Mommy & Me Montessori

Have fun with your infant or toddler, in a relaxing space designed for the youngest children.
Benefit from the expert guidance of an experienced Montessori infant, toddler or preschool teacher.
Meet other parents of infants or toddlers, and enjoy lively discussions.
Decide whether a Montessori infant, toddler or preschool program is right for your family.

"I am a huge advocate of Montessori Parent-Toddler Programs. I loved the first program I attended with Caspar many years ago. There is only so much Montessori you can learn online and in books. Getting a first hand experience is invaluable. If you have a toddler and are even just slightly the littlest bit interested in Montessori I encourage you to check out a program near you." Click here to read more. Kylie, Montessori blogger

Mommy & Me for Infants (2 – 17 months)

Develop your parenting tool kit:
So much happens in the first 18 months of your child’s life . . . most of it exciting, but sometimes also very challenging. Learning how to apply Montessori principles at home can help you make the most of this precious time. Weekly topics such as nutrition, home environment, movement, order, independence and language acquisition will offer you moments of clarity in parenting your little one. Take home practical tips and ideas for living Montessori in your home to make parenting your infant even more rewarding.
Explore Montessori infancy:
Mommy and Me is “Montessori in a nutshell.” You and your child will get to experience an authentic Montessori environment, observe and learn from an experienced Montessori teacher. You will be with your child as she explores Montessori materials, joins circle time and participates in infant massage. Parents learn a great deal about child development to be used at home while making new friends in a “mom’s group” atmosphere.

Mommy & Me for Toddlers (18 – 36 months)

Develop your parenting tool kit:
The time from 18 months to 36 months is exciting, as children change from helpless infants to independent little people with their very own personality! Learning how to apply Montessori principles at home can help you make the most of this precious time. Weekly topics such as fostering independence, discipline, language acquisition and preparing the home environment for your young explorer, will give you new insights into how you can optimally support your child’s development. Each week, take home practical tips you can use right away!
Explore Montessori for toddlers:
Mommy and Me is “Montessori in a nutshell.” You and your child will get to experience an authentic Montessori Toddler environment, observe and learn from an experienced Montessori teacher. You will be with your child as she works with Montessori materials, joins circle time, learns to serve herself snack and plays with other toddlers on the playground. You’ll be able to make friends, find like-minded parents and toddlers for play dates, and learn much about child development.

Mommy & Me General Program Information

Mommy and Me Montessori groups meet for 8 weeks, 1.5 hours per week
Mommy and Me sessions start four times each year: January, April, June and September
Each child that attends Mommy & Me must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver (e.g. nanny, grandparent, etc). Please note that classroom space permits one adult per child. No older/younger siblings, please.
Mommy and Me sessions are led by an experienced, trained Montessori teacher

Now Enrolling for Spring Mommy & Me Sessions

Mommy and Me sessions are offered at all six LePort campuses; see the side bar for schedule details.
Registration is first-come, first-served. Register early – past Mommy and Me sessions have filled up weeks before sessions start.
Details for future Mommy and Me sessions will be posted approximately 6 weeks prior to each session’s start.

Enroll Now for Infants

Enroll Now for Toddlers

Enrollment Opens in Early June for Summer Mommy & Me Sessions

Mommy & Me sessions will be offered at all six LePort campuses.
Summer dates are July 8th – August 24th (this will be a 7-week session)
Fall dates are September 23rd – November 16th

Click here to receive information when registration opens for the next Mommy & Me session.

Mommy and Me was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the Montessori approach. With this program, I got to see how Montessori preschool works in practice, what actually happens in class every day. I knew that once my daughter attended preschool, I wouldn’t be able to be there with her and see what she does every day. It was great to be able to experience the Montessori program together, so I can relate to her world once she starts preschool at LePort this fall.
Gina G., Mommy & Me parent

Infant Session Dates

Irvine - Spectrum
Sat | July 13 - Aug 24 | 8:30 am
For infants 2-10 months
Sat | July 13 - Aug 24 | 10:15 am
For infants 11-17 months

Staff
The Saturday Infant Mommy & Me sessions will be led by Kirsten Carlin, the Infant Program Coordinator and Lead Infant Teacher at the Spectrum campus. Ms. Carlin received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1988 and her Infant/Toddler American Montessori Society Teaching Credential from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies & University of Colorado in 1997. In 2010, she earned her Child Development Site Supervisor Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Ms. Carlin has extensive experience with both the Montessori Method and with infants as an age group. Prior to joining LePort Schools, she was charged with the responsibility of creating from scratch and running a state-of-the-art Montessori infant learning environment in Arizona. Ms. Carlin has also run her own in-home Montessori infant program. Ms. Carlin is a strong proponent of the Montessori Method, and her own two daughters have always attended Montessori schools. Ms. Carlin is passionate about sharing her love of Maria Montessori’s vision for infancy. She has made it her life’s work to foster healthy child development and to prepare young children, from the very beginning, for lifelong learning, and is looking forward to meeting many OC parents and infants in the course of the Mommy & Me infant program.
Staff Enroll Now
Toddler Session Dates

