Message From the Director
The Ivies is a Montessori preschool for children aged 3 to 6 years old. Our school provides a student-centered educational experience, with certified and experienced teachers. We offer a variety of enrollment choices, including full-day and half-day programs for your child. Our classroom is designed to be a home away from home setting, where children can feel comfortable and free to explore. We believe in a Transparent Classroom, where parents can see the child's progression and where teacher-to-parent communication is always a priority.
Meet Our Educators
The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." --Maria Montessori
Miss Susan
Susan has over twenty years of preschool experience. She received her bachelor’s degree from CSUEB in Human Development with a minor in Early Childhood Development. Susan is an AMS certified teacher and the director at The Ivies. Susan raised three young men with her husband and has three Montessori grandsons and one more grandson who is a new arrival. She is a yoga instructor, loves cooking and spending time with her family.
Susan’s mission at the Ivies is to provide a home away from home environment where your child can find purposeful activities to help them become confident, creative, and resilient individuals. She loves the archeology-like experience of exploring each child’s strengths and abilities and creating an exciting place for them to learn and play. She tailors the classroom experience to each child's individual developmental needs, respecting the personality and the potential of each child to develop at their own pace.
Miss Heidi
Heidi has her bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and her Early Childhood Montessori Credential from St. Mary's college. She has two grown children and was fortunate enough to be their Montessori teacher. Before her Montessori training, she worked in Biomedical Sales and had experience as a nanny. She has been teaching for 27 years and working with children for more than 35 years.
Heidi is the Mary Poppins of Montessori and creates excitement and joy in the classroom. She adheres to the Montessori tenet, "Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed." She has a unique talent to relate to the child and to assist the student with firm clear guidance. Heidi is a self-proclaimed nature geek and is always at the ready with nature facts, and the unusual and tantalizing tidbits that appeal to children. Miss Heidi is also an expert in all things artsy. She spends many hours in her artist studio where she uses her creativity to make materials for our classroom using every possible medium.
Miss Kelli
Kelli is a 2023 graduate of East Bay Montessori Training. Prior to her training she had four years of experience as a volunteer teacher in a Montessori classroom and ran a toddler Montessori program out of her home. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, along with a minor in Nonprofit Management.
Kelli has 3 young sons, and she models her home environment and children's education according to Montessori philosophy. She loves to plan vacations and weekend getaways for her family. She is happiest when out on a run/hike, reading a book, or cooking with her children. Kelli is a consummate observer of the child, implementing her vast book knowledge to, in the words of Maria Montessori, "follow the child" to create an enriched Montessori environment. Kelli is right at home in the children's section's oversized wing back chair at the Boston Public Library [pictured right].
