Viola Whitlock
Director and primary guide
Viola leads the school and guides one of the three primary rooms. She is at the door most mornings, and she is the person to ask about a tour.
A Montessori school in Greer, South Carolina
Work a child chooses, from a shelf a child can reach
Spindle is a Montessori school in a former elementary school building: a toddler room and three primary rooms, with guides who know every child.
The work shelf
Four areas of the room, one shelf at a time
Everything a child works with sits on an open shelf at a child's height. Each area has its own shelf, and each tray has one job.
Practical life
Pouring, sweeping, buttoning and carrying a tray: the everyday work of looking after yourself and the room.
Sensorial
Cubes, colors and shapes to compare by hand, from the largest to the smallest and from rough to smooth.
Language
Sand trays, pencils and letters to trace. Children hear stories, name what they see and write at their own pace.
Math
Beads, counters and bowls to count and sort, always something to hold in the hand before it is written down.
The guides
The people who lead the rooms
Twelve adults work at Spindle. These three guide the rooms a child starts in.
Yumi Kato
Toddler room guide
Yumi guides the toddler room, where the first weeks are slow and short. She keeps the shelves low and the room small.
Glynis Hatcher
Primary room guide
Glynis guides a primary room. She spends most of the morning at a low table, giving a lesson to one child at a time.
Programs
A room for each age, three ways to spend the week
Choose the days that fit your family. A child stays in one primary room, with one guide, through the kindergarten year.
Twos room
2-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 8 childrenGroup size: 8The toddler room, with its own guide and a low, small space
- Three mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · 3 daysMonday, Wednesday, FridayOffered
- Five mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- School day8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysRest after lunchWaitlist
Primary rooms
3-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 12 childrenGroup size: 24Three rooms, each mixed in age
- Three mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · 3 daysMonday, Wednesday, FridayOffered
- Five mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- School day8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysLunch from homeOffered
Primary and kindergarten year
4-year-olds
Adults to children: 1 adult to 17 childrenGroup size: 24The oldest children in each room
- Five mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- School day8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysThe kindergarten year is a school dayOffered
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place and covers the enrollment file.
- Materials
- Covers art supplies and the care of the work on the shelves through the year.
- Extended care
- Covers the hours before 8:30 a.m. and after 3:15 p.m.
Sample programs.
Our rooms
From the toddler room to the kindergarten year
Children move through the building room by room, with a guide who knows them at each step.
- 01
Toddler room
Ages 2 to 3SkillsPouring, spooning and carrying a tray
Washing hands at a child-height sink
Naming what they see, and short stories
Putting on a coat and shoes
Moving upA child moves to a primary room when the guides and the family agree it is time, usually around the third birthday.
- 02
Primary rooms
Ages 3 to 5SkillsThe four areas of the room, from the open shelves
A long work cycle each morning
Lessons one child at a time
Looking after the room together
Moving upChildren stay in the same room with the same guide, and the oldest become helpers to the youngest.
- 03
Kindergarten year
Ages 5 to 6SkillsLonger pieces of work, picked up over several days
Writing words and reading aloud
Number work with beads and written sums
Showing a younger child how a piece of work goes
Moving upThe year ends with a conversation with your family about your child's next school.
Where to startBook a tour of the rooms
Sample levels.
Dates
The school year in months
Tours run through the winter, applications open in the new year, and families hear from us before spring.
This school year
Tours
Tuesday mornings, September to March
A tour takes about an hour, while the rooms are working.
Book a tourApplications open
Early January
The form is on our enrollment page and takes a few minutes.
- Decisions
Families hear from us
Late February
By phone and email, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
First day
Late August
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Who licenses us, and how we look after the rooms
License
Licensed by SCDSS
Child care center license · SC License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 8 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 8
1 adult to 12 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 24
1 adult to 17 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 24
Group size
Up to 24 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
70
Ages 2 years to 6 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Arrival and pickup
A guide greets every child at the door and checks them in. At pickup a child leaves only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Allergies and snack
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. Snack is prepared in the room with the children, and families send lunch from home.
When a child is ill
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school, we call you right away and a guide stays close until you arrive.
Drills and headcounts
We practice fire and severe-weather drills, and we count heads whenever children move between the rooms, the hall and the yard.
Cleaning the materials
Children wash their hands at a child-height sink before snack and after outdoor time, and the work on the shelves is wiped down between uses.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Questions
What families ask us
What ages and hours do you serve?
The toddler room is for children ages 2 to 3, and the three primary rooms are for ages 3 to 6, up to the kindergarten year. A morning runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the school day 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Extended care runs from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
How does a tour work?
Tours run on Tuesday mornings from September to March, while the rooms are working. A tour takes about an hour. You see the toddler room and a primary room, meet a guide and ask anything you like. Children are welcome to come along.
What sets tuition?
Your child's room and age, the schedule you choose and the days a week. We do not print tuition on this site; the figures are on our enrollment page, and we go through them on a tour. The page on how tuition works has the detail.
How is a place held, and how does the waitlist work?
An enrollment form and a deposit hold a place. When a room is full, families join a waitlist for that room and schedule, and we offer places in the order families joined.
Is the school licensed, and what are the ratios?
Yes. Spindle is licensed by SCDSS as a child care center, and the license line is at the bottom of every page. The adults for each age group are on the safety and license page.
What is a work cycle?
It is the long stretch of the morning when children choose their work from the shelves and are not interrupted. A guide gives a lesson to one child at a time while the others work on their own.
Come and see a morning at Spindle
A tour is the best way to see the shelves, the rooms and the guides at work. Bring your questions, and your child if you like.