Welcome to the International Montessori Academy
AMI-Recognized & Solely Dedicated to Primary Education
Inspiring children in greater Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley since 1996, we are among only a handful of recognized AMI preschools in the region. Full AMI recognition represents a rare and highly honored acknowledgment that all of our lead teachers and assistants, classroom materials, and methodologies conform to the world’s highest Montessori standards as established by the Association Montessori International.
Furthermore, all of our expertise and energy is focused on the critical learning window presented between the ages of 2 - 6. We know that a true and proper Montessori foundation during this key phase prepares your child for any educational path she or he may follow in later years. And our after-school program includes language (Mandarin and Spanish), yoga, music, and much more.
Our beautiful, shaded campus features two playgrounds and two classroom buildings and is located just a few blocks from “Old Pasadena” and the junction of the 134 and 210 freeways.
Our director, Yolanda Sollitto, was awarded her certification from the Association Montessori Internationale of Holland in 1989 and taught and served as director at several Montessori schools in Orange and Los Angeles counties prior to founding IMA. She has personally selected and trained all members of our expert staff to ensure the finest possible care and education for your child. We recognize the increasingly diverse and international quality of life in the United States, with more interaction among different cultures than ever before. Our curriculum, which includes lessons in world geography, culture, and language, is carefully designed to facilitate your child’s ability to navigate his or her way in an ever-smaller world.
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All of our lead teachers have received their diplomas from AMI as have many of their assistants. And we’re proud that the average amount of time our lead teachers have worked at our school is 17 years.
Should you wish your school to continue in a Montessori environment upon graduation from the International Montessori Academy, we will be pleased to provide referrals to a number of excellent Montessori primary programs in the area. Should you instead prefer at that time to move your child into a traditional program, rest assured that children who complete our program are often among the most advanced in their class once placed in a traditional school. Upon enrollment in a traditional school, their needs are the same as children everywhere; to be challenged and taught according to their unique aptitudes and abilities. We will happily counsel you on the best possible options for your child upon graduation.
Each family prepares and sends in snacks and meals for their child. Our school provides food preparation activities as part of the Montessori curriculum, and also have fresh fruit and milk available as a supplement when requested by children after finishing the food brought from home. During celebrations, treats might also be shared to the children.
IMA's diversity can be found in both our staff and children's community! We celebrate diversity by embracing each child's culture and experiences and sharing "mirrors (of own culture) and windows (of other cultures)" as much as possible in our classrooms, our curriculum, our libraries, our songs, our games, our food, and our celebrations. Each child feels seen, respected and valued in our school.
Our lessons are instructed in English. Many of our staff members speak in Spanish and Mandarin and engage children informally with those languages when it is clear that they are spoken at home. To expose your child to more Spanish or Mandarin time during the week you can enroll him/her in the extended day program to participate in a 30-minute weekly Spanish or Mandarin class.
IMA Graduates are routinely accepted at prestigious private and public schools and are typically very well prepared academically and socio-emotionally, usually at a first-grade level. To learn more about what our graduates' families say about IMA, read our stellar Yelp reviews .