About

OUR HISTORY

Montpelier Children's House was founded in 1984 by Larry Parker, with the goal of providing high-quality, accessible early education to the children of Central Vermont.  After serving the children and families of his community for nearly thirty years, in 2012 Larry turned over operations to his daughter, Samara Mays, who continues at act as Director and Head Teacher of this family-run program.

In 2017 Montpelier Children’s House was awarded Five STARS through Vermont’s STep Ahead Recognition System and is Pre-Qualified Pre-K Program through Vermont Act 166.

In early 2020, we moved up the hill to Mountainview Street, just across the street from National Life. Our new location affords us amazing opportunities for outdoor learning in the fields and forests.

We invite you to contact us with any questions you may have about our program.

Our Program values

Montpelier Children’s House strives to create and implement in inquiry-driven, contextual curriculum. We do this by practicing careful observation and building strong relationships with children and families.

ChildreN:

We believe that children are capable and competent and that are deserving of rich and diverse environments and experiences that allow them to explore their many ways of learning. We believe that child-initiated free play is the engine that drives curiosity and authentic learning. Our curricular approach draws on best practices for Early Childhood Education. “Academic” learning in Early Childhood Education looks very different from older grades. Rather than teaching we focus on learning. Children experience foundational subjects like as math and literacy through the process of hands-on play experiences - for example exploring symmetry and counting through block building and literacy through songs, rhyming and sending notes to their classmates.

Teachers:

We believe that Early Childhood Educators are professionals and we advocate and work towards the goal of compensation and benefits on par with our public-school colleagues. We believe that teachers need sufficient time outside of the classroom to reflect, plan and prepare and our program structure reflects the allocation of this time. We are committed to ongoing professional development and supporting teachers in their growth and development.

Families:

We believe that families are essential partners in their children’s learning and development at school. Teachers strive to foster close and open relationships and communication with families and caregivers so that we can best support all children. We do this through frequent communication (messages, photos, videos), formal and informal conferences and meetings, and an open-door policy that invites family members to spend time with their children at school.

Our Teaching Staff

The teaching staff at Montpelier Children’s House are committed to providing a play-based, child-lead, and inquiry-driven experience for our preschoolers. Our teachers share a dedication to professionalism in field of early childhood education and engage in ongoing professional development to further support children and families. 

Samara Mays, Director

Samara joined Montpelier Children’s House in 2010 and assumed the role of Director in 2012.  She holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in Rural Sociology from the University of Arkansas.  She has completed ECE coursework through The Community College of Vermont, Union Institute and the Vermont State College network and holds a Vermont Teaching License in Early Childhood Education. Most recently she completed a Graduate Certificate in ECE Pedagogy from UC Denver/ Boulder Journey School. She lives in Montpelier with her family and many pets.

Emily Montague & Brenna Doran, Toddler Program

Laura Franske & Megan Hagerty, Pre-school Program

Cecelia Puleio, Teacher Mentor