At Crescent Montessori School, we value a learning experience that promotes confidence, individual responsibility, and a strong sense of collaboration. We foster in our students a love of learning that will last a lifetime. We endeavor to build long-term respectful relationships with parents as partners in the education of their children. These values therefore define our mission.

Our Mission:

• Inspired by the work of Maria Montessori, we work to provide the very best care and education of our students by continuing to create an authentic Montessori environment where each child is inspired every day in an engaging, dynamic learning experience as an aid to life.
• We support the parents and staff in our school community to achieve their highest goals by continuing to become lifelong learners.

Crescent Montessori School has offered quality Montessori education for children Sonoma, California since 1994. Our classrooms are housed in the historic Sonoma Community Center, which was built in 1915 to house the Sonoma Grammar School.

The school year 2016-2017 marks the twenty-second year for Crescent Montessori School. Formerly Vintage Country Day School, the school changed hands in 1994 and Karin Niehoff, head teacher, became head of school.

In the twenty-two years since our founding, Crescent has grown from one classroom serving preschool students to four classrooms, a library, and music and resource rooms that serve preschool through middle school students. In 1994, Crescent was a primary (preschool) program with two teachers. As demand for an alternative to traditional and often ineffective educational practices grew, so did Crescent. In 2005, the school expanded by adding a junior elementary for kindergarten through second grade. Once again in 2008, Crescent added another level, the senior elementary. This addition allowed Crescent to serve preschool through fifth grade students in the Montessori tradition. In 2013, Crescent expanded once again to serve middle school students. The history of growth and continuous learning reinforce the importance of Dr. Montessori’s understanding of child development. From her, we learned that teaching children at their development level, and understanding the characteristics of learners at those levels, allows students of all ages to develop their ability to gain knowledge.