Guidepost
Montessori

at Hampshire
.

Tours & Events
Hampshire.
Monday-Friday | 7:00 am – 6:00 pm

Nido (6 weeks to 18 months)
Young Toddler (18 months to 2 years)
Toddler (2 to 3 years)
Children's House (3 to 6 years)

6008 Hampshire Cir, Waldorf, MD 20603 US
AJ Jones
Guidepost Montessori in Hampshire is one of the most trusted Montessori schools in Waldorf, Maryland. Indoors, rooms are spacious, bright, and light-filled, creating a warm and calm space for children to work. Our school is conveniently situated off Hampshire Circle and Smallwood Drive.
AJ Jones . Head of School
Tours & Events

explore our programs.

Our approach is designed to empower each child to achieve independence by combining our hands-on curriculum with personalized learning to create an environment where curiosity flourishes, independence grows, and academic excellence is a natural outcome.

We want your child to see and believe: “I am capable!”

Montessori for Military

We are committed to bridging financial assistance, community, and continuity of education to our nation’s heroes and their families. When duty calls, we firmly believe that your child’s education should not be a sacrifice.

We can offer a seamless transfer process from one location to another, replacing disruption with stability. To date, more than 30+ of our campuses based in the U.S. are located within 30 miles of military installations and have joined Child Care Aware of America’s fee-assistance program, bridging early childhood tuition assistance to eligible families off-base.

Learn more about Montessori for Military here.

what makes us stand out.

How is the Guidepost Montessori approach different from conventional education?.

At Guidepost, we join with parents on their mission to help their child grow and live well. Together, we design an education to empower each child to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence she needs to craft an independent, flourishing life.

Though there are many differences between the conventional approach and Guidepost, here are some of the most important:

Conventional Education vs Guidepost Montessori
What is the Guidepost Mission?.

At Guidepost, our mission is to support each child in achieving her own independence. To do this, we help her gain the knowledge, build the skills, and craft the personal character she needs to flourish. Above all, our goal is to cultivate joy—in the pursuit of knowledge, in effort applied to work worth doing, in the achievements of herself and others, and in taking the steps to author her own life.

Read more about the Guidepost Mission.

Learn about the key milestones we support—from infancy through high school.

Read more about why we educate for independence, and how we support independence for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children.

What are the outcomes of your programs?.

Montessori education is known world-wide for having positive impacts on both academics and social and emotional skills.

At Guidepost Montessori, when we design an environment to meet the developmental needs and interests of children alongside personalized care and support, the child can learn advanced skills at an accelerated pace.

Our students, for example, regularly learn to read by the time they’re 4-years-old and can perform all four math operations with 4-digit numbers by the end of their Kindergarten year.

The language and math skills of our kindergartners are on a par with what children in conventional programs learn in 3rd grade or beyond! What’s more, our students learn advanced academics joyfully—while simultaneously developing deep focus, self-discipline, and positive social skills.

Read more about the Guidepost Montessori advanced Language Curriculum in Children’s House.

Read more about the Guidepost Montessori advanced Math Curriculum in Children’s House.


Do your programs include Kindergarten?.

Yes! The third year of our Children’s House program, designed for 3- to 6-year-olds, is the capstone kindergarten year. In this year, the child has been well-prepared to experience an explosion of literacy, learn advanced math concepts, and use her hard-won ability to focus, problem-solve, and persist through challenges to then make advanced gains across the curriculum. Children who continue with Guidepost through Kindergarten are often well-ahead of their peers when they enter 1st grade.

Learn more about the capstone Kindergarten year at Guidepost.

Learn more about the next exciting stage: the Guidepost elementary program.

Following elementary, students continue on to our Montessori middle and high school, the Academy of Thought & Industry: a school that combines a classical liberal arts emphasis on history and great books, and a Montessori emphasis on independence and agency.

How does Guidepost partner with parents?.

At Guidepost, we want to make the best education the best for children and parents. This is why we provide year-round, extended-day programming at no extra cost, enabling consistent and uninterrupted access to the care and developmental support parents expect. We invite you into your child’s world—with daily photo and video updates, regular milestone meetings, and parent-child events that showcase your child’s progress. We work to understand your unique context and needs, so that we can provide support for milestones at home as well as at school.

In everything we do, we strive to cultivate joy as you watch your child grow!

Read about Transparent Classroom, the app that provides a window into your child’s day.

Read about recent family events such as Grandparent’s Day, a cultural celebration, and a spring celebration.

take a peek at our school.

what parents are saying.

