About our academy
A Prescott Classroom Built Around the Child
Montessori Children’s Academy is a small, AMI-based school on Park Avenue where children from 18 months to 6 years learn to think, work and care for themselves and each other.
- AMI-based classrooms
- Ages 18 months to 6 years
- Small class sizes
Our mission
Independence, Concentration and a Love of Learning
At Montessori Children’s Academy of Prescott, our mission is to provide a nurturing environment for young learners based on the principles founded by Dr. Maria Montessori, following the AMI training model.
Everything we do is aimed at three things: fostering independence, protecting concentration, and building a love for learning that outlasts any single lesson. Those are not slogans on a wall. They are decisions we make every day about how the room is arranged, how long a child is allowed to stay with a material, and when an adult should step back rather than step in.
630 Park Avenue Unit A, Prescott, AZ 86303
What we believe
Four Ideas That Shape Every Day Here
Montessori is a method, but underneath it sits a view of childhood. These are the convictions our guides work from.
The child is capable
Given the right tools at the right height, a two-year-old can pour their own water and clean up their own spill. We build the environment so children can succeed without an adult hovering.
Concentration is precious
When a child is deeply absorbed in work, that moment is doing more for their development than anything we could say. We protect it with long, uninterrupted work cycles.
Learning starts in the hands
Children hold a thousand cube before they ever write the number. Concrete materials come first, and abstraction follows naturally because the idea was real before it was symbolic.
Respect runs both ways
We speak to children the way we would want to be spoken to, and we expect the same of them toward each other. Grace and courtesy are taught as carefully as reading.
Association Montessori Internationale
Trained the Way Dr. Montessori Intended
Our classrooms are founded on the principles within the AMI training model. The Association Montessori Internationale was created by Dr. Maria Montessori in an effort to establish a fluid Montessori practice in training guides throughout the world.
That matters because “Montessori” is not a protected word. Any school can use it. What happens in our Prescott classrooms is the same careful, child-led practice Montessori guides are trained in around the world, not a loose interpretation of it.
- Materials presented in the sequence Dr. Montessori established
- Environments prepared and maintained to AMI standards
- Observation, not correction, as the guide’s primary tool
The people behind the school
Who You’ll Meet
Montessori Children’s Academy is family-run and deliberately small. When you call the school, you reach the people who are actually in the classrooms.
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. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Prescott College and the Administrative Leadership Training Certificate, also through AMI.
In 2024, she and her daughter founded Montessori Children’s Academy to bring an authentic model of Montessori education back to the City of Prescott. In her free time, she loves karaoke, time with her friends and family, watching mysteries, reading nonfiction, playing bocce ball, and creating new lessons and trivia for her students.
Kristina Houston
Administrator
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) Certificate from Montessori Education Centre, an AMI Elementary (6–12) Certificate from Montessori Institute of San Diego, the Administrative Leadership Training Certificate (also AMI), a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in K–12 Education from Loyola University Maryland, and a Bachelor’s degree in Global Business with an emphasis in Marketing from Arizona State University.
Kristina began her AMI Montessori journey 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.
During her free time, she enjoys camping, 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 teenage son.
Testimonials
What Prescott Families Tell Us
I am truly impressed by the environment and the approach to early childhood education. The classroom is bright, inviting, and thoughtfully organized, allowing children to explore and learn at their own pace. The teachers are attentive and nurturing, fostering a sense of independence while providing support when needed. My son loves it here, and we are so thankful to have him in such a wonderful place!
Kristina is one of the warmest people I have met and it shows through her passion of Montessori learning. She is so patient and kind and the classrooms are beautiful and the kids just love all the puzzles and child-led activities!
Inside our community
A Day at Montessori Children’s Academy
Come See It for Yourself
A Montessori classroom is difficult to describe and immediately obvious in person. Spend twenty minutes with us and you will know.