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1280 Simmons Avenue
Kirkwood, MO, 63122
United States

(314) 822-2601

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About Villa di Maria

 

  • We support each child to develop academic excellence and the ability to embrace and respond to the challenges of today's world with innovation, compassion, determination, grace and kindness.

  • In 1967, a quiet, committed force of nature brought Montessori principles and training to St. Louis education. Pearl Vanderwall founded Villa di Montessori School that year and established a training academy a few years later. Pearl, a native of Sri Lanka, studied Montessori methodology with the late Dr. Maria Montessori, herself. Her dream for the school combined the ideal of a not-for-profit community that would give as many children as possible the gift of a Montessori education, with the pedagogical rigor required for a standing membership in the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

    In Villa di Maria’s first years, the Children’s House was the school’s sole program, serving children ages 3 through 6 years old. As more and more families learned of the beauty of a Montessori education for their children, the demand for Montessori increased in the St. Louis area. By 1972 Pearl opened the Montessori Training Center of St. Louis, to train educators to become AMI-certified Guides, with the ultimate goal of offering Montessori education to more children. Today, the training center continues to foster a robust Montessori community in the Midwest.

    Over the years, Villa di Maria continued to grow and moved through a series of rental spaces. By 1978, an elementary level was added, and the school continued to change spaces to accommodate its growing community. In 1987, Villa di Maria found and settled into its current home—six quiet acres in residential Kirkwood, and we have not stopped growing since we moved into this space. Today, we are proud to offer four programs on our campus: the Young Children’s Community (YCC), which serves children ages 14 months – 3 years; the Children’s House for ages 3 – 6 years; Lower Elementary (grades 1 – 3); and Upper Elementary (grades 4 – 6).

    In May of 2017, we completed construction on a new building for our elementary communities, a pool house for use by our summer programs, and a pavilion, which we use as a community space. In May of 2023, we completed another phase of construction, adding a new building and updating outdoor spaces for our Children’s House community. We are thrilled to be able to continue to meet the needs of families in the St. Louis area with authentic, world-class Montessori education on a beautiful campus.

 
 

A Letter from the Head of School

Dear Families,

I love my job. I love it for many reasons, but if I have to choose just one, it’s because every day I have the honor of watching children grow into individual, self-reliant, and confident human beings, who are bursting with knowledge, curiosity, imagination, and personality. I am so proud to be part of this process, and I am amazed and inspired by the power and potential of children. 

It’s all because of Montessori. As an AMI-accredited Montessori School, we are 100% committed to the authentic Montessori method—a century-old, child-centered approach that has proven time and time again to give children a thorough, meaningful education. We offer a strong academic curriculum taught in an open, challenging, and encouraging environment in which the children direct their learning. We emphasize life skills, such as problem solving, integrity, courtesy and self-expression. Our children work hard to develop the knowledge and skills to care for themselves, their community, and their environment, and we are here to help them along that path.

We do not underestimate children. We know that every child is capable of so much more than she is often given credit for because we see it every day. Imagine a child who is eager to know everything about everything, who is never told she can’t do it, who is encouraged every day to keep asking questions, to explore, to discover, and who grows up to be a capable, engaging, and confident adult. That is the kind of child we hope to foster here at Villa. In other words, we are helping shape incredible people, who just might one day change the world.

Please come and see the magic for yourself!

To arrange a tour of our school, please complete this short form and we will be in touch with you.

Laura Ceretti-Michelman
Head of School