Montessori preschool gets nod from Hanover Park

Deborah LaPorte has spent the better part of three decades using the Montessori method to teach young children.

Now the educator, who runs the Buffalo Grove Montessori School, intends to open her second school in Hanover Park.

The village board cleared the way Thursday for LaPorte's endeavor, voting 4-0 to approve the preschool and day care center.

"Montessori schools have a long history of providing quality education," said Village President Rodney Craig, whose own granddaughter recently enrolled in the Montessori system. "This is going to be a real plus for Hanover Park."

The proposed school, which could open by early spring, would occupy the site of a former KinderCare at the southeast corner of Greenbrook Boulevard and County Farm Road.

LaPorte still needs to close on the property's purchase and get the school licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Work also needs to be done on the 25-year-old building, which has turned into an eyesore in the year it's been vacant.

The school would accommodate about 80 children ages 3 to 6 and a staff of up to eight employees. An infant and toddler program may be added in a few years.

The setup would be similar to the Buffalo Grove school, which LaPorte opened in 1984.

The Elgin resident said 60 percent of the students there speak English as a second language, with 13 different languages represented.

Bringing over some of those experienced teachers could prove a valuable asset in Hanover Park, where there's a significant Spanish-speaking population.

"Language is all about the 2- to 4-year-old time," says LaPorte, adding that her school helps young children learn English. "It's a sensitive period where they acquire language quickly and easily. It's in their nature."

LaPorte believes there's a market for a Montessori school in Hanover Park, despite a new location in Bartlett and others in Streamwood in Hoffman Estates.

So does Mayor Craig.

"Hanover Park is a young community and there should be many interested families," he says.