About the Nonprofit
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Villa di Maria Montessori School is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides an authentic Montessori education to children ages 16 months-6th grade. The school was founded in 1967 by Mrs. Pearl Vanderwall, whose dream combined the ideal of a not-for-profit community that would give as many children in the St. Louis metro area as possible the gift of a Montessori education, with the pedagogical rigor required for a standing membership in the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). The Montessori pedagogy is rooted in a very simple concept: children are independent, self-constructing human beings developing along a natural, predictable path. Our job as Montessori educators is to respect each child as they progress along that path at an individual pace, on the way to becoming a unique self. While it is true that our curriculum is academically rigorous, a Montessori education is about more than excelling in academics. We take pride in educating the whole child. In the classroom environments, students have access to materials that allow them to explore reading, handwriting, mathematics, biology, earth science, chemistry, literature, storytelling, grammar, physics, world geography, drawing, botany, history, cultural diversity and so much more. Science projects, research projects, field trips and class events enrich the academic curriculum and allow students to explore the subjects that most interest them. Our ultimate goal, though, is to help each child construct a unique and meaningful existence, to enter adulthood as their best selves. In order to get there, we cannot focus solely on academics. Instead, students here engage their imaginations, their critical minds, and their social development.
