Welcome to Montessori Children's House. Montessori Children's House is the original and only so-named school in the Kendall/Miami area. The school was originally established in 1976 in the Bird Road area but due to its enormous expansion, relocated to the West Kendall area in 1996. Montessori Children's House is a renowned established quality school licensed with Miami Dade County and the State of Florida as an Educational Institution.  Montessori Children's House is accredited through the Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS) and has been a long standing member of the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the North American Montessori Teacher's Association (NAMTA). Montessori Children's House welcomes families of all religions, ethnic origins, and economic backgrounds. Our inimitable school has long been established in a diverse cultural and intellectual community that encourages the development of the whole child. Montessori Children's House endeavors to promote its perceptible distinctive qualities, maintain its commitment to a quality Montessori education and continually contribute to the community a unique school of academic distinction.

As a Montessori School Director since 1987 and a certified  American Montessori Society (AMS) Montessori teacher since 1986, it is my satisfaction to be able to offer my students my vast expertise and experience both as a Montessori Director and Teacher. I believe it is the Director's responsibility to obtain the AMS or PAMS approved Montessori teaching credentials and to acquire the knowledge and capability to expertly direct all areas of the school - educationally and administratively.  It is also the responsibility of the Director to ascertain and possess competent insight into recognizing the specific individual needs, abilities or inabilities of every child. Our school provides qualified on site Speech and Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, and Occupational Therapists for those students requiring additional assistance. I have employed long term educationally qualified, caring and dedicated AMS and/or PAMS certified Montessori teachers, interns and assistants who share my joy of working with children to implement the Montessori philosophy and approach in educating and encouraging the students. Montessori Children's House's dedicated staff, extraordinary facilities, unique physical environment and long distinguished reputation in the community speak for itself!

From the school’s inception, I have aspired through personal integrity, hard work and dedication to personally create, build and offer an inspiring atmosphere for my student’s academic growth and development in a caring environment. I deem it appropriate to continually present myself in a highly ethical and professional manner in character, attitude and appearance. It has been my objective to provide a stimulating environment which will assist children in developing within themselves productive foundational attitudes, skills, behavior and inspirations which are essential for the students to achieve creative thoughts and learning, social integration and emotional well-being. My personal goal has been to continue to provide my students, and their parents, a developmentally appropriate unique learning environment of high moral integrity and academic excellence. Montessori Children’s House recognizes and respects the inherent worth, dignity and aptitude of each attending child. It is our school’s objective to nourish the children’s inner selves while developing their love of learning and a lifetime of skills.

My philosophy on Early Childhood Education parallels that of the Montessori method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. I believe all pre-school children can benefit from a challenging and secure Montessori environment. Children are encouraged to experiment and develop their senses and intellect from the use of specifically designed, developmentally appropriate hands on apparatus. Personally, it is my conviction that all children be educated in a positive, self-rewarding, stimulating and nurturing environment utilizing self-motivation, repetition and a sense of order combined with a structured means of positive discipline. I reason that a child’s educational atmosphere during these early years is critical to his future potential productive development. These children can be taught to keenly observe, intellectually reason, cultivate independence and socially interact for themselves while acquiring a positive successful attitude. I personally believe that a Montessori child has the advantage over traditionally educated children of achieving an appreciation and excitement of learning in his early years. These children often become confident and competent learners in later years.

My philosophy objective has also been to incorporate the student’s parents into the learning process. Montessori Children's House has instituted an interactive Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), several parent/student events and numerous instructive and informative parenting workshops throughout the year offered by qualified Child Psychologists. It is my opinion that my student’s parents can continue to learn and benefit alongside their children. It is our aim at Montessori Children's House to develop a sense of community within the school among children, staff and parents based on mutual respect, open communication and partnership in the educational development of the children.

Please feel free to contact me regarding any questions you might have about the school, the staff or your child's specific educational and/or developmental needs.  Please join us for a visit/tour of the school offered on Wednesdays from 7:00 am - 8:00 am and/or 10:00 am - 11:00 am.

Sincerely,

Melanie Samuelson
Owner/Director/Teacher