B.K.
we did a montessori program in China for one year with my son. He liked it and is able to read and do basic math and is not in kindergarten yet. I will say however that wanting your child to go into a gifted program is only possible if they have the IQ to get into one. Academic knowledge and IQ are to very different things. You can cram all the knowledge into your child at an early age and they will learn because that is what they do naturally, that does not mean that they are gifted. I don't want you to spend an obscene amount of money on a montessori program only to find out your child is above average IQ but not in the gift range because the program is not designed to increase a child's IQ. It is designed to help your child learn at her own pace encouraging developement of her strengths. I would go with a nice academic based preschool that does not cost an arm and a leg like a montessori one does and you will have the same results. We only did the montessori in China because it was the only English speaking environment for my child to learn in and make new friends.