Our School
Our Mission is to inspires students to engage academically and socially every day, developing independence, a love of work, and a respect for all.
Joliet Montessori School, located in Crest Hill, IL, is a not-for-profit school that has been serving children since 1966. Recognized by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) along with the Illinois State Board of Education and accredited by the American Montessori Society (AMS), Joliet Montessori School offers a classic Montessori education. We welcome children ages 3 – 12 of all ethnic, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Our History
Montessori education has proven itself a worthy method for more than a century, but it only came to the Joliet area in the mid-1960s, when Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Baca of Joliet organized with several other area families to bring this innovative philosophy to life.
Working together, they funded and established Joliet Montessori School in January of 1966, and in September of that year, 63 children filled two classrooms rented at the Guardian Angel Orphanage at the intersection of Plainfield Road and Theodore Street in Joliet.
Two years later, the new building was completed at Root Street and Weber Road, just a few blocks from the original site. Since 1968, the school called this location home, adding classrooms, grade levels and facilities to become the premiere Montessori school in Will County.
Our Mission & Values
Joliet Montessori School inspires students to engage academically and socially every day, developing independence, a love of work, and a respect for all.
We are committed to providing Will County families access to the benefits of the Montessori method of education. We stress the importance of independence, initiative, responsibility, compassion, and respect.
We believe that learning is most effective and enjoyable when the student is given an active role in his or her own student career, and that making education fun instills a lifelong love of learning that will help children succeed at every stage of adolescence and adulthood.
As a non-profit, non-parochial, state-registered private school, Joliet Montessori School is dedicated to sharing this love of learning with children without regard to ethnic, cultural, religious or economic background. Teaching our children how to transform curiosity into learning is a global concern, and we educate with a global perspective across every grade level.
Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention
Pursuant to Public Act 102-0676, 105 ILCS 5/2-3.188
Whether you are a student, parent or guardian, or an educator, this resource guide was developed to help you know where to find help in the event sexual abuse is suspected, reported, and/or being investigated. Being the support person to a victim of sexual abuse can create secondary trauma, and it’s important to seek appropriate help and support not only for the primary victim but for yourself as well. Conversely, if you are the victim of abuse and feel unsupported by the adults in your life, help and hope are available.
Portrait of a Graduate
Joliet Montessori School Graduates…
- Strive to meet their academic potential.
- Take responsibility for their education.
- Contribute consciously to their community.
- Treat others with grace and courtesy.
- Commit to lifelong learning.
"No educational environment could ever come close to providing my daughter the confidence to learn in the same way JMS has! We came to JMS for the traditional approach to Montessori after reviewing many local preschools, but we stay for the sense of community, nurturing environment that has given our daughter so much confidence to learn, and absolutely amazing staff.
I couldn’t imagine a better experience for our daughter as she starts in her educational journey than what we have experienced at JMS. Watching her grow and become a articulate and confident little learner has been so special."