 1 adult to 12 children | 24 | Not offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
| Primary room4-year-oldsThe eldest children in the room lead its younger ones | 1 adult to 12 children | 24 | Not offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
| Kindergarten year5-year-oldsA room for the year before elementary school | 1 adult to 12 children | 20 | Not offered | Not offered | OfferedLunch from home |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place and covers the enrollment file.
- Materials
- Covers the year's art supplies and the replacing of worn work materials.
- Kindergarten outings
- Covers transport on the few outings the kindergarten year takes.
Sample programs.
Dates
The school year at a glance
Visits run through the school year, applications open after the new year, and families hear from us in March.
This school year
Open house
November · A Saturday morning with all three rooms open, so you can see where a child starts and where they go next.
Classroom visits
September to May · A visit is a quiet morning in a working room, on a weekday.
Applications open
January · The form is on our enrollment page and takes a few minutes.
Families hear from us
March · By email and a phone call, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
First day
Late August · New children start with a short morning, and a parent stays nearby.
Closed for breaks
Late December and one week in spring · The year's full list of closures goes to families when the school year starts.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Who licenses us, and how we look after the rooms
License
Licensed by Ohio DCY
Child care center license · OH License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 7 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 14
1 adult to 12 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 24
1 adult to 12 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 24
1 adult to 12 children
5-year-olds
Group size: 20
Group size
Up to 24 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
58
Ages 2 years to 6 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Arrival and pickup
A guide greets every child at the door and checks them in. At pickup a child goes only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Allergies and snacks
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. We ask families not to send nuts, and children prepare snack with a guide in the room.
When a child is ill
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school, we call you right away and a guide stays close until you arrive.
Drills and headcounts
We practice fire and severe-weather drills, and we count heads each time children move between the rooms and the yard.
Washing and materials
Children wash their hands at a child-height sink on arrival and before snack, and work materials are wiped down between uses.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Before you apply
Visit a classroom
A Montessori room is easiest to understand from inside one. A visit is short and unhurried.
- 01
Step 1: Book a morning
Pick a morning on our tour page. We hold visits while the rooms are working, so you see the real day and not a staged one.
- 02
Step 2: Sit in the room
You sit at the edge of the room and watch the work cycle. Children are welcome to come along, and a guide will show them a tray.
- 03
Step 3: Talk with the guide
Afterward the guide and the director answer your questions, and we walk through the other two rooms so you can see where a child goes next.
Come and sit in a room on a weekday morning
Visits run through the school year. Book one, or call the school and we will find a morning that works.