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Our Teachers
Grace is the founder of Tilden Little House. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and has lived in New York City as a designer and event producer before she became a mother of three.
“Like all moms, I want to offer the best life for my children — by giving them tools that would enable them to enjoy learning, dealing with their emotions, and building confidence. I want to be able to know that they have these skills to tackle life as they grow up. Through trial and error, I eventually discovered Montessori for my children to make sense of this world. As I watched my first child flourish under Montessori education, I became a firm believer. To me, Montessori is not only a learning tool but a way of life, respect, and order in life. It’s my dream to provide what helped my children to other young children in my community. I value the wonders and joys of early childhood and want to prepare the perfect environment for the children. I believe we will build something beautiful not just in the classroom, but also long-lasting relationships and a tight knit community through this journey together.”
Kim has more than thirty years experience teaching in Montessori schools in the Bay Area.
“My interest in Montessori began in the 1980s when I was searching for a school for my son. After visiting several early childhood programs I enrolled my son in a Montessori program in Berkeley where I became a regular volunteer. I immediately felt a strong sense of community within the classroom and the school. Soon after, I decided to enroll in a training program in the Bay Area. I completed the Montessori training in 1984 and obtained a B.A. in Human Development with a focus on Early Childhood Education. Montessori has enabled me to see the pure joy that is expressed by young children as they begin to grasp the concepts and ideas that propel them forward. When Grace approached me with her vision of creating Tilden Little House, I could feel her enthusiasm, and I saw an opportunity to become part of a new and exciting collaboration. I am honored and thrilled to be a part of the Tilden Little House team”.
Gloria was born and raised in Mexico and has taught in various Montessori schools in the last twenty years. She currently lives in Berkeley with her husband, two children and a cat named Monkey.
“I am very excited to be joining the Tilden Little House community! I have always loved to be around children, but did not find my calling right away. In college, I trained to be a CPA but soon after graduating realized that this would not be a satisfying career. Having always had a love of children and interest in more humanistic pursuits, I was soon introduced to the Montessori Philosophy and subsequently went through the training. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn from both Dr. Silvia Duvoboy and Dr. Silvana Montanaro in San Diego. During my training with these amazing educators, I fell in love with Montessori’s ability to nourish the children’s needs. I have taken the AMI certification for both the infant and primary children, but after many years in the classroom I have found that my favorite children to work with are the younger ones. Since then I have been working with younger children. I am very excited to meet the children and work with them.”
Testimonials
Let’s start by saying our girl often misses TLH on weekends and sometimes calling us by the name of her teachers, and that pretty much tells it all. She loves TLH! To describe this place in one word, it would be: Harmony. There is a beautiful balance between freedom and structure, learning & playing; It’s a happy house with a sense of calmness and joy. One of the superpowers of TLH is the genuine love, care, and the deep connection the team and the kids have. It’s a safe, kind, and nurturing environment both emotionally and socially. The kids are seen and understood, and there is positive, patient, and compassionate mentoring and dialogue. The teachers are Allstar Montessori masters, passionate and dedicated. The learning experience is creative and intellectually compelling, inspiring and empowering the kids to explore and learn. Our 4.5 y/o would come home all excited with a handful of artistic works, a spelling game, and new knowledge from reptiles to ancient Egypt. Besides the group activities, our girl has quality 1:1 learning time with her teacher, which she loves! There is also peaceful conflict resolution and lovely circle times. The space, both indoor and outdoor, is beautiful! and mindfully and tastefully done and is safe, super clean, pleasant, and inspiring. Communication with the parents is fantastic, and there is a lovely sense of community. This place comes from love and is a home away from home for our little one. We are so grateful to be part of this Tilden little wonder and that this is how our girl is experiencing the world in her early years. We believe if your child will be part of it, you will be too :)
-Chof G. -Parent
Tilden Little House is a wonderful preschool and community of families! The teachers are highly experienced and trained in the Montessori style. They have a very low student to teacher ratio and Grace Hu, who runs the school, is welcoming and understanding. We were fortunate to have both our daughter and now son go there and we couldn’t be happier. The kids get a chance to learn about lots of different things and explore their interests, they love going there!
-Helen B. -Parent
Philosophy
In our Montessori program we offer a carefully prepared environment with hands-on materials designed to meet the developmental needs of each child. The teachers make changes to the curriculum throughout the year, based on their observation of each student’s interests and abilities. These efforts reinforce the children’s independence, confidence, sense of accomplishment, and motivation. Our goal is to create a life-long love of learning in a personalized learning environment.
We respect all individuals and their contributions to the group, valuing differences as well as similarities. We strive to model compassion and understanding to promote peace in our community.
About our program
We are guided by the principles and techniques of Maria Montessori. The Montessori philosophy is based on the belief that children learn best through concrete, sensorial experiences driven by their own curiosity and desire to interact with their environment. Developing independence while pursuing one’s own interests, under the context of a caring community, fosters a strong sense of self in each student, and encourages confidence in each child’s own unique individuality.
We are fortunate to provide a low teacher to student ratio. This allows our teachers and children to develop a strong relationship. From this foundation, we are able to create a curriculum that can follow each child’s interest and thus foster independent, confidence, and social responsible members of a global community through a joyful learning process.
We combine holistic concepts with Montessori principles. We believe education should be a source of inspiration for creativity, imagination, compassion, self-knowledge, social skills, and emotional intelligence. A holistic education cultivates the whole person and helps them live more consciously within their communities.
Tilden Little House is two minutes away from the Kensington Hilltop Elementary School. We are located near many community resources nearby — Kensington Library, Blake Garden, Tilden Little Farm, playgrounds, hiking trails and more.
The curriculum areas of a Montessori environment are interconnected and very dependent upon one another. Practical life and sensorial exercises form the foundation for language and math. cultural, art, and music activities are further incorporated into all areas of the classroom.
Admissions
Join the Tilden Little House community in three easy steps:
1. Explore our website
We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.
2. Tour our program
Come see what makes Tilden Little House unique. Please email to schedule a Virtual tour during school hours so you can observe our program in action.
3. Submit an Application
If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/tilden-little-house-8688/apply - note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.
4. Schedule a Child’s Visit
After we receive all the forms, we will schedule a Child’s Visit with you and our teachers. The meeting will be a 20 minute play time with our teachers in our yard. Once both you and our teachers have determined Little House is a good fit for your family, enrollment will be finalized.