Our School
We are now just minutes from Highway 16 off Wollochet Drive in Gig Harbor.
Our garden is a favorite gathering place for the children. The children are the stewards of the garden. The soil is added to the beds. The seeds are started inside then transplanted in the beds, we nurture them and watch them grow. Then we harvest! Such a delicious time. Some of the children’s favorites are strawberries, squash, cherry tomatoes (the gold ones), pumpkins, carrots, and of course sunflowers. Have you ever had caterpillar soup? We love to cook! Here’s a clue for you. All the veggies come from the garden. The pasta noodles look like caterpillars.
Research has shown that children who play and work regularly in natural environments have more advanced motor skills such as agility, balance and coordination and are sick less often. Children that are exposed to the natural world develop stronger awareness, reasoning and observation skills.
We will spend part of everyday outside rain or shine. Bring your rain boots and join us.
Our Classroom
We are a Montessori School. We are unique from traditional preschool and daycare settings. A Montessori classroom is mixed aged. Our classroom is a prepared environment organized for the needs of your preschool aged child. Montessori materials are organized on child sized shelves and tables. Children are encouraged to move about freely choosing “their works.” They may work alone, with a teacher or with friends. The younger children strive to emulate the older children. The older children are given the opportunity to help younger children with skills they have mastered. Confidence and patience grow. Our prepared environment encourages self-directed learning, independence, collaboration with others and respect for all living things.
Why Arletta Montessori
All lead teachers hold a minimum of a BA degree and are Montessori certified and credentialed. All classroom assistants have completed Montessori assistant training. Staff members have current CPR/First Aid training and have passed background checks in the state of WA.
At Arletta Montessori the entire staff is committed to providing a safe, peaceful and happy learning environment where your child will thrive and develop a love of learning.
Our new secure outdoor classroom allows children to explore and learn in our year round gardens, weather stations and wildlife study units during our regularly scheduled class times.
What Our Families Are Saying
“After meeting Cheryl the passion was obvious she has for education.”
“Simply a wonderful place for your child to learn and grow. Staff are wonderful.”
Our Teachers
All lead teachers hold current Montessori certifications. All lead teachers have experience in the field of early childhood education.
All assistants have completed a Montessori classroom assistant program prior to hire and have years of experience working with young children.
All teachers are certified in CPR/First Aid in ensure your child’s safety.
Cheryl LaPlant
Teacher Cheryl is the Founder and Owner of Arletta Montessori. Cheryl is Montessori credentialed, certified for children from birth through middle school and holds a BA in Education. Teacher Cheryl spent 6 years teaching abroad at the Dhahran Academy, KSA. The largest International Academy in the world at the time.
As a master gardener, Cheryl has been nationally recognized for her environmental science and gardening programs designed for young children. In her free time she enjoys time with her family, reading, cooking and volunteers with several animal rescue groups in our area.
Judy Timmerman
Teacher Judy is a graduate of Bates College and has completed her Montessori classroom assistant training. Judy enjoys crafts and cooking too.
Amy Loughren
Teacher Amy holds a BA in Speech Communication. Amy taught in the Peninsula School District for seven years. Amy is the mother of five amazing children. two dogs and six chickens. In her spare time, Amy enjoys gardening, reading, and knitting.
Testimonials
If you are looking for a place for your child to grow, be nurtured and learn, look no further. Arletta Montessori has the kindest staff, provides a safe environment, and they truly love what they do.
My daughter attended Arletta Montessori for two years. She loved each of the three teachers, and they very clearly loved her back. Great work being done at this little school.
“After meeting Cheryl the passion was obvious she has for education.”
“Simply a wonderful place for your child to learn and grow. Staff are wonderful.”
“Excellent school! Our family could not be happier with this program. Both of our boys have thrived since they began here, 3 years ago!”
“This is an excellent school and a wonderful program. The staff works very hard to meet the individual needs of every child and prepare them for the next step in their education.”
“This is by far the best school in the area. The owner and teachers here are all caring and well trained individuals who are very dedicated to making this the very best experience for your children. I highly recommend this school.”
