Montessori Global Education is proud to be supporting from Home-Start West Somerset to enrich their child and family-focussed practice. Through dedicated tutor support and flexible blended learning programmes, community practitioners have undertaken both the Introduction to Montessori and Integrating Montessori Practice: Infant and Toddler Specialism courses.
West Somerset Home-Start is part of the wider Home-Start UK federation, which works with families in challenging times across the UK. In the past year, Home-Start West Somerset supported 412 families, and in 2021-22, Home-Start UK helped 56,000 children from 27,000 families – with support at community group sessions and within families’ own homes.
Montessori Global Education’s training enabled practitioners to understand and apply the Montessori pedagogy to their vital local work. The blended learning process gave them the time and space for guided reflection on to become family-focussed and responsive. Learner feedback was hugely positive, with practitioners giving tangible examples of the new child-led approach they are now able to take.
Karen Chetwynd, Chief Operating Officer at Montessori Global Education, reflects on the opportunity made available to the Home-Start West Somerset team: “we wanted to offer high-quality professional training that delivered an engaging, relevant and flexible learning experience for this team of experienced practitioners. The Montessori philosophy and values can be integrated into practitioners’ work across the sector. In this case, our training enabled the team to identify new ways to offer infants and toddlers choice and independence. This is evidenced in Home-Start West Somerset’s now-revised Baby-Start programme, which makes a positive difference for families during their earliest days with a new baby at home”.
Montessori Global Education has awarded Home-Start West Somerset’s BabyStart programme with STAR Endorsement status. Endorsement enables BabyStart to publicly demonstrate that the programme is child and family-led, high quality, innovative, and tailored to its community. Through Endorsement, local families can trust that the programme is designed and delivered in a way which responds to their own unique needs.
Clare Pound, Manager at Home-Start West Somerset, shared her positive outlook for future work with Montessori Global Education: “It has been such a privilege for us to have been given this wonderful opportunity to learn, gaining an understanding and knowledge about Montessori and its principles. It has really inspired everyone in the team, and the Montessori approach works brilliantly in parallel with Home-Start’s own practice. We’re so excited about a future with Montessori – and especially the Baby-Start programme Endorsement, what an accolade! Now planning is in place for further child and family led schemes”.
Montessori Global Education and Home-Start West Somerset will build on their collaboration, using their aligned mission and determination to prepare families and their children for the best start in life. “It has been a delight” notes Preeti Patel, Director of Education at Montessori Global Education, “to work with such committed and passionate colleagues. From the outset, they have been focused on how they can improve outcomes for their children and families. We’re all so proud to support such commitment”.