Welcome to Clay-Platte Montessori School

Clay-Platte Montessori School (CPMS) was founded in 1966 and has been at its current location since 1974. CPMS offers authentic Montessori programs for children from 15 months through high school.

The Clay-Platte Montessori School campus is situated on a beautiful 10-acre wooded area. Exploring nature and its inhabitants amidst a meandering creek, open meadows, and wooded trails are favorite activities of the students. Nature is an important component of the Montessori philosophy, and the campus was designed specifically to embrace this need. To stay true to the method and design of the campus, the indoor/outdoor classroom is embraced everyday.

Each of CPMS’s Lead Guides carries a diploma from Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the organization that Dr. Maria Montessori founded to protect the integrity of the methodology she founded and tested through the scientific method. Each guide writes and publishes between six and eight albums (one for each subject area), observes in experienced Montessori classrooms, student teaches, and passes written and oral exams to earn their diploma. Through this process, they become experts in the development of children and keen observers. Their thorough knowledge of each material within their environment allows them to match student needs with particular lessons that meet those needs.

The three pillars of Clay-Platte Montessori School:

1. Peace

2. Inclusion (See our Anti-Racist Anti-Oppression Statement)

3. Responsibility

“Our mission is to provide an environment where each child grows with a deep appreciation of peace and an ability to work with others to create peace; where each child is valued for the unique being they are, their culture, and their identity, and that they equally value others; where each child knows that she/he has a place in the world and are part of many systems that rely on their contributions.”

— Jen Stoll, Owner & Director