About

The Montessori School of Charlottesville does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender presentation, sexual orientation, or disability in the administration of its educational mission. The School desires as much diversity among the children and staff as possible. The School is dedicated to furthering international and ecological consciousness and views education as "an aid to life." The School helps empower children to believe in themselves and their abilities to make a positive difference in the world they share.

The Montessori Philosophy

The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood.

Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.

Components necessary for a program to be considered authentically Montessori include multiage groupings that foster peer learning, uninterrupted blocks of work time, and guided choice of work activity. In addition, a full complement of specially designed Montessori learning materials are meticulously arranged and available for use in an aesthetically pleasing environment.

The teacher, child, and environment create a learning triangle. The classroom is  prepared by the teacher to encourage independence, freedom within limits, and a sense of order. The child, through individual choice, makes use of what the environment offers to develop himself, interacting with the teacher when support and/or guidance is needed.

Our Schools

Our staff consists of teachers who are certified Montessori diploma holders, especially chosen for their love of guiding children in their emotional, social, and intellectual development. The School is licensed by the Division of Licensing of the Virginia Department of Social Services and maintains high standards for excellence in child care.

The School was founded in 1976 by Yates Nobles and originated at our Cutler Lane location. Originally MSC was one Primary classroom with an apartment on the upper level of the house.  In the coming years a Toddler community was added to the lower level and space was leased from the adjacent Church. In 1990 Yates sold the school to Parames Adie and Lindsey Munson and soon after the upstairs apartment was transformed into a second Primary classroom. The school became a 501 c (3) non profit in 2000 in order to better define the identity of the school with the long-term planning for the school handled by a Board of Directors.

After many years of additional classrooms in leased space the School was fortunate to move into the beautiful Victorian building on Gordon Avenue in the summer of 2006. Funds from the School's first Capital Campaign helped secure financing that allowed the purchase of the building in 2007. In 2017, the School launched a Building Peace Capital Campaign and to raise funds to build an addition to the Gordon Avenue location that now serves as the toddler classroom along with an adult meeting space “The Lounge”.

The Administrative Director and Program Director work together to set the policies for the School. Each classroom is under the direction of a Head Teacher, who works with the assistant(s) to carry out the Montessori program.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Montessori Education Trust (Montessori School of Charlottesville) does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender presentation, sexual orientation, or disability in the administration of its educational mission.
This policy applies to all aspects of the school, including admissions,
employment, and scholarship programs.