A primary school with decades of history in Miami Lakes is celebrating a year under new ownership and in a renovated space.
Vanessa Martinez, 33, of Palm Springs North, is director of Montessori Children’s House. She purchased it in 2023 from prior owners Paul and Charlene Thibodeau and opened on June 10, 2024.
The school teaches children who are 12 months old through third grade.
The staff of eight accredited educators will care for or teach 70 students in the 2025 – 26 school year.
It also provides occupational therapy for speech impaired kids.
The school, at 6381 Miami Lakeway North, has a modern look and is painted inside in soft beiges and greens. Green plants and clouds hang from the ceiling and fresh flowers greet visitors. The school is gated with locked entrances and security cameras in the classrooms.
Martinez is continuing the Montessori method of teaching, which promotes independent learning by children and introduces a variety of practical skills for them to master, too.
Students are taught to clean up after themselves and to use their senses to learn.
Like its predecessor, the school also has a Baptist religious curriculum.
“With Montessori, we meet where the child is at [and accommodate different paces of learning],” Martinez said.
A wait list for preschoolers prompted her to eventually have more classroom spaces, she said.
“We even include a STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] program,” Martinez said.
The school is registered with the Florida Department of Children and Families and found to be in compliance after inspections in April and May.
Martinez said her career in education began when she was 18 and worked at a daycare.
“I just loved what I was doing, that owner also was giving me that confidence,” Martinez said.
She said she was raised in Miami Lakes, graduated from Dade Christian School and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St. Thomas University.
“I’m married and I have one daughter, who attends the school,” Martinez said.
Miami Lakes Montessori Children’s House will hold a summer camp from June 9 through Aug. 1. For information call 305-823-5632 or visit MiamiLakesChristianMontessori.com.