Huntington - Harbor
Thu | July 11 - Aug 22 | 3:15 pm

Staff
The Thursday Mommy & Me session will be led by Michelle Caruth, a Montessori Head Primary Teacher. Ms. Caruth has 15 years teaching experience as a Montessori teacher. She received her B.S. in early childhood education in 1993, earned her AMI Montessori certificate from the Washington Montessori Institute in 1995, and subsequently completed her Masters of Education at Loyola College in Baltimore. Ms. Caruth recently relocated to Southern California with her husband and two children, ages 7 and 9, who attend the Montessori program at LePort Schools.
Staff Enroll Now

Irvine - Lake
Thu | July 11 - Aug 22 | 3:45 pm
Sat | July 13 - Aug 24 | 9:00 am
Sat | July 13 - Aug 24 | 10:45 am

Staff
The Thursday and Saturday Mommy & Me sessions will be led by Mrs. Andrea Dias, a Montessori Head Primary Teacher. Mrs. Dias received her AMI Diploma in 1987. She also has an Associate Diploma in Drama from the prestigious Trinity College of London. Andrea joined LePort with over 20 years of experience - first in Sri Lanka, where she grew up, and later at a Montessori school in Florida, where she ran a toddler class for 4 years and a primary class for 5 years. She is passionate about every aspect of teaching, and takes a particular interest in organizing and implementing children’s art exhibitions. In her personal life, Andrea is the mother of an 18 year old son and 12 year old daughter, both of whom were educated in a Montessori environment. Andrea herself also attended Montessori school as a child! She is excited to share her deep experience, both as teacher and as a parent of two children, in the Mommy & Me environment.
Staff Enroll Now

Irvine - Orchard Hills
Tue | July 9 - Aug 20th | 3:30 pm

Staff
The Tuesday Montessori Parent & Child session will be led by Ms. Lesley Williams, a Head Montessori Primary Teacher at the Orchard Hills campus. Ms. Williams is an accomplished clarinet player and began her work with children as a music teacher. During a school outreach performance, she observed a Montessori school—and fell in love. She holds an AMI diploma from the highly-regarded Washington Montessori Institute in Maryland, as well as her master’s in education from Loyola University in Baltimore. She’s excited to share her passion for Montessori during the parent & child program, and also looks forward to integrating music and art experiences for the toddlers who participate in her class.
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Irvine - San Marino
Wed | July 10 - Aug 21 | 3:30 pm

Staff
The Wednesday Mommy & Me Sessions will be led by Mrs. Elizabeth Darst, a Head Primary Teacher. Mrs. Darst graduated in 1993 from Oregon State University with a B.S. in History, and she received her AMI Diploma from the Montessori Institute Northwest in 1995. She then taught at a Montessori school in Portland, OR for the next twelve years. Mrs. Darst is the mother of two children who have attended Montessori since preschool. Ever since her children have been little, she has applied Montessori principles at home, enabling her children to be real contributors in the family and to become very self-reliant and independent at an early age. Mrs. Darst is very excited to be able to share her Montessori teaching and parenting insights with families in the Mommy & Me program.

The Saturday Mommy & Me sessions will be led by Mrs. Andrea Dias, a Montessori Head Primary Teacher. Mrs. Dias received her AMI Diploma in 1987. She also has an Associate Diploma in Drama from the prestigious Trinity College of London. Andrea joined LePort with over 20 years of experience - first in Sri Lanka, where she grew up, and later at a Montessori school in Florida, where she ran a toddler class for 4 years and a primary class for 5 years. She is passionate about every aspect of teaching, and takes a particular interest in organizing and implementing children’s art exhibitions. In her personal life, Andrea is the mother of an 18 year old son and 12 year old daughter, both of whom were educated in a Montessori environment. Andrea herself also attended Montessori school as a child! She is excited to share her deep experience, both as teacher and as a parent of two children, in the Mommy & Me environment.
Staff Enroll Now

Irvine - Spectrum
Tue | July 9 - Aug 20th | 3:30 pm

Staff
The Thursday parent/child Montessori session at the Irvine Spectrum campus will be led by Carmen Calvo, a Montessori toddler Head Teacher at the Irvine Spectrum campus. Ms. Calvo was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, the third of nine sisters. She was the first in her family to go to college, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Later, she went on to earn her AMS Montessori training for children aged 3 to 6, as well as her AMI Lower and Upper Elementary training for children aged 6 to 12. Ms. Calvo’s own children, Octavio and Esmeralda, were born in 1989 and 1997. It was through researching educational options for them that she first discovered the Montessori Method, and fell in love with it. She has been a Montessori teacher ever since. For twenty years she has been teaching in Montessori classrooms for all ages in Mexico, Chicago, and California. She loves to bring her rich experience to bear in mentoring and training new Montessori teachers, and is excited to now pass on Montessori ideas and practices to parents participating in the Montessori parent/child program.
Staff Enroll Now
Mommy & Me Pictures

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Mommy & Me Locations

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Mommy & Me Montessori

Mommy & Me for Infants (2 – 17 months)

Mommy & Me for Toddlers (18 – 36 months)

Mommy & Me General Program Information

Now Enrolling for Spring Mommy & Me Sessions

Enrollment Opens in Early June for Summer Mommy & Me Sessions

Infant Session Dates

Toddler Session Dates

Mommy & Me Pictures

Mommy & Me Locations

Are you beginning a new Mommy & Me session?