“I cannot say enough good things about Arletta Montessori. My son was here for pre K and Kindergarten. My daughter has been there 2 full years of pre K and now she is in Kindergarten. My son was pretty shy before the program, but with their help, he is turning into a leader. The same goes for my daughter. The education provided helped my son excel when he transferred to public first grade. It was clear the staff knows what it takes to transition to a more traditional learning environment. More importantly, they cared greatly that he excelled in his education and tailored their approach to his learning for him.
Socially, Montessori it’s a wonderful way to get kids to play and learn from each other. Both of my children love(d) their time here. Teacher Cheryl and the rest of the staff truly care for the kids and always put their emotional needs above all else.
My wife and I have love our continuing experience with Arletta Montessori.”
“Arletta Montessori has been a wonderful choice for our family! Our daughter is loving it & having a great time learning in this style. teacher Cheryl, Teacher Judy, Teacher Kristina, & Teacher Umi have all been so amazing & our daughter has begun to not like the weekend because she wants to be in school. We enjoy watching The Magic School Bus with our kids & one of the first days of summer enrichment, our daughter came home & said that Teacher Cheryl ‘is a little like Ms. Frizzle’. That is an extremely high compliment in our house!!
My husband & I were struggling with the decision of just where to enroll our daughter for kindergarten. Her birthday falls on Sept 1st, literally JUST missing the cutoff day. Due to this she had to be tested for early enrollment, which didn’t occur until late July, which is well after ALL of the official acceptance dates for the private/charter/montessori kindergartens in town. We were 100% sure that she would pass the testing, but we were not sure that the school would have space to accept the early students due to the current overcrowding. Sending your first born off to school was not a stressful prospect for us emotionally, but ensuring that she was in the correct environment for HER was so important for us to get right. When I called/emailed all of the other kindergarten options in town to figure out a plan, Teacher Cheryl was, by far,the most attentive, answering all of my questions & even offering insight into the public school system as she used to work for them.
After all was tested & done, we were accepted into the public school system, but chose to stay with Arletta Montessori. We know we made the right choice for our daughter & she is right where she needs to be!”
“New review for the 2019-20 school year. This year we started a new chapter by sending our 3 year old son to school. We started with 3 days a week and I fretted that may be too much for him as he was JUST potty trained and had only been with me or a nanny prior. But the love and comfort he felt for this school and the teachers was absolutely overwhelming. Loving it so much he cried on non school days to the point of me asking if it would be practical to increase his days. Cheryl not only said, of course! Let’s try it. But she also insisted we try a few days at no charge and see how he does. (So far- great!). She also reminded me that in Oct they start the lunch bunch after school for 45 min and he can attend that as well and since they are Montessori they will just work with us on the correct combination. What I see from not just Cheryl but all the teachers is this constant attention to the child and what their needs are, which is probably why my son loves it so much. He feels safe and loved. I feel so comforted knowing what great, capable hands he is in.
Also, since my daughter now attends Kinder 4 days a week Cheryl was happy to have her back in her program on Fridays as a supplement to the school she is attending. It has been a great way to transition from Pre- K to K for my daughter. Cheryl has even agreed to help my daughter with anything that her Kinder teacher sees her struggle with or may need some extra assistance with. Nice to know you have back up help!
This is my old review…(I still feel the same way!)
This school has been an amazing experience for my daughter. She came at 2.5 and was not yet talking. Within a couple of months she was talking non-stop. The teachers have been nothing but kind and patient with her as she learned all the class rules and while she learned and continues to learn various works. When I was concerned about my daughter’s ability to learn numbers and letters, the head teachers responded immediately (during a school break!) and worked with me to have similar works at home so the learning continuum is the same. My child has thrived at Arletta Montessori with friendships, personal behavior, and learning.”
“Highly recommended! This is more than a school. They treat you like family! Our two sons, age 4 & 5, have been under their academic care since they were 2 years old. We have always felt love and attention from Ms Cheryl and staff as well as a consistent behavioral and intellectual increase from both of our boys, each day, in every category! In fact our oldest, who still attends this wonderful school as a supplement to his Elementary School, has impressed his new teachers with the knowledge that he came equipt with. I am a Proud Momma and a thankful one, to all of the staff at Arletta Montessori for helping to foster a love for independent learning in two very different boys!!!”