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Discover Fauquier
May 2026
20
A visit to
Grace Montessori School in The
Plains is like a real-time lesson in child
development. Four bright preschool
classrooms with 10 staff members welcome
43 children five days a week. Five families
are receiving financial assistance from
Learning Starts Early, a Fauquier County
nonprofit focused on helping children prepare
for kindergarten.
Head of School
Jillian Johncox
says the school
embraces the
M o n t e s s o r i
philosophy, but
with a nod toward
t h e p r a c t i c a l
realities of the
n e x t s t e p i n
d eve l o p m e nt .
"We give children
the opportunity to
ex p l o r e t h e i r
n a t u r a l
environment; they
develop new skills through observation and
experimentation," she says. "By teaching
practical tasks like washing a window or
taking care of an animal, we foster
independence, curiosity, and confidence."
Playing outside is not an afterthought.
Children spend at least an hour a day--
sometimes three -- explor ing their
surroundings and testing their skills.
Ms. Johncox
has been at
G r a c e
Montessori for
three years.
S h e h a s a
b a c h e l o r ' s
degree in early
c h i l d h o o d
education and
s p e c i a l
education and
a master's in
e d u c a t i o n
administration
and leadership.
She worked with special education students
for eight years in Fauquier County Public
Schools before taking the helm at Grace
Montessori.
The Head of School knows that her students
will be moving on to kindergarten in more
traditional public or private schools. "We make
sure they are ready for that next step, that
they're able to meet those expectations," she
notes. "We expose them to literacy and math
skills so there are no gaps in their learning
when they go to kindergarten."
She says that
k i n d e r g a r t e n
readiness has
changed over the
years. When her
p r e s c h o o l e r s
g r a d u a t e t o
kindergarten, they
c a n i d e n t i f y
s h a p e s a n d
letters and can
u n d e r s t a n d
rhyming. They
can count to 20,
write their own
names, and are
a b l e t o u s e
s c i s s o r s .
Importantly, they
can also listen
attentively for at
least 15 minutes.
The preschoolers can follow directions and
have been exposed to some science
concepts," Ms. Johncox says. "They are able
to ask `wh' questions--who, what, why,
where and when," adding that the children
also are exposed to music, art, chapel and
physical education.
Even with solid practical and academic skills,
some children need a little extra help to
communicate. That's why in 2023, Learning
Starts Early began supporting speech therapy
for some of the students at Grace Montessori.
Ms. Johncox enlisted Kristin Gibbs, a speech/
language pathologist with a practice in
Warrenton. She has worked with three to four
children each academic year to address
speech and language needs, understanding
that speech issues can impact literacy, and the
earlier those issues are addressed, the better.
Ms. Gibbs looks for red flags in the students'
speech--children who are not able to form
words correctly, who leave off the beginnings
or endings of words, or are not speaking in
sentences. Some are using very few words to
communicate by age two-and-a-half to three,
she says. Learning Starts Early provides
funding for each eligible child to spend a half-
hour with Gibbs each week. "Some kids only
need a few months, others need a year or
more to make enough progress to start
kindergarten on track," Ms. Gibbs says. She
works with parents to make sure they know
how to reinforce the lessons at home.
For more information, visit
gmstheplains.org
or contact Ms. Johncox at
jillian@
gmstheplains.org or (540) 253-5177.
Exploration, Curiosity: Building
Blocks of Kindergarten Readiness
at Grace Montessori
Kristin Gibbs is a Warrenton
s p e e c h p a t h o l o g i s t
who works with some
of the children at Grace
Montessori, supported by
Learning Starts Early
Emersyn Lloyd, 4, works on a
macaroni masterpiece in the
preschool classroom at Grace
Montessori in The Plains
Head of School Jillian
Johncox visits the older
toddler room at Grace
Montesorri Preschool.
Daughter Kennedy, 3,
immediately asked for a
hug, and Claire Reppert,
3, wanted in on the photo-
taking too
By Robin Earl
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