Childtowne Montessori School History

50 Years of Quality Education

In the beginning, five mothers had a dream – to provide their pre-school children with a Montessori education. Since a Montessori school did not exist in the area, they decided to open their own. It took nine months of hard work and research before CMS was born. These five visionaries, Irene Gordon, Barbara Platt, Ilene Stern, Lynda Stock and Jan Felgoise opened CMS in 1969 and it has continued to grow and provide an outstanding and authentic Montessori education ever since.

Dr. Montessori’s classrooms were not much different from what you would find today at CMS. The prepared environment is warm, inviting and promotes independence. Each class consists of mixed age groups ranging from eighteen months to three (the Pre-Primary), and three to six year olds (the Primary classes). Montessori designed her materials to meet the needs of the children she was working with, but more importantly, they appealed to the child’s innate interests. Those same didactic materials are still being used today.

If you observe the children in the classroom, you will see them working not at a desk but on rugs and small tables. Immediately you will realize that this is not a typical preschool or daycare environment as you watch children quietly engaged in a variety of work choices. You may find a three-year-old cutting bananas and serving his/her friend. Since taking care of the environment is an essential part of the philosophy, you will also observe a child watering plants or washing dishes with an apron on, of course! Remarkably, you will see everyone cleaning up after him or herself because of the clear expectations in a Montessori environment.

Over the years, CMS has grown from a school of twenty children, but that small school charm and child centered mission has remained. Located at 1380 Bristol Road in Churchville, it serves parts of Montgomery and Bucks County. The success of our school is attributed to the overwhelming support and devotion from the staff and the CMS families. We are fortunate to have a Head of School and teachers that are all Montessori trained, and dedicated to carrying on the Montessori philosophy and dream that our founders began 50 years ago.