For too long, high fidelity Montessori programs have been expensive and therefore out-of-reach for many children.
Over half of the 15,000 children in our Chicago neighborhood live below the poverty line. Humboldt Park Montessori provides a place that feels like home to every child and caregiver that walks through our doors. We work diligently to serve our school families and, in so doing, make the world a better place.
Humboldt Park Montessori opened its first classroom in 2015 with eight children. In our 2025-2026 school year we will serve 60 children in 3 classrooms. Our school follows four guiding principles.
We honor each child’s learning journey.
We trust that children have an inner drive to learn about the world they live in. The adults around each child act as scientists, observing the child and then providing individualized lessons that match the child’s skill level and interests. We recognize that each child develops in their own pace and in their own unique way.
We commit ourselves to the ongoing work of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
As a community, we choose to centralize these values as we choose content for lessons in the classroom, art and design around our building, and parent educational groups and materials. We intentionally work to root out injustice and inequity, both systemically and individually, and we constantly examine the methods our school uses to serve children and families. Additionally, we work hard to keep HPM affordable and accessible.
We empower children with abundant knowledge through literacy.
Children in our classrooms are introduced to a vast vocabulary from the very beginning. Reading skills are taught using hands-on materials and an emphasis on phonics. As children progress into elementary, they learn how to research in order to uncover the answers to their questions. Reading and comprehension skills are always tied to the child’s individual interest so they stay engaged and empowered.
We trust nature as a great teacher.
We believe that children thrive from their time outdoors in nature. Our nature playground is a space for children to explore the world through their senses. They dig in sand and dirt, build large and small constructions, climb trees, gather seeds, listen to the wind, and so much more. All of these experiences embed themselves on a child’s soul, nurturing every part of a child to grow up healthy and secure.