Starting a Montessori School: A Journey Rooted in Purpose, Growth, and Vision

Every Montessori school founder has a story—each unique, each deeply personal, yet threaded with parallel experiences that bind us together across cities, generations, and decades. My own story begins long before Waterfront Academy ever existed, before I drafted my first mission statement, or welcomed my first family. It begins in my childhood home, where Montessori wasn’t a philosophy on a website—it was a way of life.

My mother was a Montessori teacher, introduced to Dr. Maria Montessori’s work by my father, an avid reader who was always finding ideas worth sharing. So my brother and I grew up in a Montessori household before I even knew what Montessori was. We attended Montessori schools that my mom taught at.

But like many people raised around Montessori, I didn’t immediately turn toward it professionally. That came later, when my eldest was born and I began searching for the “best” educational path. My research didn’t lead me to a single place—it led me full circle, back to the very principles that shaped my own childhood. Montessori became not just an option in the marketplace of education—it became the answer.

And so, twelve years ago, I founded a school—not because it was easy, or because I had everything figured out, but because I wanted my children to have an extraordinary educational foundation. I hoped that other families would see the same beauty, the same possibilities, and feel the same resonance. Thankfully, they did.

Over the past twelve years, I have had the profound privilege of watching my three children grow within this community, but I have also had the honor of walking alongside so many other children on their journeys. I’ve witnessed their discoveries, celebrated their milestones, and stood in awe as they continue a life of learning and exploration long after graduation. That is the true gift of Montessori: it builds learners who remain learners.

And just as children grow in cycles—beautiful, predictable, transformative cycles—so, too, does a Montessori school.

The First Three Years: Absorbing Everything

Just like the child in the first plane of development, the first three years of starting a school are full of intensity, wonder, and rapid learning. Everything is new. Everything is vital. Every challenge feels like a lesson in persistence and creativity. I was absorbing, adapting, building, and dreaming all at once.

Years Four Through Six: Practice, Refinement, Direction

The next three years were the practice years—still energetic, still busy, but with more clarity. I understood what worked. I understood what didn’t. I began refining systems, strengthening culture, and gaining confidence in the school’s identity.

Years Seven Through Nine: Reorganization and Renewal

Then came a period of reorganization—the same way a child around age six enters a new stage of reasoning and purpose. During these years, priorities shifted. The long-term vision became sharper. We reevaluated programs, rebuilt where needed, and set the school up for its next transformation.

Years Ten Through Twelve: Mastery and Momentum

The last three years have been about honing those priorities. Living them. Strengthening them. Like the adolescent who begins stepping into their fullest capabilities, these years have carried a new level of confidence and clarity. The school has expanded its roots while also reaching for new heights.

And now, as I stand on the threshold of the next cycle, I feel the same excitement I felt when I first opened the doors. Perhaps even more. Because now, the foundation is strong. The community is vibrant. The mission is clearer than ever.

The children who once toddled into Primary are now thoughtful, grounded adolescents. Former students write back from high school, thriving academically and personally. The school itself has weathered storms, celebrated triumphs, and continued growing—always growing.

What began as a simple hope for my own children has become a living, evolving force for many children and families.

I cannot wait to see where the next three-year cycle takes us—what new insights we will gain, what new opportunities will arise, what new heights we will reach. Montessori taught me that growth is not linear, but cyclical. And each cycle brings its own brilliance.

Starting a Montessori school is not just building an institution. It is building a living, breathing community—one that grows alongside you, challenges you, and ultimately transforms you.

And after twelve years, I can say this with certainty:

It has all been worth it.

And the best is yet to come.