A Brief History
Susan Weller was the career educator who founded The Children’s Academy in 1981. She built The Academy on three principles - kindness, love & understanding. These are the sensibilities that The Academy has always and will always operate within.
In 1990, Debra Smith began at The Academy as a Teacher’s Assistant, working under Susan Weller. Her love for Montessori grew just as her love for The Children's Academy grew. She returned to college to earn her degree in early childhood education and obtained her Montessori certification soon thereafter. Here is where her teaching journey began and she is now the proud owner of The Children’s Academy. Under the guidance of these storied educators, our school has grown from a student body of 35 to 75.
Ms. Weller believed fiercely in the Montessori method - an approach that teaches children to ask questions about the world and explore its challenges, rather than be rote repeaters of rhyme and arithmetic.
But just because we’re reaching for the stars doesn’t mean we have our head in the clouds.
The Children’s Academy also devotes itself to keeping abreast of the changing educational landscape and the requirements that children have to meet as they advance from preschool or Kindergarten into the next grade.
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”
- Maria Montessori
The Montessori Mindset Explained
The Montesssori mindset is the brainchild of Maria Montessori. It states that life is not all about wealth and power but instead about finding your place in the world and becoming a positive contributor to your community.
Dr. Montessori was an Italian physician and educator who was the first to fuse traditional methods of education with practical life. From the onset, she was an innovator, going back to her days as a 13 year-old girl at an all boys technical school.
She was an advocate for creating more independent children by giving them love and space to explore.
That’s a lot of what we do here.
We curate a quiet space where our students can focus on a solo project or join in on fun with a friend - a space that encourages free exploration, problem solving skills and happiness. As educators it is our job to follow your child’s lead, all the while empowering them to ask penetrating questions instead of simply asking for the answers. And as parents, it’s your job to carry that mindset back into the family home.
