Children's Garden Montessori

(4.7 stars) • 71 Reviews

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Overview
  • Programs
  • Our Team
  • Reviews

About Children’s Garden Montessori

Located off Spengler Street, behind Washington River Protection Services inside the Tri-Cities Research District Business Complex in Richland is Children’s Garden Montessori, a Cadence Education® School.

Here, our trained, qualified and caring staff takes a Montessori, hands-on approach to learning and provides quality programming and dedicated teachers for children from 1 year old to 8 years old.

Our students are encouraged to be active and creative explorers, as well as independent, self-confident and inquisitive learners. Each child is treated as an individual and encouraged to progress at his natural ability while still reaching desired age-level goals. In addition to core curriculum offered for preschool through second grade, we provide before and after school care for enrolled school age children.

Children’s Garden Montessori is lauded for its warmly decorated, homelike environment found throughout the school. Our family-friendly policy is one that welcomes parent visits any time of the day. We host monthly events and parties celebrating major holidays that lend a fun, celebratory feel on campus. We also offer multiple age-appropriate playgrounds and an outdoor learning environment.

Programs Offered

  • Toddler Care (ages 1 year to 3 years)
  • Primary (ages 3 to 6 years)
  • Elementary (ages 6 to 8 years)

Our Philosophy

Our many years of experience and deep commitment to the importance of each child’s early educational experience drive the school to continually grow.   We work to meet the unique needs of each child stressing the importance of each classroom as a community and working to build strong social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills.

Children’s Garden Montessori strives for diversity in our staff, parents and children.  Each member of our school is treated as an individual, with a general sense of respect for individuality being important.

Our Team

Stacey Kennedy

Stacey Kennedy

School Director

I started working in early childhood in 2016. I started out as a primary teacher, followed by a a kindergarten teacher for 4 years. I then moved into the roles of Assistant Director, followed by Program Director. I love watching children learn and grow! Building strong and meaningful relationships with students and helping to create a learning environment where children feel safe to explore, take risks and express themselves.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling with my family, camping and reading! I also enjoy gardening and photography!

Rachel Daniel

Rachel Daniel

Program Director

I have been at Children’s Garden Montessori since 2020. I started my time here in Sunshine Kindergarten where I was an assistant for a couple of years, and then became a lead teacher in 2022. Now, as the Program Director, I get to work more directly with the parents and staff at our school and I love every minute of it! In my free time, I love being with my family, thrift shopping, and spending time outdoors.

Kristen Ditty

Kristen Ditty

Administrative Assistant

Before coming to Children’s Garden, I worked for 21 years in the public school system. First as a substitute for 7 years, then as a para educator and records clerk for 14 years at the local high school. While there I worked in the special education department. I started in the special needs class and then moved into the resource room where I taught math. I am happily married and have four wonderful children and a beautiful grandchild. I enjoy being involved in my church, camping and traveling with my family, and gardening and canning. I also like to sew, crochet and read. I have enjoyed taking on an administrative role here at Children’s Garden and I look forward to continuing my career at such a wonderful school.

Kimberly Goude

Kimberly Goude

Teacher of the Year

Kimberly is the Primary Lead in our Rainbow Room. She has taught at our school for 16 years and has made many great relationships along the way. She leads her classroom with patience and kindness, while also teaching a love for learning to her students. She brings happiness and laughter to everyone around her, and we are so grateful for everything she does.

Reviews from Parents

4.7 Rating based on 71 Reviews Leave A Review
Brian • Google
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Grace King • Google
My son’s first day at Children’s Garden was slightly over a month ago and words can’t express how grateful I am every day since then that we are part of the Children’s Garden/Cadence Education family. Every staff member greets us by name, every day. The teachers and administrators respond promptly and thoughtfully to emails, calls, and questions. It is without reservation that I say this experience is well worth the wait(list)! My son has already benefited immensely from the skills he’s learned thus far and looks forward to spending time with his new friends and teachers. Oftentimes, rather than rushing to go home at pick up, he asks me if we can stay and play and excitedly reports the day’s activities. I wish there was an option to select more than five stars - this opportunity has exceeded my most optimistic expectations for my son’s development. Parents, if you’re not on the waitlist or haven’t scheduled an informational tour, don’t wait another minute!!!
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Nelson Monroy • Google
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Heather Nicholson • Google
--- edit this was my experience from the 2022-2023 school year in a specific classroom. I've heard from others that the school has changed dramatically since we left for public school. I would make sure to find feedback from parents who are currently enrolled and talk with the staff. Take my comment for what it is - a small snap shot of events in the past----- I can’t say enough good things about Children’s Garden Apple Tree room. Last year my son was on an emotional improvement plan at a different pre-school in the area. He had a hard time regulating his feelings and emotions and frequently took 20-30 minutes to calm down. My daughter was attending Children’s Garden Waterfall room (2nd grade) at the time so I was able to see how much work and effort the school puts into each of their kids. When enrollment opened, we immediately signed our son up for Children’s Garden’s Pre-k classroom. We filled out the paperwork explaining his behavior issues and waited to figure out which class we’d be in. We ended up in Apple Tree and it was the perfect fit. Apple Tree focuses on emotional regulation and daily mediation with the kids. My son came home calmer, was able to talk about his feelings, and taught us all about slowing down and taking deep breaths. It also turns out that my son was having so many tantrums at the other school because he LOVES learning and he wasn’t given enough time to explore the things they were teaching in 15-minute segments. In Apple Tree, each kids gets to pick what they want to work on and how long they want to work on it. The teachers are fantastic and cater to his needs for more information and more challenging work. Had he stayed at the other school, I think he would have hated education and authority figures. I know my son is loved at Children’s Garden and that’s a great feeling. I also know that he has the tools to succeed in other classrooms as he moves forward, which was worth every penny. I want to also throw in a comment about the staff at Children’s Garden. They are lovely, welcoming, and very communicative. The care and devotion they have for all the kids who attend there is clear. I’m so grateful for the impact they’ve had on our family.
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Children's Garden Montessori

Richland, WA

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