Montessori for military families
Bridging financial assistance, community and continuity of education to our nation’s heroes and their families.
Our pledge to military families
We are committed to joining forces with our nation’s heroes to secure vetted, reliable and high-quality childcare. When duty calls, we firmly believe that your child’s education should not be a sacrifice.
The Montessori Approach
The Montessori method of education offers a knowledge-rich, child-led model in structured, mixed-age learning environments. Children learn joyfully through working with carefully sequenced, hands-on materials. Independent exploration naturally leads to a solid foundation and advanced academics. Montessori guides meet each child where he or she is, nurturing lifelong skills of intrinsic motivation, confidence, and resilience.
Accessible and Reliable
We can offer a seamless transfer process from one location to another, replacing disruption with stability. To date, more than 30 of our campuses based in the U.S. are located within 30 miles of military installations and have joined Child Care Aware of America’s fee-assistance program, bridging early childhood tuition assistance to eligible families off-base.
Schooling From Anywhere
We seek to modernize and solve the common challenges families face in education through collaborative partnerships, community-building. We believe that learning is not limited to a classroom, and we partner intentionally with parents, caregivers, and educators to offer Montessori schooling from anywhere. We can bridge joyful, hands-on learning in the home and on-the-go with our Virtual School and In-Home options.
Military fee assistance
Guidepost Montessori is honored to pursue partnership with Child Care Aware of America as an off-base provider of the Dept. of Defense fee assistance program, Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood. This fee-assistance program supports families in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and DOD by off-setting early childhood costs for ages 0-5. School-aged children up to age 13 may be eligible for financial support with before and after-care costs.
How does it work?
- Determine your family’s eligibility to apply by contacting Child Care Aware of America at 1(800) 424-2246, or by emailing militaryinfo@childcareaware.org. Guidepost Montessori is not involved in determining eligibility for government fee assistance.
- Once eligibility is approved by Child Care Aware of America, you’ll have access to a list of local childcare centers who participate in the fee assistance program. Select the Guidepost Montessori campus that you are enrolled/plan to enroll in.
- Once you’ve determined eligibility and matched up with our school, you will need to formally apply via Child Care Aware of America according to specific guidelines unique to your branch of service. Note that some branches may first request that you create an account on militarychildcare.com.
- Once approved, Child Care Aware of America will notify Guidepost staff of your family’s approved financial assistance. Your new monthly payment will reflect the difference between our current tuition rate and your DOD fee assistance.
Military spouse employment
In partnership with Blue Star Families, we are committed to hiring military spouses who face similar challenges as children do moving from one duty station to the next. Our global network can bring stability with:
- Global access to brick & mortar and virtual school options
- Virtual career training and certification through The Prepared Montessorian Institute
- Opportunity for growth and advancement
- Remote work flexibility
- A generous 75% childcare tuition discount for up to two children!
Military parents prefer Montessori
The majority of military families we surveyed report that Montessori is key to a positive learning experience, aligning with core values of independence, resilience and structure. Learning is truly individualized, allowing our guides to meet each child where he or she is — academically, socially and emotionally. Most importantly, when you enroll with a Guidepost, you join more than a school. Our staff is driven by a culture of community that partners intentionally with parents, bridging the child’s journey seamlessly from classroom to home — even if, and especially when, home is transient.
“When we found Guidepost, my family had just moved halfway across the country. I knew that I needed to find a school that served as a place of community. I also knew that I wanted to align with an authentic Montessori program, where our transient life could find some stability and where my children would be respected as capable individuals. When I learned that our campus was part of a global network, it was an incredible sense of relief to know that we could minimize disruption.”
Giving children the keys to life
Guidepost Montessori enables children to understand the world and choose their place within it.
With over 80 campuses across the US and Asia, and at-home and virtual learning programs serving more than 7,000 families worldwide, Guidepost is the world’s largest Montessori network.
Learn more about our:
Do you want to learn more about Montessori? Visit The Prepared Montessorian for flexible online courses, from beginner to expert level.