One-of-a-Kind Schoolhouse | South Florida
in STUART - near PORT ST. LUCIE, PALM CITY, HOBE SOUND, PALM BEACH
La Casa is not your average school or daycare.
Welcome to a joyous learning environment where young children can reach their full and unique potential.
“the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.”
- Maria Montessori
Our approach:
La Casa is an intentionally small school house for toddlers through kindergartners (ages 2.5-6), founded in a child-centered, research-based approach to early education that includes:
mixed ages in a safe and caring “home life” environment;
freedom to explore, within clear structure and limits;
learning by doing, with one’s hands (vs rote memorization);
purposeful development of early reading, writing and math;
emphasis on independence, within a respectful community;
cultivation of focus and self-discipline, combined with a work as play mindset.
At La Casa we aid children in their growth to become well-rounded human beings, the kind of confident yet caring individuals who have what it takes to both flourish today and adapt to whatever comes tomorrow.
At La Casa we believe in children, in their ability to excel beyond our expectations. Like a 5-year-old doing multiplication; or a 4-year-old reading to her parents; or a 3-year-old cleaning up after himself, happily. And our belief in such early success comes from real-world experience with it, rooted in Montessori education.
If you’re unfamiliar with Montessori, watch the video below or read what a few accomplished former students have said about it:
“I benefited from Montessori education, which in some ways gives the students a lot more freedom to do things at their own pace, to discover… Some of the credit for the willingness to go on your own interests, you can tie that back to that Montessori education.”
— Sergey Brin, Cofounder of Google
“I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life.”
— Gabriel García Márquez, Author/Nobel Prize winner
“Montessori has helped me become the person I am today.”
— Steph Curry, NBA superstar
Our family and school house:
La Casa is an oasis for local families, including our own: Alessandra, Jesse, Ragnar, and Bjorn (the retriever).
We are a husband and wife team, both longtime teachers with post-graduate training by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the organization founded by Dr. Maria Montessori.
Alessandra has been in early education for over 10 years, as a nanny and as a Montessori toddler and preschool / kindergarten teacher.
Jesse has been in education for over 20 years, as an elementary to junior-high teacher and as a principal and executive for schools across the country, serving infants to 8th graders. He is also founder of MontessoriEducation.com and host of The Montessori Education Podcast.
When we first started plans to open a school it was going to be in a more traditional setting (a shopping center, or a converted business building, etc.), but we began to imagine our own son in it — and that changed things for us.
We wanted the absolute best for him, and for the boys and girls he’d grow alongside, so we began creating a learning environment where young children could truly reach their full and unique potential.
We purchased a property and transformed it into our own little home and school house (“homeschool”) — La Casa — with actual land where children can run around; with wraparound windows for endless views of nature; with a small kitchen for cooking together; with Montessori materials to do academics right; with an incredibly experienced bilingual teacher (Ms. Alessandra ☺️) — in all, with everything needed to aid children in their growth, in their endless desire to learn about and joyfully excel in this world.
Our location …
in STUART — near HOBE SOUND, JUPITER, PALM BEACH, PALM CITY, PORT ST. LUCIE
Located in Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast — just west of the 95 in Stuart, bordering Martin County and Palm Beach County — La Casa is situated in our remodeled midcentury home on a tree-lined acre, backed by a peaceful neighboring pond with a few occasional grazing friends.. 🐮
A glimpse into our community …
