Three New Guidepost Montessori Campuses, New Elementary, Coming to Chicago
Guidepost Montessori, a global network of Montessori schools with four established early childhood campuses in the Chicago region, will be serving three more communities with new campuses set to open by September in Lincoln Park, Schaumburg, and another in the Roger's Park neighborhood. In addition, Guidepost Montessori at Magnificent Mile is finishing up its second-floor addition in the Optima Signature Building that will provide a new infant room and Montessori Elementary program.
Ahead of these Fall openings, Guidepost's Chicago network - which includes its established campuses at West Loop, Wicker Park and Naperville - have collectively been operating on a limited basis since the Spring as part of Guidepost Montessori's Emergency Care for Essential Workers program - when more than 40 Guidepost schools across the country rapidly mobilized to provide significantly discounted, safe childcare for essential workers. Guidepost Montessori provided Emergency Care for about 500 essential-working families through this crucial initiative.
"As a community of educators and parents, we know firsthand that securing trusted, safe, exceptional childcare is in and of itself essential, and it was an honor to be among the first of providers to rapidly mobilize and offer this vital Emergency Care service," said Elizabeth Salata, Regional Director of Guidepost Montessori in Chicago. "This initiative also gave us experience adapting to the latest health and safety guidelines by the CDC and local health departments, of which we have gone above and beyond - and now have an established roadmap for a smooth transition to Fall 2020 openings."
Guidepost schools will continue utilizing the latest health and safety recommendations as they switch out of Emergency Care and into open enrollment. Some of these policy changes that parents can expect to see include reduced movement on-site between the staff and classroom communities, smaller classroom sizes, and daily health checks of both staff and children. The learning environment for children remains otherwise normalized, with classrooms beautifully prepared according to the century-old Montessori method - a structured, child-led approach with valuable mixed-age classrooms that promote social skills and independence.
Guidepost's three new campuses will open with early childhood programming to serve infants and children up to age 6. Magnificent Mile's new Elementary program is open not only for existing families graduating up but to all children in the community entering first grade, regardless of prior Montessori experience. While Guidepost's elementary program is new to Chicago, it's an established curriculum within the global Guidepost Montessori network.
"We are so excited to be creating a Montessori elementary program for our families. We have seen Chicago's clear desire for high-quality Montessori education, and that doesn't abruptly end at kindergarten but truly grows with the child," said Sarah Silverman, Head of School of Magnificent Mile. "Expanding into elementary allows us to take that next step with families, when children enter a powerful shift in how they learn from the 'absorbent mind' to the 'conscious mind'."
Aside from on-campus openings, Guidepost Montessori is also heading into Fall 2020 with new off-campus programs that better bridge the learning experience from classroom to home.
New programs include a virtual parent-to-educator service, called Family Framework, where parents can access a range of tools from DIY resources to 1:1 private parent consultations on leveraging the early childhood Montessori system at home. Enrollment in Guidepost Montessori Virtual School is also available for children aged 5-12, designed by the network's Montessori program experts. The network is also expanding its one-year-old Guidepost at Home program, where families of children under the age of 6 can match up with an in-home Montessori nanny or educator.
For more information about enrollment and program offerings - and to RSVP to a July 18 Virtual Info. Session - check out the directory below to get started by campus:
NEW - Guidepost Montessori at Lincoln Park (ages 0-6)
2301 N Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 598-5749
www.guidepostmontessori.com/lincoln-park
NEW - Guidepost Montessori at Schaumburg (ages 0-6)
22 Kristin Drive Schaumburg, IL 60195
(224) 801-4456
www.guidepostmontessori.com/schaumburg
NEW - Guidepost Montessori at Edgewater (ages 0-6)
6001 N Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 541-8304
www.guidepostmontessori.com/edgewater
Guidepost Montessori at Magnificent Mile - (ages 0-6 + NEW Elementary)
226 E. Illinois St. Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 796-9400
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Guidepost Montessori at West Loop (ages 0-6)
1000 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 883-4090
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Guidepost Montessori at Wicker Park (ages 0-6)
1530 N Damen Ave Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 663-4732
www.guidepostmontessori.com/wicker-park
Guidepost Montessori at Naperville (ages 0-6)
5051 Ace Lane Naperville, IL 60564 (630) 884-8866