Echinacea Montessori is a member of the Wildflower Schools Network
Wildflower is an ecosystem of decentralized Montessori micro-schools that support children, teachers, and parents. Our schools aspire to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high-quality, beautiful learning environments as they follow life’s unfolding journey.
Wildflower Schools
Wildflower is an ecosystem of decentralized Montessori micro-schools that support children, teachers, and parents. Our schools aspire to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high-quality, beautiful learning environments as they follow life’s unfolding journey.
Our aim is to be an experiment in a new learning environment, blurring the boundaries between home and school, between scientists and teachers, between schools and the neighborhoods around them. Our schools are small and teacher-led, with deep parent engagement. At the core of Wildflower are 9 principles that define the approach.
Our network is supported by a foundation that works to build capacity, systems, tools and research to grow and strengthen the network.
Learn more about our story.
Our Principles
Blurring the boundaries between home-schooling and institutional schooling, between scientists and teachers, between schools and the neighborhoods around them. At the core of Wildflower are 9 principles that define the approach.
Our Network
After the first Wildflower school was created in January of 2014, there was intense interest in the school and the approach. This interest led us to open-source the model and help other family groups and teacher-leaders to create new Wildflower schools. Each teacher-leader at each Wildflower school serves on the board of at least one other Wildflower school, creating a community of schools that are linked by both a shared philosophy and a network of shared relationships.
Enroll Now
Take a School Tour
The application process begins with taking a School Tour where you will learn about Echinacea Montessori and the Wildflower Network.
Complete an Application
Please fill out our online application.
Enrollment Cycle
LegUp manages our waitlist for future year seats via our online waitlist.
Enrollment for 23-24 is now open.
We are enrolling for the 23-24 school year, including summer camp in February and March 2023. Look for upcoming open houses and information sessions in the coming months.
Non-discrimination Policy
Echinacea Montessori School is a nonprofit organization and does not discriminate by race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or status with regard to public assistance. Furthermore, Echinacea Montessori School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Calendar
We run on a 10-month calendar with summer camp options in June/July.
2023-2024 School Year Information:
First Day of School, half day~ Monday, August 21, 2023, 8:00-12:00
Last Day of School, half day~ Friday, June 5, 2024
Family/School Conferences-No School- Monday, October 16 2023, Friday, March 22, 2024
We follow DPS for holiday breaks such as Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break.
Additional holidays observed are Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day.
Teacher Planning Days: January 2, 2024, February 16, 2024 and April 19, 2024
The Echinacea Team
Amanda Clarke
Co-Founder & Teacher Leader
I was most inspired to become a teacher by three educators: my father, Mrs Ruth Denney, and Mrs Laurie Gonzales. It was their examples of deep respect for their students, their kind patience, humor and fierce love of teaching, that ignited my drive to be an educator. I grew up in Colorado and am both a Montessori teacher and parent. My teaching at a public Montessori school coincided with my daughter beginning in a primary classroom and we learned about Montessori together. I earned my teaching degree from Lesley University in 1997 and my formal AMI Montessori training in 2015 in Denver. My goal is to continue to inspire and guide children in exploring and expanding their world with confidence and curiosity while learning about themselves and others.
Sheridan Manfredi
Administrative Assistant
Hello Echinacea families! My name is Sheridan Manfredi and I use she/her pronouns. I am currently a graduate student at the University of Colorado Denver obtaining a dual masters degree in criminal justice and public administration with a nonprofit management concentration. I am passionate about criminal justice reform, and one way I see this being realized is through education. I hope to use what I have learned in my program to assist Echinacea, and all of you, to the best of my ability. I was born and raised in Reno, Nevada and moved to Denver for grad school in 2021. I have since fallen in love with this city and all it has to offer. In my free time I like to hike, camp, eat good food, and hang out with my amazing friends. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Nyssa Solano
Teaching Assistant
Hola familias! My name is Nyssa (knee-suh, she/her) and I am so excited to be a part of the Echinacea community. I was raised in Tampa, Florida by some amazing educators including my mother who teaches music and dance, and my grandmother who worked at my elementary school. I have always had a passion for teaching. My family likes to remind me that starting when I was just in Kindergarten I would come home and line up my stuffed animals, grab my apple pointer and pretend to teach what I’d learned in school that day. I worked in a nursery and as a teacher to elementary-aged students for four years and after taking some time to pursue my goals in aviation I am back in college for early childhood education today. Outside of school I teach salsa and love going dancing with my friends, going to jazz shows with my partner, and playing with my newly adopted kittens Rizzo and Kenickie. Thank you all for your trust and graciousness
Open Positions
Echinacea Montessori School ABAR Statement
Echinacea Montessori School acknowledges that every person at any moment can experience privilege and oppression. As educators, it is our responsibility to tackle these issues through reflections of ourselves and the treatment of children, families, and staff in our environment. We take an informed, dynamic approach to education that works to identify and respond to discriminatory policies and practices in education. Our school community is founded upon Dr. Montessori’s philosophy that education is the catalyst to peace. It is our role as members of this community to mindfully model and guide children to their roles in creating social justice and equity, providing educational experiences in which all students reach their full potential as learners. By providing guidance on equity, we hope to encourage socially aware and responsible beings in their communities: locally, nationally, and globally.
In affecting social change, Echinacea Montessori will work with children in a safe and supportive environment where they can communicate and investigate their individual interests and passions together in their community. Our staff will also engage in investigations of our own identity through anti-bias, anti-racist training each year and continuous reflection. Recognizing that our experiences affect others, we will provide opportunities for children and families to explore and celebrate each other’s differences and similarities, to build honor and respect for Humanity’s differences, recognize bias, and to begin to learn how and why to speak up for what is right. Montessori education, while providing many academic opportunities also specifically teaches how to exist in a rich and varied social group that addresses race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical & learning abilities, and economic class; purposefully encouraging and empowering children to take an active, problem-solving approach to explore and create strategies for improving social conditions of their communities. We know that this work is never done and it will continue with each passing school year, but it needs to be done as a community of people lifting one another up in hopes of new intellectual, emotional, and social development. At Echinacea Montessori we are lifelong learners.
Support Echinacea
Winter 2022 Newsletter
Spring 2021 Newsletter
Summer 2020 Newsletter
Fall 2020 Newsletter
Winter 2020 Newsletter
Location & Hours
Contact Us
Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 3:00pm
Before & After Care
Monday – Thursday, 3:00pm – 5:30pm, Friday 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Aftercare Rate for 5 days per week: $300 per month
Tuition Rates
We are on a three-tiered tuition system:
- Regular Tuition: $1390 per month
- Scholarship Tuition: $1050 per month
- We are a UPK and DPP Provider. Look for us at UPK Colorado
- We accept CCAP Tuition: Participant based
- Aftercare: $300 per month
Daily Routine
8:00-8:30 a.m. Staggered drop off
8:00-11:00 Work Period/Morning Snack
11:00-12:00 Outdoor Time
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:45-2:30 Nap/Afternoon Work Period
2:45-3:00 Transition to Home/After Care
3:00 Dismissal
3:00-5:30 After Care Program
Lunch & Snacks
We are excited to provide breakfast, lunch, and a daily snack for a low cost to all families provided catered by Little Angels Catering. Download February’s and March’s menu here.