About Us

The Montessori School on Edgewood opened in 2006.

the first publicly supported Montessori School in New Haven.

It was created as a project of the Greater Dwight Development Corporation (GDDC). A major neighborhood priority highlighted in the Dwight neighborhood’s Comprehensive Plan was to provide the best beginning for their children in a full day, full-year program. Neighborhood residents and their community partners visited many early childhood programs throughout the region and decided that the Montessori option should be available to neighborhood children and their families.

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Accredited Since 2009

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Students Impacted
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“Both our sons attended MSOE. The program lays a solid foundation for life-long learning. Our boys were able to explore their creativity and problem-solving skills as toddlers which made them like to learn. The teachers and staff are invested in making sure the children have the necessary social skills to be successful. We recommend it highly.”

— Andrea and Anthony Murrell, MSOE Parents

The Greater Dwight Development Corporation worked from 1999 to 2006 with community partners including Yale University, the City of New Haven, the State of CT, the federal government, and local foundations to raise the funds and develop the plans to build a new facility for MSOE.  Several city and state subsidies allow children of all income levels to attend.

MSOE partnered with Gateway Community College to provide Montessori training to all staff, and parents have been invited to participate in all training to support learning from school to home.  Parents are each child’s first teacher, and their involvement is key to successful outcomes for their children. MSOE’s student population represents the rich variety of ethnic backgrounds that make up New Haven, and the curriculum supports learning about and respecting others’ cultures to promote social harmony.  Parents are welcome to share their experiences and cultures to enrich our classroom curricula.

Our Mission

The Montessori School on Edgewood provides early education and care to 24 infants and toddlers and 34 preschoolers at 230 Edgewood Avenue, New Haven, CT.

The program is licensed by the State of CT and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The mission of MSOE is to promote a community of children, educators, administrators, and parents centered on the teaching methods and philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, as adapted to the needs of the community. Students will progress toward school readiness through educational activities using the Montessori teaching methods, which are not widely available. Children attending MSOE will be responded to as individuals, looking for the strengths and needs of each child.

The Montessori Classroom​

…as described by the American Montessori Society:

In a Montessori environment, children learn by exploring and manipulating specially designed materials. Each material teaches one concept or skill at a time and lays a foundation from which students can comprehend increasingly abstract ideas. Children work with materials at their own pace, repeating an exercise until it is mastered. The teacher may gently guide the process, but the goal is to inspire rather than instruct. Throughout the classroom, beautifully prepared, inviting curriculum areas contain a sequential array of lessons to be learned. As students work through the sequence, they build and expand on materials and lessons already mastered. And all the while they are developing qualities with which they’ll approach every future challenge: autonomy, creative thinking, and satisfaction in a job well done.