This year Santa Cruz Montessori, a school for children 18 months to 14 years, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The school was founded in 1964 by a group of parents looking for preschool for their young children, and has expanded since then. The school now sits on two spacious campuses in Aptos. SCM has long served as an authentic Montessori school in Santa Cruz County, fostering a love of learning and independence in students. As part of this milestone anniversary, the school has been celebrating 60 years by reconnecting with alumni students and families and offering a variety of parent development programs and community gatherings.
Montessori education is based on the theories of development created by Dr. Maria Montessori, who was the first woman to practice medicine in Italy as well as a scholar of biology, psychiatry and anthropology. Through her work as a physician, Dr. Montessori spent hours working with and observing children. These observations inspired her theories of development in which she identified that given the right environment, children are capable of developing their unique selves and acquiring knowledge. The Montessori method was a huge shift from traditional education models of the time, which were based on a teacher imparting knowledge to their students.
Montessori education has expanded all over the world and when Santa Cruz Montessori was founded, was becoming quite popular in the United States. Santa Cruz Montessori has grown quite a bit since its beginning years and now serves over 200 children. In Montessori schools, children are in classes with mixed age groupings, so they have the experience of working with older peers and then eventually are a leader of their class community as well. The method also focuses on supporting children’s developing independence. In the early childhood years this focus is on functional independence, both in caring for one’s self and the classroom environment. Children enjoy baking, gardening, and helping with the care of their classroom, in addition to language, mathematics, geography, and sensorial work.
As children move into the elementary years, their independent learning allows them the freedom and responsibility to explore topics in deep and creative ways. Elementary students can design much of the follow up work from their lessons and show their learning creatively, perhaps turning a lesson on quadrilaterals into a song or making a giant long division problem. While the Montessori materials are used in presenting concepts and providing hands on learning experiences, elementary students move into abstract learning and can dive deep into subjects they are passionate about, developing their academic skills along the way.
This prepares them well for SCM’s Wavecrest Junior High Program, composed of seventh and eighth graders. Wavecrest students move through a rotating schedule of classes throughout the day and also head to Live Earth Farm each Thursday where they rotate through different units of study throughout the year. In addition to their challenging academic work, they are learning about all aspects of the farm, through field studies, health and wellness, creative expression, and micro-economy.
Art, ceramics, Spanish language, and music instruction are part of all levels at SCM and the elementary program includes drama as well. Elementary and Junior High students at SCM get to participate in sports teams, camping trips, community service opportunities and regular field trips throughout the year. SCM also has a strong learning support program, which provides extra support in reading, writing, social and organizational skills. SCM’s focus is on the whole child and each child is guided and nurtured on their unique path.
As a community, Santa Cruz Montessori is proud of the deep connections that both students and parents form. Many alumni students have returned to work at SCM as teachers and even more have returned for their own children to attend. Alumni student Tilly Ekers shared recently: “I formed friendships there in kindergarten that have remained some of my closest to this day, largely because I learned how to navigate real-world challenges and build lasting connections.”
Santa Cruz Montessori is proud of its generous Tuition Assistance Program, which helps create a more socioeconomically diverse community of learners. This program also supports families to stay at SCM for years to come, which strengthens our programs and helps students and families build lasting relationships. SCM is now enrolling for the 2025-26 school year.
To learn more about Santa Cruz Montessori and Montessori education, please visit their website www.scms.org to learn more and book a tour.
