The Children's Tree Montessori School

The Children's Tree Montessori School was founded in 1995 to provide children and their parents an alternative to public school education. We offer a nurturing, child-centered environment where children can develop independence, respect--both for themselves, others and the world we live in, and a lifelong love of learning.

The Children's Tree is the only Montessori school on the Connecticut Shoreline with both primary (preschool ages 3-6) and elementary (ages 6-12) programs. Students come from all over - Old Saybrook, Clinton, Westbrook, Chester, Old Lyme, East Lyme, Essex and Middletown, to name a few. We are proud to offer every student an individualized workplan, which is based on their interests and needs.

Students at the Children's Tree benefit from small classes, which are guided by teachers and aides who are Montessori certified. Our school is more than just a building and teachers though--it is a community made up of all the different families who believe in a better form of educating our children.


3-6 years old, pre-school, and kindergarten
Our Primary classroom is a carefully prepared environment where children ages 3 to 6 work together or independently with multi-sensory materials that invite them to touch, to think, and to experience.
Although the children talk and move around the room freely, their absorption in their activities and their respect for each contribute to the calm atmosphere. Children work with a concentration seldom seen at this age.
The goals of the primary level are to foster independence and to support the child in moving toward self-control and mastery of the surrounding environment. The Primary classrooms are prepared Montessori environments designed to encourage the child in a self-directed discovery of the world. The curriculum, environment and schedule intertwine to allow the child to develop a deep love for learning and to attain trust in his own ability to learn.

lower ages 6-9, upper ages 9-12
Our Elementary program offers individual study plans tailored to each student’s interests, ability and needs. Materials are presented in a variety of hands-on, interactive methods designed to feed a child’s innate curiosity about their world.
In this environment, children are not limited in how far they go in pursuing knowledge, and are encouraged and supported in their quest.
The Elementary program offers a continuum built on the Primary experience. In the Montessori elementary, the child’s own questions provide the basis for exploration of the world. Because those questions are heeded and nurtured, the child truly connects with knowledge. Subject matter is made relevant to the child’s personal learning journey, providing an inner motivation. A Montessori education does not give a child a collection of isolated facts, but rather shares a vision of interrelated knowledge and a love of learning.


The Children's Tree Montessori School is a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization.