Our Philosophy

Why we started dMP

In the early 2000s, our founder Jake Goh was leaving the corporate world when a veteran Montessorian convinced him Singapore needed better Montessori schools — many at the time skipped mixed-age grouping, didn't employ properly qualified teachers, or used poor-quality equipment. Around the same time, our Head Teacher, Wendy Kong, had independently been raising her own children on child psychologist Dr Benjamin Spock's approach — and found that the Montessori method aimed at exactly what she already believed in: raising mentally healthy, confident children, not just academically strong ones.

Wendy trained at Montessori Centre International (MCI) — one of the two internationally recognised bodies (alongside AMI) that train and accredit Montessori teachers — and has led our classroom ever since. Because Montessori isn't a trademarked name, that pedigree matters: it's the difference between a school that carries out the method in full, and one that borrows the name for a partial curriculum.

"Follow the child"

Montessori's central idea — help a child do it themselves, rather than doing it for them — shapes how we run every class. We give help when a child needs it, and step back when they don't, so children learn to take the lead in their own learning rather than working for an adult's approval.

The Montessori Method

Dr Maria Montessori (1870–1952) — a scientist, educator, and philosopher — developed her method while working with children the schools of her time had written off, and later spent twenty years observing how ordinary young children learn. The method she arrived at prepares the most natural, life-supporting environment possible for a child, and continually adapts that environment so the child can fulfil their potential physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Five areas of the classroom

• Practical Life — everyday tasks like washing, pouring, and dressing frames, building concentration, independence, and self-discipline from the ground up.
• Sensorial — materials that let a child build cognitive skill through touch, sight, smell, taste, and sound, with built-in feedback so they can work independently of an adult.
• Language — a rich, precise language environment using phonics and sandpaper letters to teach reading and writing.
• Mathematics — concrete materials (beads, number rods, and the full Montessori decimal system) that build real understanding, not just memorisation.
• Cultural — extensions of sensorial and language work into botany, geography, and the wider world.

Why our work cycle is longer than most

Two things mark an authentically Montessori classroom: mixed-age grouping, and an uninterrupted Montessori work cycle of at least 1.5 hours — the time a child needs to build concentration and freely choose increasingly difficult work. Dr Montessori herself preferred a 3-hour cycle. Many schools in Singapore shorten this to under an hour to make room for group activities like snack time, art, or Chinese lessons.

At dMP, we extend our day to 3.5 hours, so children get the full benefit of the work cycle and our group activities — without compromising either. See our Programmes page for what a typical day includes, or read more in our FAQ on why mixed-age grouping matters.