Wood Violet Montessori opened February 1st, 2018. We are a small, women-owned business run by two early childhood educators with a keen interest in Montessori. We come from teaching backgrounds, with a combined experience of over 40 years in the child care profession. After seeing children blossom under the tutelage of trained Montessori teachers, we wanted to create a space where we could offer a true Montessori experience to our young students in the Fox Valley.
We searched for a place that offered green space and accessibility, and found a location with a surprising amount of wildlife near the Fox River Mall. After some serious renovations, we were finally able to start curating our own Montessori Children’s House. If you come for a tour of our facility, you will see low windows for the children to access for nature watching, small wooden tables and low shelves to house their work, and a wide-open, spacious classroom, perfect for these small people to navigate and discover the workings of their world. We are continuously adding, adjusting, and improving to the environment, in order to be sure that our students are provided with a classroom that changes to meet their needs.
Ms. Colleen has been in the early childhood field for 18 years. She has worked in area Montessori schools for the last 10, and is so grateful for the opportunity to manage her own classroom. When she is not making materials and giving lessons, she loves to craft and spend time with her wife, Dana, and their two cats.
Ms. Mary has enjoyed working with children for over 29 years, has her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and completed her Master’s degree in Montessori Education with an American Montessori Society (AMS) certification in May of 2019. She feels very fortunate to come to her dream job every day, and when she is not there, she enjoys spending time with her family on camping trips and appreciating nature.