The young learners at St. Christopher’s Montessori School aren’t the only ones growing. Their school is as well, and its larger footprint means more happy moments and room to explore for even the littlest charges.
The school recently transformed The Abbey, a small, blue house that was used for classes and special events, into a Nido, or Infant, House. The newly redesigned building has three classrooms for its 16 pre-walkers.
The space feels like a home, and it is one. The Abbey was originally built in the 1950s so that the rector of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church could live on the church’s property at the southwest corner of Lovers Lane and U.S. Highway 75.
St. Christopher’s head of school and rector, the Rev. Chris Steele, called the Infant House a natural extension of the church’s longtime commitment to families with preschool aged children.
“St. Christopher’s has been an anchor for our neighborhood for almost 75 years as a place where everyone matters and everyone belongs,” he said. “That is especially true for our youngest families, who want to grow knowing they are loved.”
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The school shut down completely while most of the renovations occurred in July, said Sarah Kelley, the school’s director of student affairs. Since its reopening in August, staff and youngsters have appreciated the addition.
“I love the new space,” said teacher Chinquilla Pettit as she played with a group of babies happily climbing, crawling, and even toddling on the Infant House’s newly-installed turf.
Pettit explained that she now has more one-on-one time with her students, who follow a completely different schedule from their older peers in the main building.
“I’m really close with the parents,” she said. “I’m glad that they trust me with their babies.”
Elizabeth Smith, the mother of 1-year-old Amelia, said that her daughter is flourishing thanks to St. Christopher’s additional space and intentional setup, as well as the caring staff who work in partnership with parents.
“She’s figured out how to pull herself up and climb, and she’s walking already,” Smith said of her daughter. “She benefits from having a larger space to play. It feels more like an extension of home.”
St. Christopher’s hasn’t increased the number of infants in its program. But the Nido House has freed up space for more older students in the school’s main building, which also received upgrades during the renovations.
As today’s crawlers and scooters begin to walk, they’ll move into the newly-expanded toddler group and open spots for additional students. The goal, Kelley said, is to create more opportunities for families to participate in St. Christopher’s programming, and for them to feel pride in their school.
“My waitlist for babies is so long right now,” she said, explaining that 15 families are in line for 16 infant spots. “There are just so many people looking for childcare.”
In the immediate future, the school plans to remain relatively small. It wants to ensure that it can continue to deliver a high quality, Montessori education, which creates an intentional, organized, and calm environment.
St. Christopher’s classrooms feature sensorial and practical items, including child-sized versions of what mom and dad use at home. After they’re shown how to use materials, the children are free to get down to serious business.
“They’re just so busy, it’s mind blowing,” Kelley said of students. “The kids are really happy and content, because they’re doing important things.”
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