I was a child who loved school and loved to learn. School was a joyous place that I never wanted to leave and in many ways I never did (I'm still here afterall!-). When I founded Angel Care Montessori in 1995 I wanted to provide a level of quality and care to children in education that was careful to maintain that natural joy and love of learning. I see children as big souls in small bodies and I find that when I relate to children with a sense of awareness they respond appropriately.

What we do here at Angel Care Montessori with children is unique; because in everything we do we address the mind, body and spirit of the child. Much attention has been placed in the details of the child’s day, from their personalized coat hooks where children may access their little slippers to the arrangement of materials available in the classroom. Angel Care Montessori has quietly grown into a place where many children have come to form memorable first school experiences. It is my hope that your child will have the opportunity to be one of the legacies of children to who have passed through our doors. – Catherine Valenti

Catherine Valenti

Catherine has been playing at teaching since the age of 5! By the time she was in elementary school in California she was part of the state’s young tutoring program teaching to the younger grades and was later chosen by her teachers to represent her school as one of a handful of promising young writers at Fresno University at the age of 12. In college she worked tutoring students who spoke English as a foreign language and then later helped to establish the international students tutoring program at the College of Saint Rose which she headed with the support of then president Dr. Louis Vaccaro. After completing her undergraduate in both International Studies and Political Science, and after working in a Montessori school in NYC, she accepted an offer to teach at a teacher’s college in northern China and then took a position teaching at the Language Center at Tai Da University in Taiwan before returning to accept a full scholarship to complete her Masters in Education. Afterwards, she followed in Dr. Betsy Coe’s footsteps out to the Nanhai Montessori School where she was part of a team training and teaching at the China International School Institute before moving to Rhode Island to develop a Montessori language materials company where she now lives in a converted yarn mill building with her husband and 3 rescued cats.

Ms. Catherine is the founder and director of Angel Care Montessori. She has been a Montessori educator and teacher for nearly 30 years and has a background with both the AMS and AMI training methods. Catherine holds a M.S. in Education and a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science. She is certified to teach Nursery, Kindergarten, Grades 1-6, and Grades 7-12 Social Studies. She holds multiple certifications in NYS, RI and China and has held personal membership in several Montessori societies including AMS, IMS; and IMC. Catherine is a certified yoga and child yoga instructor and is certified in CPR/First Aid.

Cheryl Balon
Ms. Cheryl has been a Montessori Teacher working with the Toddlers for nine years before shifting her role into one of Parent Educator and Consultant. She remains on staff as an adjunct teacher. Ms. Cheryl holds a B.A. in Social Welfare from Rhode Island College and is NAMC (North American Montessori) certified both in infant/toddler and preprimary 3-6. She is also certified in CPR/First Aid. Ms. Cheryl continues to deliver a Kind Word © with her new line of postcards.

Lesley Bennett

Ms. Lesley is a Montessori Teacher's Assistant in the classroom. She is a graduate of Curry College and holds a Bachelor of Arts in the Visual Arts. Her education includes the foundations of early childhood educaton and general psychology. She is CPR certified, has a Montessori teacher's assistant certificate, and continues to take early childhood courework. Originally wanting to pursue becoming an art teacher after working in various daycare settings, life and circumstances landed her a 3-year nanny position where she discovered her passion for working with very young children and wanting to purue Montessori training. Ms. Leslie has also taken classses at RSDI and is the founder of a small line of handmade birthday invitations and announcements for expecting moms. She is versed in dance, yoga, and plays the guitar. Her extra set of hands to assist in the classroom and her effervescent personality is a great addition to our program.

Selma Sebastiani
Ms. Selma is an Assistant in the Classrooms. She holds a Degree in Psychology from Faculdade Metropolitanas Unidas in Sao Paulo, Brazil and received her training from the Princeton Center for Teacher Education while working at the Princeton Montessori School in New Jersey.

Ms. Selma is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, is certified in CPR, and she enjoys bringing and playing her movement games and activities with the children. She has a caring relationship with children and has been working with toddlers in Montessori schools since 2000!

Mission

Angel Care Montessori is a private, independent early childhood program established to meet the needs of parents who want a safe and enriched learning environment for their child. Our mission is to provide a safe, healthy, nurturing environment within the community for children to play, learn, and grow while maintaining the joy of life.

Philosophy

At Angel Care Montessori we believe the future of education is already here; It is just not widely practiced. We believe that children should be permitted to learn at their instructional level with pace and depth matching their abilities, regardless of age. We seek to create a safe environment and a stimulating and engaging learning experience for our students that balances chronological, developmental, and social/emotional growth with development of the intellect to successfully educate the whole child.

Angel Care Montessori believes that children learn best by being encouraged to take risks and by working with a great variety of materials and activities that are designed to meet developmental needs. Angel Care translates the Montessori philosophy as established by Dr. Maria Montessori, in several concrete ways:

1. Concern for the growth of the total child. This means care and activities for the child’s social, emotional, and physical development as well as his or her intellectual growth.

2. The classroom is a carefully prepared environment, continually enriched and designed to offer children a wide variety of materials and experiences, and organized to facilitate the growth of their skills, confidence, and ability to make meaningful choices. In addition, there is an emphasis on the children’s responsibility for the classroom environment.

3. Guidance of learning through the active use of concrete materials, based on skilled teacher observations of each child’s development and interests.

4. Commitment to mixed-age groupings, with each child encouraged to experience the full 3-year cycle.

5. Emphasis on mutual respect of each other’s person and work, with clear flexible ground rules that encourage responsible freedom of choice in both the use of materials and social interactions.

The specific goals for the children who attend the program are:
1. To develop a positive attitude toward school and learning.
2. To develop a sense of high self-esteem.
3. To build a habit of concentration for lifelong study skills.
4. To develop and foster an abiding curiosity.
5. To develop habits of initiative and persistence.
6. To foster inner discipline and a sense of order.
7. To develop sensory-motor skills in order to sharpen the ability to discriminate and judge.
8. To develop socially acceptable behavior.
9. To acquire the basic skills necessary for a life-time of learning.
10. To develop each child’s innate ultimate potential through high expectations.