Our Story
History
Creative World Montessori School was founded in 1972 at a small church in LaGrange, Illinois. After several years, the school moved to their current site, the Goodman School building in LaGrange.
Midge Gallas and Gudrun Olson took over the administration and teaching in 1979 at the Goodman School and held two half-day classes. The current site is a former elementary school building with multiple classrooms.
The school began with an enrollment of only 20 children. Over the years CWMS has spread its wings and increased its size significantly. CWMS now offers nine different classes from Toddler through Kindergarten and our student body has grown to nearly 150. Our staff has grown from 4 employees in 1979 to 26 teachers and assistants today.
Licensing & Affiliations
Creative World is a non-profit, non-sectarian school. We are a full member of the American Montessori Society. We are registered by the Illinois State Board of Education, and our toddler program is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
Facilities
Creative World offers large, bright classrooms with plenty of engaging materials for the children. We have two indoor gyms that we use in the winter, one for the toddlers and one for the preschoolers. We also have two outdoor playground areas, one area for the toddlers and one for the preschoolers. The toddler playground is fenced in with a lock on the gate for safety purposes.
Staff
At Creative World, our teachers are Montessori trained and/or certified for 0-3 or 3-6 year olds. This requires a 480-hour internship in the classroom as well as a rigorous training in the Montessori method.
Many of our teachers also hold various undergraduate degrees. Our assistants have college background and/or experience working with children in various settings.
Ours is a warm, nurturing, professional staff who always puts the child's needs first.
Director - Gudrun Olson
B.A. Education
Montessori Certified (3-6)
Co-Director - Heidi DelliBovi
B.A. Psychology
Minor in Early Childhood Education
Montessori Trained (3-6)
Special Events
There are several special events for the children each year. In the Fall semester, we have a cultural performance, Fall picnic, ice cream socials, and International Night. In the Spring Semester, we have a puppet show and other story telling performances. We have several events that Creative World hosts as fundraisers (Junior Olympics, Silent Auctions, Golf Outing), community-gathering events, family picnics and multicultural celebrations.
Non-discriminatory
Creative World is a non-discriminatory school. It accords equal treatment and access to services without regard to race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry.