In 1995, Trish Curtis and Mary Mitchell founded City Garden Montessori preschool in an old tavern on South Newstead. They had fallen in love with the Montessori approach, and they believed every child deserved to experience Montessori education. They saw possibility, and they planted a seed.
In 2006, a handful of City Garden preschool parents became frustrated and passionate about the stark inequities in our education systems in the St. Louis region—and they deeply felt the absence of a school that would see and value their children holistically, allowing all of our children to flourish.
In 2008, the small but mighty City Garden community opened an elementary charter school in the basement of a church, creating a free neighborhood Montessori school serving K-8 students. Our school has continued to grow and evolve, and, with our high academic outcomes, our excellent teachers and staff, and our deeply engaged families, our school has become a model for anti-biased, antiracist, Montessori education—in St. Louis and across the United States. We were told many times that our vision was too bold, that we wouldn't make it. With our children as our guides, we persisted and have overcome each challenge we’ve met.
City Garden is a community of justice and possibility.
Now, as the persistent and complex challenges of racial inequity are becoming amplified across St. Louis and across the United states, City Garden is prepared to offer our model to more children, families and teachers. We have been building, and learning, and refining—and we will continue to do so every step along the way.
With a new building opening in Fall, 2021, the launch of a teacher training Institute, and plans for a Center for Equity, we are ready to flourish.
Please join us in this momentous opportunity to create transformative change, for our children and for our world. To learn more about our growth and expansion, click here. To learn more about our admissions and enrollment process, please click here. We are wishing you well!
In partnership,
Christie Huck
CEO/Executive Director