Goleta, since 2017
A Montessori school started by parents and teachers
South Coast Montessori is a nonprofit school in Goleta for children from three months through sixth grade.
Our story: how families and teachers opened a school in eight days
In the last week of 2016, the Montessori school these families had chosen closed suddenly. A small group of parents did not want their children scattered across other schools. With teachers and others in the school community, they formed a new nonprofit school. South Coast Montessori opened on January 6, 2017, on the same campus, with the same teachers.
- December 26, 2016:Families learn that the Montessori school that served Santa Barbara for 40 years has had to close. It will not reopen after winter break.
- Those first days:Parents, teachers, and others in the school community form a new nonprofit school and name it by a simple vote. On his back patio, parent of two children Brian Cogswell agrees to step in as interim Head of School.
- January 6, 2017:South Coast Montessori opens its Infant-Toddler and Primary programs. The children come back to the same classrooms, materials, teachers, and friends.
- That winter:For roughly six weeks, the people building the school work without pay. Early fundraising steadies it and keeps its teachers and staff.
- 2022:The Elementary program opens.
- Today:Children from three months through sixth grade, still on the same campus. Three founding members of the school are still working at SCM, including Brian, the Head of School.
What we stand for: an authentic Montessori education
The founding families set out to keep an authentic Montessori education for their children. Here is what that means at South Coast Montessori.
Our mission
South Coast Montessori is dedicated to the principles of AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) created by Maria Montessori to ensure authenticity of the method. Our Montessori environments foster collaboration, community and peace, and provide experiences that promote curiosity, inquiry and engagement. We are dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs of each student.
Our philosophy
At the heart of the school is authentic Montessori method, as Maria Montessori developed it more than 100 years ago. Childhood is when children explore the world and gather the impressions that all later learning is built on. Dr. Montessori observed that young children have very specific needs:
Our classrooms are designed to meet these needs for every one of our students. Our goal is to help children develop independence, initiative, self-confidence, self-esteem, social growth, comprehensive academic skills, and the chance to lead in a mixed-age classroom. Our teachers give each child a supportive, individualized environment to learn at their own pace.
For the reasons behind the method, see how Montessori works.
- The need for an ordered, inspiring and loving environment
- The need to do things for and by themselves
- The need for respect as capable, independent workers
- The need for their intelligence to be honored in the materials they use
- The need for a purposeful conclusion to their work
- The need for a group of peers with which they can collaborate and an environment to which they can contribute
Led by the people who opened it in 2017
The people who run South Coast Montessori work in it, and they know its families.
Families and teachers get to know one another through the year. See how the school connects everyone.
Still on the campus where it opened
South Coast Montessori opened here in January 2017. Every program is on this campus today, from infants to sixth grade.
Three people here since day one
Brian Cogswell, Head of School; Leah, Primary Lead Guide; and Lisa Schaefer, School Administrator, all helped open the school in January 2017. Meet our Staff & Board
A nonprofit school
Parents and staff founded it. What families invest goes back into the educational program and the community, not toward a return for an owner.
The BEST authentic Montessori program in all of Santa Barbara, CA. For the past 6 years, watching my children fly and thrive at SCM has been nothing short of remarkable!
School Parent
Indoor and outdoor classrooms, all on one campus in Goleta
Every program shares one campus in Goleta, with indoor and outdoor classroom environments. Children move freely and follow their own interests and curiosity. A child who arrives as an infant reaches sixth grade at a school that has known them every year along the way.
Questions about South Coast Montessori
When and how was South Coast Montessori founded?
Parents and teachers founded South Coast Montessori after their Montessori school closed suddenly in December 2016. They formed a new nonprofit and opened on January 6, 2017. The children came back to the same campus and the same teachers.
Is South Coast Montessori a nonprofit?
Yes. South Coast Montessori is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) school, Tax ID 81-4994237, founded by parents and staff. What families invest goes back into the educational program and the community, not toward a return for an owner. You can support the school.
What ages does South Coast Montessori serve?
Children from three months through sixth grade, in four programs: Infant (3 to 18 months), Toddler (18 to 36 months), Primary (ages 3 to 6, including the kindergarten year), and Elementary (grades 1 to 6). Elementary was added in 2022.
Come and meet the families and teachers who built this school
If you think your child would thrive in a Montessori environment, come and see the classrooms. We would love to show you around and introduce you to the teachers.
Already sure? Apply now.
