A “Casa” is a “house” in Italian- Maria Montessori’s native language. Preschool Rooms in Montessori centers are often referred to as a Children’s House or Casa as a nod to its founder. And a house or home is very much what we try to create with our mixed age classrooms. Younger children, specifically those ages 3 to 4, benefit most when learning from one another rather than an instructor. Through observation, age-appropriate materials, and self-paced learning, preschoolers are able to develop skills, learn appropriate behavior, and understand appropriate classroom conduct.
The Montessori method of teaching promotes feedback as reinforcement and motivation for future development. In a mixed age classroom environment, preschoolers model older students to better their skills. By working individually and in partners or teams, preschoolers learn to work together to accomplish tasks.
Children thrive by further establishing their independence and by learning about nutrition, manners, positive learning and social habits, and how to care for both themselves and their environment. This better prepares them for future growth either in our kindergarten program or elsewhere.
For over 20 years, we’ve served the Eden Prairie community with part-time and all day preschool as well as a multicultural environment where children can learn Spanish as a second language. Our Casas each include 1 Montessori instructor and 2 assistant teachers, along with 24 preschool and Kindergarten students.
To schedule a tour of our facility and learn more about our Casas, contact us at 952-944-8466. We look forward to welcoming your preschooler and the rest of your family into our community!
Miranda joined us in July of 2017 to lead our Casa 1 classroom. She received her diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota in 2015 and has been working as a lead teacher ever since. She is working on her BA in Psychology to aid her in her teaching journey. She and her husband Jonathan have been married for 5 years and together they have 2 boys. She enjoys reading, cleaning and organizing!
Fun Fact: Miranda was completely set on becoming a nurse before discovering her passion for Montessori education!
Tanna first joined us in May of 2014. During the 2017-2018 school year she completed the Primary Montessori Diploma at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota and returned to us in June of 2018 to lead the Casa 2 classroom! Tanna has additional education in both biochemistry and psychology. She has two children- a son and daughter- and is married to her husband Mike. She speaks Navajo and is learning Spanish! Her love of animals and insects is apparent in her classroom and home with all her pets, but don’t expect to an ant farm! It’s the one insect she hates!
Fun Fact: Tanna grew up in Arizona without running water or electricity.
Shyami started at Eden Prairie Montessori North in November of 2003. She holds a Montessori Diploma from Havelock Gardens Training Center for the Montessori Method in Sri Lanka, as well as a Preschool Education Diploma and a Bachelor’s of Science degree. With over 30 years of experience working with children, you can trust that your little one is in good and loving hands. She was the well-loved lead Infant teacher at our North location for 10 years and decided it was time to get back into a preschool classroom.
Fun Fact: Shyami loves to travel and has been such areas as the UK, Thailand, Singapore, the Maldives Islands and the United Arab Emirates (among others)!