Carmel Montessori School is a pre-K and kindergarten program dedicated to providing your child with an organized and stimulating space to help them focus and develop a love for learning. We offer a safe environment where your child may make lasting friendships, focus on learning and growing, and have fun!
We are a full member school of the American Montessori Society (AMS). The school is open to any child 3 years old (by September 1) through Kindergarten. Our directress, Emily Rudicel, is AMS certified, with 20+ years of Montessori head-teaching experience.
Carmel Montessori School is a Montessori preschool through kindergarten, on the beautiful campus of St. Christopher's in Carmel, Indiana. We are located on the Northeast corner of Main Street and Meridian (US 31).
Carmel Montessori School is a non-religious, non-denominational,
non-discriminatory, multi-cultural preschool and kindergarten.
If you have questions about enrolling your child, feel free to send us a message. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Fill out the contact form, or email us directly at info@carmelmontessori.com. Please do not call and leave a voice mail - we can't always get to those as fast.
1402 West Main Street, Carmel, Indiana 46032, United States
info@carmelmontessori.com (317)580-0699 (voice mail not monitored)
Monday - Friday:
Full Day: 8:45 am - 3:00 pm *pick-up 2:45-3:00
Morning Program: 8:45 am - 12:00 *pick-up 11:45-12:00
Afternoon Program: 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm *pick-up 2:45-3:00
**drop-off for Full Day and the Morning Program is between 8:45 and 9:00am**
Before-care available starting at 8:15 (additional charges apply)
Dr. Maria Montessori is the founder of Montessori. Her long life was dedicated to improving the education of children, starting from the early observation that every child spontaneously wants to learn. By the time she passed away, her method was being taught successfully throughout the world.
Maria Montessori drew her ideas about how to handle and educate children from her observations of them at different stages in their development, and from their exposure to children of different cultures. There are six core beliefs that sum up the Montessori method:
(1) All children have “absorbent “ minds
(2) All children pass through “sensitive” periods
(3) All children want to learn
(4) All children learn through play / work
(5) All children pass through stages of development
(6) All children want to be independent
Children learn differently than adults. They have what Dr. Montessori called the “absorbent mind”: one that unconsciously soaks up all information from the environment. This lasts for at least the first three to six years of a child’s life. The second phase is from 3 to 6 years of age, where the child’s mind is still absorbent, but now consciousness begins. The process of learning is active rather than passive. This is the perfect time when children should be in a Montessori environment.
The Montessori method is not just a curriculum, it is a way of life. The Montessori environment supports a child’s natural tendencies to discover his or her own personality, talents and needs, as well as respecting each child’s choices and interests. Since children learn through their hands, all of the works in the classroom are beautifully made. The environment supports freedom of movement. The children learn to take care of themselves as well as the environment. There is a big misconception that Montessori means "the students do what they want, when they want," and this is far from the truth. Great care is put into each material, each area, and each room, and the staff gently directs the children throughout the day to ensure they are getting quality time in each of the important areas. Whereas many of the "cookie-cutter" preschools with big advertising budgets have been buying Montessori-like materials in recent years and claiming to offer "play-based learning," these schools aren't trained in Montessori and don't fully know the extensions of the materials and how they really work.
The prepared environment addresses the academic and social needs of the children. The practical life area focuses on strengthening a child’s concentration, order, independence, and fine motor control. The sensorial area supports the senses. Children at this age love to learn about quantity, addition, subtraction, and geometry. Language is a huge part of the Montessori environment. Reading and writing should be taught at an early age. Geography is also something children love to learn about. The continents are a great way to teach them about different cultures. Art and Music are also very important for children this age.
We hope you have learned a little bit more about the teachings of Montessori. After being at Carmel Montessori, your child will be more confident and more prepared as they get ready to move on to primary education. And you will find that a child who attends Carmel Montessori School is not just better prepared for primary education - that child is better prepared for life!
"My 2 daughters attended Carmel Montessori for a combined 5 1/2 years. During that time, my girls enjoyed the variety of activities and projects they could work on. No day was ever the same and the range of subjects they covered was wonderful. I credit Carmel Montessori with helping my girls to seamlessly transition to elementary school and both test into advanced reading and math levels. While we look back at our experience there fondly, we plan to still stay in touch and visit Ruditoonz shows whenever we can! Thank you for the memories!!!" -Chris L.
"This is my family's seventh consecutive year with CMS (3 daughters). My final daughter's "graduation" this spring will be bittersweet, as Miss Emily, Rudi, and the rest of the staff have become like family to us. The highly productive learning environment has taught all three of my daughters to develop their own individual strengths and encouraged a fierce independence in each of them. They particularly enjoyed celebrating their birthdays each year, sharing their Timelines with their friends, and singing with Rudi." - Michaela R.
"My daughter has blossomed both academically and socially while a Kindergartener at Carmel Montessori. She has received individualized instruction that has allowed her to excel in her strength areas and work more slowly on those subjects that do not come naturally. She is reading chapter books and working on multiplication problems as a six year old. My daughter tells me every day, 'I love my school!'" -DeAnna M.
"We have two children currently enrolled at Carmel Montessori and we could not be happier. We did extensive research and even tried out other schools prior to landing on Carmel Montessori. Our only regret is that we didn't start here sooner. Ms. Emily and her team are helping our children reach their full potential. They are being challenged in a warm approachable environment. The skills they are learning extend far beyond the typical classroom. Our hope for our children is to make their first experience with formalized (outside of the home) education a positive one. We feel that this foundation is so very important to set them on the right path moving forward. The positive experience they are having at Carmel Montessori is setting the correct tone for their future." -Martha V.
"Our son loves Carmel Montessori School. He is thriving in the school environment and learning by leaps and bounds every day. He really enjoys his teachers and his classmates and talks daily about what he learned and the fun he had. The school is very communicative with the parents and we are sending our second son to Carmel Montessori School as soon as he's old enough!" -Kevin R.
"We've seen our 4 year old daughter blossom at Carmel Montessori School. She is actively exploring language, geography, math and science and is thrilled with her daily successes. We could not be happier." -Kris W.
"We have been CMS parents for almost two years now and we could not be happier. Ms. Emily and her staff have been able to bring out our daughter's strengths and talents (she is quite the artist) while, at the same time working on her not so strong points. She is now a happy and confident 5 year old who is very good at focusing on attention requiring tasks and following directions when needed but also at thinking outside the box and asserting her point of view when appropriate. Our youngest son has just started to attend CMS and we can already see how he is becoming less self-centered and more sociable every day." -Ilaria C
Directress Emily Rudicel, grew up in Carmel and graduated from Brebeuf High School in 1994, and received her degree in Montessori Education from Xavier University in 1998. Emily grew up in a true Montessori household. Her parents opened many Montessori schools while she was growing up, and her mother received her Montessori degree when Emily was in 7th grade. After receiving her own Montessori degree from Xavier, Emily became the directress at Clay Montessori School, where she worked for 8 years, prior to starting Carmel Montessori.
Emily's husband, Scott, handles the business and administration tasks, is a graduate of Yorktown (IN) High School and Ball State University, and is a lifelong musician who has recorded six albums of children's/family music under the name "Ruditoonz". They share their home just north of the school with their 14 year old daughter Sophia and their two dogs - a labradoodle named Wilson, and a goldendoodle named Oakley.
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