Metta Tree Montessori

Our Teachers

Hello! I am Yukari, the founder of Metta Tree Montessori and a Montessori parent. I was inspired to start my own program because I saw a need for an authentic Montessori program for infants/toddlers in my community. 

I hold a Masters Degree (M.Ed) in Montessori Education from Loyola University in Maryland. I have two Montessori diplomas at the 0-3 years old and 3-6 years old levels from AMI (Association Montessori Internationale). I worked as a lead toddler teacher at a Montessori school before my own children were born. 

As a mother of two children, I was not able to find satisfying Montessori infant and toddler programs in my area. I began designing my program after my first child was born.

I know how important it is to have a respectful and safe space for children to grow to meet their full potential. I want to provide that to other families in my community.

Some fun facts about me: I am originally from Japan. I enjoy swimming and training for an annual triathlon race.

Philosophy

At Metta Tree Montessori, we believe that children need an inspiring environment to explore and age-appropriate degrees of freedom to delve deeply into their interests. We offer a traditional Montessori education and our program is designed to fulfill their needs.

A child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to three. They produce more than a million neural connections each second. We understand that the first three years of life are a critical period in brain development.

Our goal is to support children to be independent, confident, and self-motivated. When they become older, we hope that they find meaning in the world.

Location

Metta Tree Montessori is located in a single family home in Palo Alto neighborhood. .

About our program

We are a very small Montessori school in Palo Alto. We serves children between 14 months to 3 years old. We support children to be independent, confident, and self-motivated.

Healthy snacks for children

Our snack is mostly organic. We want to buy good local and seasonable products as much as possible in order to support small businesses.

Supporting Child’s Independence

Our focus is to support them to be independent on those 3 areas. We will work together with families as a team.

• Eating (Using a spoon/a folk and drinking water with a small glass at an early age )

• Elimination (Toilet learning by ages 24-36 months)

• Sleeping (Leaning how to fall asleep with little support)

Classroom

Our environment is created as a small children’s house where all the tools and furniture are children’s size and they take care of their house together as a community. 

Indoor Activities

The environment is full of activities that provide critical stimulation for whole body and brain development.

Reality-Based Activities such as:

• Food preparation
• Household chores
• Fine motor skill activities
• Using art media
• Language acquisition (through conversation and hands-on materials)

Outdoor Activities

We carefully designed our outdoor play area for toddlers to be able to practice different kinds of activities.

Gross Motor Skill activities such as:

• Playground (a slide, swings, and climbing)
• Riding a tricycle
• Pushing a wagon
• Rocking horse
• Balls
• Balance beams

Environment Care such as:

• Sweeping with brooms
• Taking care of fruits, herbs, and vegetables

Others such as:

• Insects/Nature observation
• Chalks
• Sand box
• Playing with blocks and toy vehicles

Admissions

Join the Metta Tree Montessori community in four 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 Metta Tree Montessori unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start host tours again in the future.

​

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/metta-tree-montessori-5364/apply – note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

​

4. Complete Enrollment Documents

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an invitation. Upon accepting your invitation, you’ll fill out enrollment documents, review, and sign our Parent Handbook.