Our School
Housed on a quiet residential street in the beautiful mountain town of Carbondale, Colorado, Mount Sopris Montessori School serves around 70 preschool children ages 18 months through age 6. Founded in 1981 by Kathryn and Mark Ross, the not-for-profit school is recognized as an exceptional environment for preschool learning. Through the caring efforts of its staff and families, the school has expanded its facilities twice and increased its enrollment.
Misson and GoalsMount Sopris Montessori School is dedicated to cultivating children’s respect for themselves, their community and their natural environment though the insightful application of Montessori principles. The mission is to provide the best early childhood Montessori education to each child.
CommunityMount Sopris Montessori School is a welcoming community of children, parents and teachers who all work together towards a common goal – a commitment to lifelong learning.
DiversityMount Sopris Montessori School aims to maintain ethnic, economic and cultural diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, national origin, religion, gender or ability. Our scholarship program seeks to ensure that qualified students are not excluded from attending our school for financial reasons.
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CurriculumMSMS Classrooms offer traditional Montessori learning materials that are designed to cultivate the child’s natural desire to learn by generating self-direction, concentration, independence and coordination. The toddler classrooms offer an exploratory environment rich in language, math, and practical life skills. The preschool classrooms are organized into the following sections: Practical Life, Sensorial Materials, Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Individual work is supplemented with activities such as group singing, story reading, creative arts, and Spanish.
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The Montessori Method
The Montessori educational method is based on theories of child development originated by Dr. Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th century. Dr. Montessori was a medical doctor, anthropologist and educator who viewed education as the process of discovery. Her research revealed that children effortlessly absorb knowledge from their surroundings, leading her to develop a series of learning materials in a carefully “prepared environment” to nurture the child’s natural curiosity to learn.
Children learn by doing. Dr. Montessori reasoned that a child is enriched where he/she can manipulate materials – that the hand is the teacher of the child. The learning materials are thoughtfully sequenced to allow each child concrete experiences that continually build a foundation of learning throughout the stages of a child’s physical and mental growth.
MSMS employs Montessori principles by providing classrooms, materials and teachers who guide children through hands-on materials designed to foster each child’s independence and initiative.
Children learn by doing. Dr. Montessori reasoned that a child is enriched where he/she can manipulate materials – that the hand is the teacher of the child. The learning materials are thoughtfully sequenced to allow each child concrete experiences that continually build a foundation of learning throughout the stages of a child’s physical and mental growth.
MSMS employs Montessori principles by providing classrooms, materials and teachers who guide children through hands-on materials designed to foster each child’s independence and initiative.
Why Begin an Early Childhood Education?
Maria Montessori believed “The most important period of life is not the age of university studies but the first one: the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself is being formed.” The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori
Continuing the Montessori Method beyond Preschool
Parents who wish to pursue a Montessori based education for their children beyond the MSMS preschool have a unique opportunity in the Ross Montessori public charter school founded in 2005 for K-8 in Carbondale. 1n 1999, what began as an experimental Montessori program at Crystal River Elementary School, developed by MSMS’s founder Mark Ross, and requested by MSMS parents who wanted their children to continue with the Montessori Method, Ross Montessori is now a thriving example of how a community has truly embraced the importance of successfully applying the Montessori philosophy to modern education.
Our ProgramsMSMS operates two toddler classrooms and two preschool classrooms. A complete food program provides snacks and lunch. The school is fully licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services and affiliated with the American Montessori Society and the Colorado Montessori Association.
Our faculty and staff work hard to provide an individualized learning atmosphere where each child is respected in the exciting task of discovering what Maria Montessori deemed the “construction of self." Each classroom has two teachers; one or both are certified with the American Montessori Society or the American Montessori International. Mount Sopris Montessori has served as a Montessori teacher internship-training site. Dedicated assistants and administrative staff support MSMS teachers to create a cohesive and efficient school environment. 
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Preschool Program 2.5 to 6 Years - The preschool program offers a non-competitive environment which nurtures self-directed activity and fosters independence. There is also the opportunity to learn from peers, as children are allowed to work collectively in small groups.
Toddler Program18 months to 3 Years -The toddler program is designed to lovingly address the toddler’s need for safe, independent exploration. The environment offers each child the opportunity to explore at his or her own pace.
Summer School ProgramOur summer school program runs for 8 weeks starting in June. The school is closed for 4 weeks in late July and early August.
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