The admissions process at Greene Towne Montessori School begins in the fall of the year preceding enrollment and includes an Admissions Open House in late October.
The first step is a parent tour. Tours are scheduled for the morning and last about one and a half hours. From mid-October through mid-December we offer tours on specified Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 9:00 am. After December, tours are held one morning per week. During the tour you will be able to observe our students actively engaged in their classroom environments and hear more about Greene Towne Montessori School and our Montessori curriculum. Please call us to schedule a day for your tour.
The second step is submission of an application including the Child Profile Questionnaire. While we do not have an application deadline, we advise that applications be submitted by mid-December to ensure consideration for enrollment the following September. After that date, applications are considered as space allows and classroom balance necessitates.
The third step for applicants to our Primary School is a visit for your child with one of our Montessori teachers. Your child’s visit is scheduled after we have received an application. Applicants are scheduled for a thirty minute visit during which the teacher will show your child a few of the classroom activities while parents meet with a school administrator in the same room. We are interested in whether children are reasonably comfortable in a new situation; whether they are able, at a level appropriate to their age, to focus on an activity presented by a teacher; and whether they can communicate in age-appropriate ways. General knowledge abilities such as knowing letters, numbers or colors, are not a factor in admissions decisions.
Toddler House applicants are invited for a classroom visit if the child fits the necessary classroom balance for the intended year of enrollment.
Families of Primary School applicants are notified of admissions decisions in February; Toddler House applicants are notified in March.
Financial Aid
Greene Towne offers tuition assistance to families based on financial need and availability of funds. In order to ensure fairness and objectivity in the distribution of Financial Aid, applications are made through the School and Student Service for Financial Aid, a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. To be considered, Financial Aid applications must be submitted by February 15th. Financial Aid is awarded on a yearly basis.
A Diverse Community
Dr. Maria Montessori, for whom the Montessori educational philosophy is named, fundamentally believed that children of all backgrounds possess an innate desire to learn, to be productive, and to find joy in work. In creating the first "Children's House" in Rome nearly a century ago, Montessori imagined the school as a reflection of the surrounding social world, and designed the classroom to prepare the children for the society they would inherit. In keeping with the Montessori vision, Greene Towne Montessori School seeks to provide an environment within which each child can acquire a lifelong love of learning in a diverse community. In creating such an environment, the school emphasizes the need to respect differences in ability, social background, religious belief, and racial, national, and ethnic origin. GTMS extends this approach to all aspects of the life of the school, from teaching to hiring, governance, admissions, and Financial Aid decisions. We believe that a diverse student body, faculty, administration, and Board of Directors provide an essential reflection not just of Montessori's vision, but also of our foundation in the city of Philadelphia. GTMS therefore seeks and encourages applications from all families with the intent of creating a student body that reflects the ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of the school's urban environment and which values all caring family structures.
Greene Towne Montessori School does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or ancestry in the employment of staff, admission of students, granting of Financial Aid, or the administration of educational policies.
To learn more about Greene Towne Montessori School, please call us at 215.563.6368 during school hours or submit an Admissions Inquiry.
