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 AMI Montessori Administrators training through SIMS. She received her AMI orientation certificates in both Primary (3-6) and Infant/Toddler (0-3) through Montessori Northwest.
Coreanna Riddell
Primary Guide- Yellow Class
Program Supervisor
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.
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!
Kate Kornchuk
Primary Guide- Blue Class
Kate is a passionate teacher, dedicated to fostering independence, confidence, and a love of learning in young children. After completing her degree in education, Kate discovered the Montessori approach and was deeply inspired by its emphasis on child-led learning, respect for individuality, and the development of independence. She joined Woodland as an assistant teacher in 2024 to explore this more. This philosophy continues to guide her work each day as she creates nurturing, engaging environments where children feel supported, capable, and encouraged to explore the world around them. She has taken AMI orientation through Montessori Northwest, and is completing her 3-6 diploma at SIMS Montessori Teacher Education Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Cricket Ives
Infant/Toddler 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.
Support Staff
We are so lucky to have the most amazing support staff at Woodland who help to prepare the environments, care for the social and emotional needs of our students, and support our trained Montessori guides in their work. Here is a little about them (from Left to Right in the photo)
Barb- Custodian/Assistant Teacher
Barb is our building custodian and aftercare assistant teacher. She has been with our school for over a decade, and is essential in keeping our environment ready for students!
Nettie- Administrative Assistant
Nettie is our office assistant but so much more! She has worked at Woodland since 1998 in many capacities. Managing attendance and supply shopping, giving breaks, and substituting in classrooms, she is the backbone of our little school. She received her AMI assistant's certification in ages 0-3 from Montessori Northwest.
Tatiana- Red Class Assistant/ Early Care & Aftercare Lead
Tatiana has been working in the Red classroom since 2025. She is now working as our lead in our after school care program. Tatiana has over four years experience working as an assistant teacher and is studying education at EWU.
Rachelle- Sage Class Assistant
Rachelle joined the team in the spring of 2026. She is a wonderful addition to the Sage classroom as we expand our number of little ones, and she looks forward to learning more about the Montessori Method!
Michele- Blue Class Assistant
Michele has been in that classroom since 2019, and is a fixture in their community. Michele spent many years working as an assistant teacher at the elementary level at Spokane Public Montessori before she transitioned to the primary level. She received her AMI Primary (3-6) assistant's certificate from Montessori Northwest.
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 Representative
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.