A person resting on a bed, lying on their side with their eyes closed and smiling slightly. They have medium-length, wavy brown hair and are wearing a floral-patterned garment.

"The child is the builder of man, and there is no man existing who was not formed by the child he once was."

Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Our Story

I do not apply Montessori perfectly to my parenting. I parent day by day, hoping I don’t mess up too badly. There is the truth. 

I have been practising and discussing parenting for decades, across countries and continents, and the Montessori Method has been the most transformational and grounded advice I have ever come across.

Yes I have the necessary Montessori qualification and coaching skills but what I really have to offer is my experience. 

I grew up with one style of parenting in South Africa with an Australian mother, witnessed my German step-mother deliver another style of parenting, lived in family homes in England as a nanny and learned even more. Then I turned twenty one and had the first child of my own! Yup I got to experience being a young-by-modern-standards mother, a working mother, a single mother, a stay-at-home mother and a blended-family mother. I am three continents, two marriages and three children into my life so far.

When I began A Montessori Nest in Longmont in 2018, I wanted to create more than just a Montessori playgroup. I wanted to create a community that used the Montessori method to support and educate parents. Because as powerful as a Montessori education is, Montessori Parenting can truly transform more than just the child’s life.

WHY MONTESSORI?

Because it’s the original parenting advice that helps me be a better person, not just a better parent. 

Parenting is fundamentally a relationship. In order to show up in that relationship you need to prepare yourself, before the birth of your child and sometimes before every interaction. Maria Montessori taught classroom guides how to do this in order to work with children and we can successfully use that instruction in our own parenting preparation. The added bonus is that we can then extend what we learn into improving all of our relationships, including the one we have with ourselves.

A gold-colored medal with a white logo of three abstract human figures in a circle, representing unity or teamwork, and the words '4th Pioneers' inscribed around the edge.
A gold-colored medal with a white logo of three abstract human figures in a circle, representing unity or teamwork, and the words '4th Pioneers' inscribed around the edge.
Logo of the American Montessori Society featuring a colorful swirling icon and blue text.

Our community includes

220 Families

…and counting!

Child painting with a paintbrush in a small cup of water, watercolor paints on a tray, and a piece of paper with colorful streaks.

Featured In:

LONGMONT LEADER

Longmont woman helps families build Montessori nest. READ MORE »

SHOUTOUT COLORADO

Meet Tracy Allen, Montessori Parent Educator. READ MORE »