Woodland Montessori School
Woodland is a non-profit primary school, and we have been serving the greater Spokane area since 1981. Our mission is to provide quality education that follows the philosophy and training of Maria Montessori and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Our program is holistic: nurturing and developing the mind, body, and spirit of each child.
​
Our Primary school has three multi-aged classrooms. We are a three year program designed for children who are 3 to 6 years old, and children remain in the same classroom with the same teacher all three years. The school day for young children is from 8:30-Noon. Kindergartners have a longer day and are in school from 8:30-3:00. All students attend five days per week. We do have child care before school beginning at 7:30 a.m. and after school until 5:30 p.m.
​
In the fall of 2025, we have introduced an infant/toddler community into our school. This classroom, the sage classroom, serves students who are 6weeks-2.5yrs old and is open from 7:30am-3:15pm on school days.
"We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being."
Maria Montessori
Our Staff
Makaya Judge
Director
Makaya grew up in Spokane and has been a part of the Montessori community here since she was a child. As an alumna of Spokane’s Public Montessori program, she has always loved the philosophy. Woodland has always had a special place in her heart, as her mom used to work as an assistant here decades ago and Makaya would visit the school as an adolescent and found so much joy and peace in the environment. After working in ECE for about ten years, she returned to her Montessori roots and joined the team at Woodland in 2018. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with an Interdisciplinary BA in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education and received her Montessori Administrators training through AMI.
Nikki McConnell
Primary Guide- Blue Class
Curriculum Supervisor
Nikki began her teaching career running a small Montessori program in her home. She completed her Masters in Montessori Education from Loyola University in 2013. Nikki has worked in Montessori programs in Portland for several years before coming to Woodland in 2017. Her free time is spent keeping up with her busy kids. She is a big sports fan and loves to watch all of their games. In the summer, she loves to camp and soak up the sun at lakes and waterparks.
Allie Lapke
Primary Guide- Red Class
Allie has deep roots in Montessori. She spent her childhood up until the 6th grade in Spokane's public Montessori program. During college, while studying art at Western Washington University, she worked in a more traditional preschool setting as a teacher during the summers. When she graduated, she realized that she resonated more deeply with the Montessori method and took a job at Woodland in 2019, where she worked as an assistant and aftercare lead teacher until being promoted to lead guide in 2024. Allie took her primary training at the Southwest Institute of Montessori. Allie loves creating visual art, and you will see her wonderful paintings hung through the hallways and in her classroom!
Coreanna Riddell
Program Supervisor
Primary Guide- Yellow Class
Coreanna entered the Montessori classroom as an aide, and later became a guide in an infant classroom while simultaneously attending Eastern Washington University. She fell in love with the philosophy and the respect it provided the children. Since then, she has pursued this interest and furthered her experience by working with children, and the Montessori philosophy, in Toddler, Primary, and Lower Elementary levels. She has primary certifications both through Age of Montessori and Montessori Northwest (AMI). We were so excited when she joined the Woodland team as a guide in 2022. Also the mother of three children, when she has spare time, she loves getting lost in a book, trying new restaurants, and camping with her family.
Cricket Ives
Primary Guide- Sage Class
Cricket retired from elementary teaching after 20 years. She taught kindergarten and four years of lower elementary Montessori. Following retirement, she and her husband moved to Spokane to be closer to their grandchildren.
Cricket’s love for Montessori was reignited when her third grandchild was born in 2021, and she began learning about Montessori from birth. She was elated when the position for an assistant to infants opened at Woodland. Cricket is enrolled at Montessori Northwest and will have her Assistant to Infants diploma in August 2026.
Cricket’s love for the outdoors is a result of being raised and raising her two daughters in Eagle River, Alaska. She now resides in Coeur d’Alene, where she spends time biking and enjoying the lake with her grandchildren.
Our Board of Directors
Chair
Jaclyn Oscarson
Treasurer
Pat Manz
Staff Representative
Coreanna Riddell
Staff Liason
Linda Bradley
Note Taker
Franklin Day
Member
Andrea Wendt
Parent Representatives
Tayler Vierck
Ken Giles
Contact Woodland
Get in touch with Woodland Montessori School to learn more about our program and observe our classrooms.
402 S Coleman Rd, Spokane Valley, WA 99212, USA
(509) 924-1324
Nondiscrimination Policy
Woodland Montessori School encourages diversity. We admit students and families of any race, religion, national or ethnic origin. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, sexuality, socio-economic status, or gender in any of our policies or programs. Additionally, we are proud to broaden access to Montessori education by accepting WA state childcare subsidy payments in lieu of tuition.