All
6
Google
5
Yelp
1
Meghan T.
Jun 10, 2021 on yelp
My family LOVES Guidepost Montessori at Hampshire. I knew from the initial tour of the school that I was going to get my children enrolled. Ms. Sarah, the...
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Shantell Blagrove
Dec 11, 2022 on google
As a parent who is very particular about her baby, I looked at several schools and didn’t stop until I found a school that I felt safe to leave my child. Guidepost Hampshire is a great school, the guides are so loving and very passionate about teaching. Both head of school and assistant head of school are very hands on in the different communities. There is always something exciting going on at the campus to bring the families together for that community partnership. Keep up the good work!
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Jay Morris
Nov 11, 2022 on google
After several failed attempts at finding a learning environment for our child, my wife and I found Montessori at Hampshire to be a perfect home to help cultivate his first years of education. The new director (AJ) and assistant director (Mrs. Tereasa) instill the core Montessori values in the daily operation and pick staff and faculty that stay true to the students needs. Our sons teachers Mrs.Latoya and Mrs.Shelby are seasoned teachers/parents who know how to motivate the students and create a harmonious atmosphere that allows the class to learn and thrive. This school does a great job with activities/events that incorporates the families and helps students understand the world from a safe environment. My wife and I have are always excited to hear the daily praise reports from our child in what he learned and explored. I would definitely recommend your child to attend this school and wish it was a full elementary school. It will be hard to find a school that matches in comparison. ❤️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Heather B.
Aug 27, 2023 on google
Feels like family. My husband (now three and a half year old), daughter, and I moved to Charles County about two years ago with no family or friends nearby. The Pandemic changed the lives of many parents which made finding support with a little one challenging. We were grateful to come across a preschool which held our values, ethics, taught kindness through diversity and acceptance of all individuals. We practiced Montessori at home since our daughter was born and did not wish for her independence though explorational learning to change. We were excited to also know the Toddler room had mixed ages 3-6 as our daughter always gravitated friendships with older kids. The eldest kids teach the younger and show them the way. It's simply beautiful seeing her socialize with her peers in her classroom and outside on the playground with other kids from other classes. The instructors are educated, continue certifications, and have vast knowledge in childhood development. The assistants are compassionate. The teachers put all their hearts into each and every kid. Ms Gina (her teacher) and Ms Kayla (assistant teacher) are reassuring even in times of sickness, injury, or just being a being a parent to a three year old. The head director AJ has thought of everything to make the center feel professional, clean, safe, secure but mostly full of life and love. One day I forgot my umbrella; she offered some. Need wipes. No problem; she had those as well. Through it all AJ and Ms. Teresa (Assistant head) have guided us as new parents unknown to the wonders of daycare to fully embracing the community. There are tons of activities to get to connect with other parents while growing stronger connections through interacting with your kid. It is nice to be able to trust our daughter is not only happy throughout her day but her teacher faculty truly embrace childcare with the same passion, kindness, integrity, and healthy boundaries we do for our own daughter. Some of the teachers own kids even attend the school. which tells your it's a good place. It's feels like you are dropping your kid off with your favorite Aunt and Uncle. Believe me I still feel guilty as a parent each time I walk away but having the support to be able to enable a healthy work life balance and return back to our little one renewed, ready, and able to continue this great life is a blessing. These teachers sacrifice and deeply enjoy what they create daily to inspire our youth. It is wonderful to witness not only our own child's personal development but also her peers blossom socially while attending in school. The staff is fully engaging, present, and grounded in making sure everyone is welcome. We drive 30 minutes from our home and pass ten other daycares/preschools. None compare. I kinda did not wish to let the secret out but it would be a shame to not let others know how truly wonderful Guidepost at Hampshire has been since January (our daughter first started). Eternally grateful for these angels called teachers.
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Joseph Kohan
Nov 6, 2022 on google
We love this school! It is very hard to find quality care for young ones in Waldorf. We had our sons in a different program across the street and hated it. All they did was put them on a screen. The Guidepost could not be any different. They are constantly working on productive learning modules. Their school is new and immaculately setup. The current director AJ is an Air Force veteran and is really invested in helping military families. The assistant director Teresa is fantastic and has all of the administrative processes on lock! We highly recommend the school.
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Erika Love
Dec 15, 2022 on google
We love Guidepost Hampshire. The staff is professional, friendly and always so inviting. Communication is superb and it truly feels like a community is helping my little one acclimate to the world. It was important to our family for our children to have a Montessori-based education promoting independence, manners, and curiosity. My child has excelled in her language and overall independence with daily tasks since she started at Guidepost (13 months after being at home). She’s now approaching 3, talks in full sentences, can properly tend to self care (dressing, brushing her teeth, eating at a dinner table with a place setting, etc.) and the care of other things around her (cleaning up after herself, sweeping, watering house plants, etc.). There’s also creative projects that help her express herself. It’s incredible how much she has grown and how she looks forward to going to school everyday. I love the diversity within the community and I appreciate how attentive the guides and staff are with the little ones. While not all the staff are Montessori trained, they are encouraged to pursue the educational training and lead their classrooms based on Maria Montessori’s philosophy. One thing I would add would be a language immersion program like Spanish or French. It’s a fairly new school, so I hope to see more growth in program offerings in the future including an expanded elementary and middle school option. Overall, it’s a great community and I highly recommend!
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Ideas from the Guidepost Blog