At Alyssum, parents and teachers strive to create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere for children’s inquisitive minds. Learning is student-driven and supported by trained teachers.

Providing a Peaceful, Mixed-Age, Child-Directed Environment

The Montessori Method emerges from the belief that children are naturally good, peaceful and curious and that in the context of a supportive environment, all children engage instinctively in the work of self-construction.

Committed to Remaining Small, Non-Hierarchical and Responsive to the Needs of Children

By preserving a small scale, teacher-leaders are able to make day-to-day decisions that respond to the needs of the children and school-wide decisions that express their own vision in the context of the needs of children, families and themselves.

A Neighborhood-Nested School Committed to Working in Partnership with the Surrounding Community to Create an Environment that is Healthier for Children

We expand our definition of “stakeholders” beyond the families we serve directly, and we work to make our surrounding communities stronger and healthier for children.

Committed to Exploring New Ideas and the Ongoing, Scientific Study and Improvement of our Practice

Because scientific observation is the foundation of the Montessori method, we seek to use modern technologies to extend and expand our teachers’ capacity for observation and documentation – without changing the concrete, experiential nature of the prepared environment.

Blurring the Boundaries of Home and School

We see our work as a partnership with parents and families: we value their wisdom, invite their engagement, and enthusiastically share with them our Montessori methods.

Working to Create Diverse, Inclusive Learning Environments that Work for Justice as the Foundation of Peace

As Montessorians, we believe children’s unique capacity to adapt to their environment makes childhood the key to the long-term improvement of society and our greatest hope for a more peaceful world. We cultivate that capacity in schools that include people of different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds and seek out ways to make our schools more accessible to all families; we celebrate diversity and foster inclusivity; and, we consider the unique opportunities and challenges facing every child and commit to giving each student what they need to find their purpose and fulfill their potential.

Cultivating a Deep Beauty in All Things – in the Design, Culture and Artistic Expression within our School Environments; in our Interactions with One Another; and in our Relationship with Ourselves

All of us – adults and children – explore and cultivate the beauty of our inner landscapes through mindfulness practices, and seek to carry that beauty into our relationships with each other.

Emphasizing the Nonseparation Between Nature and Human Nature

We cultivate each child’s direct relationship with the natural world, by attending to and going out into the nature that surrounds us and by bringing abundant plant life into our schools so that children learn to care for their living environment.

2025 Alyssum Grinch Gala