Children's House of Galloway Ready to Open Monday

Newly licensed by the state of New Jersey, the Children’s House of Galloway, an alternative preschool, will launch into its fall term on Monday, Sept. 12.

The school led by Galloway resident, Susan Lorge, is a “Montessori-prepared environment,” geared toward 3- to 6-year-olds. It is the only licensed school of its kind in Atlantic County.

Lorge explains that the Children’s House is different from ordinary pre-elementary programs in that it follows the principles set out by the Italian physician Maria Montessori.

“We believe that children learn a lot from the environment they’re placed in. So, there’s a big emphasis on how the classroom looks,” Lorge said. “Everything has to be very well taken care of, everything has to look beautiful.

“Everything is for the children to use. So, [they’re] free to pick up and touch anything that’s in the room.”

Lorge also said that Montessori teaching focuses a lot on making abstract concepts more tangible to young children. 

“The materials are all very hands on because children in the 3- to 6-year-old group learn through movement,” she explained. “Everything that they learn is very concrete.” 

For instance, she said, when they are starting to learn about numbers, instead of presenting them with a number written on a piece of paper, “they have blocks and bars that they pick up that represent the quantity of one, the quantity of two and the quantity of three.”

“It’s fun because… you get to see them learn, and seeing that is really fulfilling,” said teaching assistant Healani Harper, a student at Atlantic Cape Community College.  “It’s just a nice environment. It’s not really strict, so they’re having fun and they’re relaxed, but they’re really learning. “