Woodland Montessori School
Woodland is a non-profit primary school serving the greater Spokane area. 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. Kindergarteners 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.
"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 of School
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. After working in ECE for about ten years, she returned to her Montessori roots and joined the team at Woodland. 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. Makaya loves community engagement. In her free time, she sits on her neighborhood council and is active on the CoMP (Community of Montessori Parents) board.
Nikki McConnell
Primary Guide- Blue Class
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.
Kristin Vogel
Primary Guide- Red Class
Kristin began her teaching career as an elementary special education teacher and taught for seven years in Wyoming. She enjoyed working in small groups and one-on-one with students, and tailoring lessons to meet the needs of each child. For this reason, Montessori education is a natural fit for Kristin. She came to Woodland as a parent and became a substitute teacher with us right away, before taking on her own classroom in 2020. Kristin earned her AMI diploma through Montessori Northwest. Besides teaching, she is also an artist, gardener and animal lover. Her current artistic passion is fiber art, and she loves working and relaxing in her backyard with her family.
Coreanna Riddell
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. Her primary certification is through Age of Montessori, and she is in the process of completing her AMI diploma through Montessori Northwest. 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.
Our Board of Directors
Chair
Rachael Manz
Treasurer
Pat Manz
Staff Representative
Nikki McConnell
Staff Liason
Linda Bradley
Secretary
Franklin Day
Parent Rep
Tayler Vierck
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.