A Guidepost nido, or “nest” in Italian, is designed to provide a safe, comforting, and predictable environment for infants. This environment serves as a secure home base from which babies can confidently begin exploring and learning about everything around them.
As babies learn and grow rapidly, Guidepost’s specialized materials and methods empower them to achieve each new milestone at their own pace and with maximum self-confidence.
features of guidepost’s nido program:
Building trust in a nurturing environment.
Nido Guides (teachers) bond with every child one-on-one. They establish predictable routines, while starting from each child’s own unique schedule for feeding, sleeping, and diapering—making the transition between home and Guidepost as smooth and seamless as possible.
Routines and respect encourage the child to recognize and understand their own body’s signals, to anticipate cause and effect, and to trust that their caregiver sees them, loves them, and will always meet their needs.
Freedom to develop strength, coordination, and dexterity.
Babies have a profound developmental need to move—to wiggle, stretch, roll, and reach! At Guidepost, we don’t confine babies using things like playpens, highchairs, or walkers. In addition to causing frustration and encouraging dangerous escape attempts, baby-containers limit a child’s opportunity to strengthen and coordinate their body.
In a Guidepost Nido, we support a child’s natural development with ample safe space to move, and beautiful environments that entice them to explore.
Gaining a vibrant vocabulary.
From captivating books to delightful songs to playful conversations, babies in our Nido classrooms are exposed to a rich and varied vocabulary to help them master language with delight.
By describing everything that happens—from each step of a caregiving routine to how others are feeling—children learn to connect their experiences to precise language. This not only helps them become able communicators, but to gain vital social-emotional skills like empathy.
Cultivating confidence with child-led independence.
From the moment they’re ready, we empower babies to participate meaningfully in their own care—whether to hand us a clean diaper, to zip their jacket to go outside, or wash their hands before eating.
This clearly communicates our trust in their abilities and helps build an ingrained sense of self-confidence, as they realize how much they are capable of.
at guidepost montessori, we believe every child is tremendously capable.
But what’s even better, the children believe it too.
Every child at Guidepost Montessori knows they can accomplish real things and engage in real learning. Not because someone tells them so, but because they choose it, experience it, and succeed at it every single day.