A COMMUNITY THAT EXTENDS
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM.
After teaching for several years in Montessori schools, Carol Lee became known in the community as a passionate and gifted educator. Encouraged by parents, friends, and family to start a new school, she founded Highland Park Montessori in 1987 and the adventure began. With the incredible success of the program, Carol rapidly expanded the Highland Park Montessori Schools to include four locations.
Montessori Connection West was founded in 1993 with childhood friends Norma Morley and Patricia Parker. Norma proudly served as director at the new branch until 2021 when Laurie Ward, a former teacher at Montessori Connection West, took over the role. In 1996, Patricia Parker took on the role of director at Montessori Connection East. The last – but certainly not least! – school, Glencoe Montessori, opened its doors in 2013, with Jennifer Van Cleve (one of Highland Park Montessori’s original teachers) as director.
While each location is unique, all share a dedication to the safety and education of young minds from all over the North Shore–which is why in 2024, we created the name Lake Shore Montessori Schools, encompassing all four of our wonderful schools under one name. We are honored to serve our community.
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE MONTESSORI METHOD.
All children learn at their own pace. At Lake Shore Montessori, we embrace the fundamental teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori, offering a caring, safe, respectful environment where students can explore the world around them. Our multi-age classrooms are rich with Montessori materials to foster creativity, increase self-esteem, and instill a lifelong love of learning.
Our programs are fully accredited by the American Montessori Society. Each of our four schools is staffed with extensively trained and Montessori-certified teachers. Please review our mission statement here.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE.
Lake Shore Montessori Schools admit students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of our education and admissions policies. We are committed to helping parents find ways to afford our educational programs and offer financial aid to eligible students.
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Please review our policy regarding bullying here.
