Heartwood Montessori is a nonprofit organization, with a mission to nurture a culturally diverse community by providing access to all families seeking an authentic AMI Montessori program, for the benefit of all children, by cultivating their natural capacities, capabilities and talents.
We are thrilled to be opening an AMI Montessori school on a shared campus with SIMS! Heartwood Montessori will open in the Fall of 2019 for ages 15months through age 12. It is our plan to open with just three classrooms this first year, and grow each year following. We will have a Young Child Community (15 month to 3 years), Children’s House (3 to 6 years), and Elementary program (6 to 12 years). Each of our classrooms will have an AMI trained lead guide and an assistant, or two trained co-lead guides! One teacher in each classroom will be bilingual Spanish-speaking and speak primarily in Spanish to the children. Each classroom will have its own outdoor environment, as well as large indoor environments. Heartwood Montessori will function as a lab school for the SIMS training center by providing opportunities for observation and practice teaching to current SIMS trainees. This will allow for extra support within the Heartwood classrooms as well!
Our new campus is currently undergoing renovations at Country Club and University, in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is the largest suburban city, by population, in the United States and we wanted to be part of the wonderful growing community of Mesa! Additionally, there is a population of families in Mesa who have not had access to, or known about, an affordable Montessori program and we want to change that so that all families have the ability to benefit from Montessori education. Children thrive when their education involves themselves, teachers, parents, and the community. The holistic approach to early childhood education that an AMI Montessori program provides, helps children with skills and practices that they may not be learning in their home environments or in a traditional school setting. We are inspired by the natural capabilities and curiosity of all children. We hope to create a culturally diverse, inclusive community, supporting both children and families through an accessible educational space and an authentic AMI Montessori program.
Our Head of School, Sherri Sampson, has previously opened two highly successful AMI Montessori schools in Arizona. She has been in Montessori education for over 20 years and helped to found SIMS in 2011. All of our lead guides are AMI trained and many are joining us with 12 years, 15 years, and 20 years of experience!
We at Heartwood Montessori and SIMS believe that an authentic, world-class, AMI Montessori program should be available to all students and families seeking one. It is our goal to make this program as accessible and affordable as possible. There are a number of scholarship opportunities available for children at all ages. To learn more about scholarship opportunities visit heartwoodaz.org or contact us at info@heartwoodaz.org
Enrollment for the 2019-2020 School year is underway and classrooms are beginning to fill up. We do have a few more spaces in each classroom so if you are interested in learning more or enrolling your child(ren), please join us for an Information Session this Saturday, May 18th, at 10:00am, at the Mesa Center for Higher Education (245 W. 2ndSt.) RSVP HERE or contact us at info@heartwoodaz.org
