Young boy using a slicer to cut apple slices in a kitchen or classroom setting.
A young child with brown hair, wearing a white shirt with colorful prints and denim overalls, sitting at a table, knitting with yarn. There are two balls of yarn, one yellow and one blue, on the table in front of him, along with a pair of scissors.
Young child in blue pajamas with white animal pattern playing with wooden puzzle pieces on a wooden table in a bright room.
A young girl with dark hair in a ponytail, wearing a white shirt with black polka dots, is sitting at a table. She is playing with a wooden musical instrument, possibly a monkey drum, with a wire coil and a small container of water nearby. In the bac

MiCasa: A Prepared Environment for Young Toddlers

18 months to 3 years old | Williamsburg (N5th), Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope

Full-Day Hours: M-F, 8am - 3pm

Half-Day Hours: M-F, 8am - 11:30am

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn… In the words of the child- I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”

– Maria Montessori

Our MiCasa Program is a prepared environment carefully designed for 18 months old to 3 year-old children with a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment, in which they can begin participating in their own learning.

Unlike other baby care centers, our MiCasa program is designed to help infants and young children develop physically and mentally. Children learn how to take care of themselves and move towards independence. They also enhance their body movements and language development.

Sometimes, we think that a one-year-old child does not understand anything, but when you enter the classroom, you will be surprised to find that the child has more abilities than we know. The child who seems to be unable to speak and is faltering, actually sees through all his senses. Their organ absorbs people and things in the surrounding environment and engrain them into his brain, constructs his inner order, and then becomes the embryonic form of personality.

The Montessori Method for infants and young children aims to support their natural development by creating a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment. Here are some main principles:

  1. Natural movement: Montessori focuses on natural movement, allowing infants to move freely and develop their motor skills at their own pace. Instead of confining them in swings or bouncers, Montessori encourages them to explore their environment and use their bodies.

  2. Sensory stimulation: Infants at a Montessori environment are provided with opportunities to explore and manipulate a variety of objects, textures, colors, and shapes, which enhance their sensory skills.

  3. Language development: Montessori emphasizes language development and encourages verbal communication with the infant. This helps the child to develop his/her language skills and confidence.

  4. Independence and self-esteem: Montessori fosters independence and self-esteem in infants by encouraging them to make their own choices, and by allowing them to independently engage in activities such as feeding, dressing, and toileting.

  5. Respect: Infants are treated with respect and valued as individuals in a Montessori environment that aims to understand and respond to their needs.

The Montessori Method provides a positive and nurturing environment for infants, promoting their natural development and enhancing their physical, cognitive, and emotional skills.

MiCasa is available at three of our Brooklyn campuses: Williamsburg (N 5th St), Brooklyn Heights, and Park Slope.

Want to understand what your child experiences year-by-year at Ms. Lam? Read the Ms. Lam Childhood Framework →

MiCasa Program FAQ

  • No. Children who enter at 18 months have never been exposed to Mandarin — and that is exactly the right time to start. At this age, the brain absorbs language effortlessly and without effort. No prior knowledge is needed, for your child or for you as a parent.

  • No. Potty training is not a requirement for enrollment. At Ms. Lam, we support toilet independence using the most child-led approach — allowing your child to develop this skill naturally, at their own pace, within our carefully prepared environment.

  • MiCasa is our Mandarin-immersion Montessori program for children ages 18 months to 2.5 years. It is designed around the natural drives of the toddler: movement, independence, and language absorption. Children spend their day in a prepared Montessori environment where all instruction and daily life happens in Mandarin.

  • Toddlers follow a consistent daily rhythm built around the Montessori three-hour work cycle — a period of free, self-directed work with teacher-guided lessons woven in. Meals, outdoor time, and rest are part of the routine. Consistency is essential at this age, and our environment is designed around it.

  • Yes. Both full-day and half-day options are available for the MiCasa program. Our admissions team can walk you through the schedule options during a campus tour.

  • Ms. Lam is not a daycare with Mandarin classes added on. It is an authentic AMI Montessori school where Mandarin is the language of the entire environment — lessons, conversations, meals, daily routines. Children are not taught Mandarin as a subject. They live inside it, which produces a fundamentally different and deeper result.

Schedule a tour with us to find out more about the program!

Schedule a tour