Stepping Stones Montessori School

How To Apply


Your First Step In Joining Us At Stepping Stones Montessori School.

In-person tours now available! (Tours are for parents/guardians only.)

 

We are currently accepting applications for 2024-25!


1.

In-person tours are available for parents/guardians only. Use the "schedule a tour" button below to sign up now! Please review our Tuition & Fees before signing up for a tour.

Schedule a Tour

2.

Submit an application online. The application fee is $85 per child. We ask that families do this AFTER they have had either an in-person or virtual tour. At this time, we are accepting applications for the 24-25 school year. Tours and applications for the 25-26 school year will open in October 2024. (Please note that students must be 2 years 9 months by September 1 for consideration.)

3.

Our Admissions Director will reach out to set up a 30-minute observation in the classroom once an application has been submitted. This observation is for the parents/guardians only.

Admissions Policy

Stepping Stones Montessori School does not discriminate in admissions, placement, or its educational programs or activities, based on gender, gender identity, sexual preference, race, religion, national origin, height, weight, color, creed, or disability unrelated to the child's ability to participate, with or without accommodation, in the essential activities of the School.


Priority enrollment is offered first to siblings of students enrolled in the relevant school year, then to new families with prior Montessori experience. The school accepts applicants based on the needs of the levels at any given time in order to provide classrooms with an equal mix of age groupings and learning styles.

Sarah Danielski

Admissions Director

As an SSMS student, I first understood the groundbreaking work of Dr. Maria Montessori when I played “old Maria” in one of our school’s annual musicals. I donned a wool shawl over an ankle-length dress with hook-and-eye–fastened boots, and my hair was dyed gray. On stage, I was charged with explaining to international visitors why the children were so engaged and productive. As Admissions Director, I am fortunate enough to continue extolling the benefits of the Montessori method to prospective parents and the greater Grand Rapids community.

"School isn't a big enough word. For our family, we knew nothing about the philosophy or the school, or what a Guide was. We weren't raised here, and we were raised public school kids. But after we toured Stepping Stones Montessori School alongside 8 other facilities, my application probably sounded like I was begging for entry. Our son began with SSMS at 13 weeks and 12 pounds old.


Today, he's entering his final year of Children's House. At the time, we never could have imagined how the Montessori way would benefit our firstborn - we just felt that, as professionals and adults, it "made sense" the more we dove into learning the practice and history. Allowing him to flex up to his elder peers works in his 3 year cohort has stimulated his mind in ways that he can't stop devouring, while being fluid across the age span socially has supported his unique personality that we're still learning, ourselves.


In a world where everyone is comparing, Googling, and pandemic parenting, it's been a gift in unlearning as parents, showing us that there are different ways to learn, educate and support our kids development. Ways that meet our kids where they are and allow them to guide us, given autonomy of their own person. Ways that bring peace to parenting, to our household, as he is treated as a capable human, taking care of his things and helping us around the house that we didn't think were possible.


So in short, he's thriving - we're thriving - through the gift of this school, the guides that have lifted us through these impossible early parenthood years as parents and student alike, and Stepping Stones has become our like-minded parenthood community that we couldn't have found otherwise. The investment has proven worth it in a way that we couldn't have imagined if we couldn't have seen him now, as the young boy he's grown to be, in thanks to the guides of Stepping Stones.


So no, school isn't big enough. It has been a life raft to our parenthood village."

Meagen C.

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