Early Childhood Education That Nurtures Self Love & Identity

Corner Conversations

Montessori American Indian Childcare Center hero

Montessori American Indian Childcare Center is helping children build confidence while strengthening community connections, Indigenous culture and language.

By Chris M. Garner, Communications Specialist

Every child deserves to grow up knowing who they are.

For the children and parents who walk through the doors of Montessori American Indian Childcare Center, that means stepping foot into a place where their identity is nurtured and embraced.

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Culture Centered Education

"When you wrap them in their culture and their values, it builds confidence, comfortability, knowledge and skills," said Executive Director Janice LaFloe.

For Janice, the work they do at Montessori American Indian Childcare Center is more than early childhood education — it is healing work, ensuring Ojibwe and Dakota language and stories are passed from one generation to the next.

"It means that they see those faces," Janice said. "They see it around them. They're taught by it. They see it in the artwork. They hear it in the stories, they experience it in their daily interactions, and it's reflected in the books around them as well. So, that has been how I've worked to create what I think is the best early learning experience for our native children."

The Value of Montessori Learning

Janice's inspiration to start the center came from her love of Montessori learning and her want to bridge education gaps in the Indigenous community. Her first exposure to Montessori was when she enrolled her youngest son in school. She fell in love with how welcoming they were to her child, and it made her want to create her own learning institution.

"Having been someone who's worked in the school systems and in community systems over the years, I sought out an opportunity with the Bush Foundation and was chosen as a Bush Leadership Fellow, which allowed me to take two years," said Janice. "In that first year I went through Montessori training and then the next year raised funds to find a location, renovate, hire and implement, because no one else was serving our children. And they do deserve to be cared for, wrapped around and embedded in their culture."

That passion for individualized education and culture can be felt in the staff, children and parents.

"One thing that I think a lot of native kids struggle with is being intentionally or unintentionally forced into a specific way of experiencing education," parent Nicholas DeShaw said. "And a beautiful thing about Montessori is that it allows them to create their own path and follow their strengths and interests with guidance."

That exposure includes monthly language lessons in Ojibwe, drum and dance, and the understanding of seasonal concepts. It also includes weekly playgroup for parents with children three and under, where they can come and interact with one another and begin learning routines to enter preschool like pros.

"I've learned so much from observing children," said Janice. "If you think back, some of our fondest, happiest and scariest memories are formed in those first six years of life. Neuroscience studies show that brain development is 90% by the age of six, and those are the years in which we need to guide children along in their experiences."

“When you wrap them in their culture and their values, it builds confidence, comfortability, knowledge and skills.”

Janice LaFloe, Executive Director

Future Possibilities

With support from organizations such as the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Montessori American Indian Childcare Center has been able to serve Indigenous youth and families in Saint Paul for more than 10 years.

"We are deeply grateful to the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation for the investment in our children, in our work,” Janice said.

Her hope is to find her school a permanent home. For years they resided on the east side of Saint Paul before moving to their current location in Roseville.

"We've been leasing space for 12 years," said Janice. "So, as we emerge through our adolescent-hood as an organization, I hope to grow up and still be around and be able to have a permanent space that our children and our families and our community can call our own."

Because for Montessori American Childcare Center, the Power of Possible is "what we hold hope for when we just give a little. It doesn't take a lot, but it does take working together to exponentially create a greater impact."

Inspired to Make a Difference?

To learn more about how you can support organizations like the Montessori American Childcare Center contact a member of our Philanthropic Services team.

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Corner Conversations feature individuals and nonprofits driving change in Minnesota by highlighting their work in connection to current topics and issues facing our communities and state. To learn more about how the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation supports youth and education, visit Impact in Action: Youth & Education.

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About the Author

As communications specialist, Chris Garner supports the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s work by showcasing it to the community through words, photo, video and other media. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Alabama State University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University.