About
Our mission is to nurture and empower a loving community of global thinkers, who embrace and honor each other.
The Children’s Tree Montessori School, founded on the belief that every child deserves a safe and nurturing space to grow and learn, developed out of founding head of school, Marci Martindale’s deep respect for the unique potential of every child.
In 1995, determined to raise the standard of educational experiences available to children, Miss Marci opened her first preschool on the main floor of her family’s home. Her goal was to help grow the love of learning that would last a lifetime by using the Montessori method of teaching.
After Miss Marci earned her Montessori credentials in 1998, the school expanded and attracted families from across Middlesex County. Before long, the Montessori preschool program had a three-year wait list; and an additional program was added in 2004 to serve elementary students grades first through sixth.
By 2006, the school had grown and moved into its forever home on Essex Road in Old Saybrook. Wanting to ensure that Children's Tree Montessori School would be around for generations of children, the school was established as a non-profit in 2011.
In 2014, after assessing the needs of the community, the school added a toddler program which has continued to grow and thrive each year. The school accomplished a long time goal by receiving accreditation from American Montessori Society in 2016.
Today, the students at The Children’s Tree Montessori are still thriving. The school now serves about eighty students each school year, providing a safe, fun and enriching learning experience for children in a warm and nurturing environment.
We are dedicated to helping each child develop within him or herself the foundational skills, habits, attitudes, and ideas that are essential for a lifetime of learning.
The goal at The Children’s Tree Montessori School is to support the development of the whole child through routine engagement.
Through participation we aim to help students:
- develop positive attitudes towards themselves, learning and their lives
- become self-confident, independent learners
- form habits of concentration in their work
- develop initiative and persistence
- achieve inner security and a sense of order
- develop sensory motor skills
- refine social skills
- achieve a higher level of intelligence and imagination
We achieve these goals both through in-class instruction in the areas of practical life, sensorial learning, mathematics, cultural studies, language arts, and also through the implementation of enrichment classes.
In alignment with Montessori philosophy, student progress towards the stated objectives is evaluated individually. Students’ progress towards objectives are observed and documented by the classroom teachers.