Nurturing Young Minds in Prescott, AZ
Empowering children through Montessori education
About Our Academy
Our Mission
At Montessori Children's Academy of Prescott, our mission is to provide a nurturing environment for young learners. We focus on fostering independence and a love for learning in children ages
18 months to 6 years.
A glimpse into our Montessori world...
MCA of Prescott Family Resources
Association of Montessori International
Meet Our Founders!
Sandra Houston (Founder & Director)
Sandra Houston (Founder & Director)
Sandra Houston (Founder & Director)
Sandra Houston has been dedicated to Montessori education since 1967. After training with close associates of Dr. Maria Montessori — including her son, Mario Montessori — she opened her first school in 1972 in Torrance, California. In 1976, she relocated to Prescott, Arizona and founded Montessori Children’s World, the first Montessori school in the Prescott area.
Her commitment to expanding authentic Montessori education led her to Phoenix in 1983, where she opened North Central Montessori School. She later completed Elementary training with Margaret Stephenson in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1995, Sandra founded Arizona Montessori Charter Schools, growing the organization to five campuses, including one in Prescott Valley.
A co-founder of the Arizona Charter Schools Association and organizer of the Arizona Montessori Schools Consortium, Sandra has also trained teachers, mentored school leaders, and contributed to statewide charter initiatives. In 2024, she and her daughter founded Montessori Children’s Academy to bring authentic Montessori education back to the City of Prescott.
Kristina Houston (Administrator)
Sandra Houston (Founder & Director)
Sandra Houston (Founder & Director)
Kristina Houston serves as part of our administration team and brings over 20 years of experience in Montessori education and school leadership. She holds an AMI Primary (3–6) Certification from Montessori Education Centre, an AMI Elementary (6–12) Certification from Montessori Institute of San Diego, a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in K–12 Education from Loyola University Maryland, and a B.S. in Global Business in Marketing from Arizona State University. During her free time, she enjoys singing, chess, hiking, dancing, and time with her family. She is a mom to three children; two daughters who have left the nest and a 14 year old son.
Kristina began her AMI Montessori career at 6 weeks of age upon entering her mother's Primary classroom. She grew to share the passion with her mother and began as a substitute and progressed to lead her own AMI-recognized Primary environment. Inspired by the work of Maria Montessori, she is deeply committed to maintaining authentic Montessori standards while fostering independence, confidence, and a peaceful learning community.