Guidepost
Montessori
at Old Town.
Our Montessori school in Chicago IL location serves families throughout Old Town, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, River North, and the greater Chicago North Side.
Our programs:
Nido (6 weeks to 15 months)
Young Toddler (15 months to 2 years)
Toddler (2 to 3 years)
Children's House (3 to 6 years)
Spanish Immersion (2 to 6 years)
Contact info:
708-441-3831
Email us
Address:
311 W Division
Old Town Park, Chicago, IL 60610
Business hours:
Monday-Friday:
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Guidepost Montessori in Old Town is one of the most trusted Montessori schools in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago.
Bria Thompson is the Head of School, bringing a deep commitment to whole-child development, strong family partnerships, and the growth of empowered, well-supported educators. With a background in instructional leadership, curriculum development, and community-centered school culture, Bria is dedicated to creating learning environments where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Throughout her career, Bria has served as a teacher, coach, and school leader, giving her a comprehensive understanding of both classroom practice and school-wide systems. She believes in leading with clarity, empathy, and accountability — ensuring that staff receive meaningful training, students receive high-quality instruction, and families feel informed, welcomed, and heard.
Bria is especially passionate about developing strong teams. She prioritizes ongoing professional development, coaching, and positive, strengths-based staff culture. Her leadership centers on the belief that when educators feel supported and valued, students experience the transformative learning they deserve.
As Head of School, Bria is honored to serve the community and is committed to building a joyful, safe, and inclusive school environment where every child and family can succeed.
Bria Thompson Head of School
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what makes us stand out.
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, read more
about the Guidepost Montessori approach.
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 how Montessori capitalizes on the child’s readiness without rushing development.
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.
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.
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!
start your journey with us.
Our admissions team is ready to meet you and get you started on your journey within the Guidepost community.
We’re here to provide your family with the information and confidence you need to enroll in one of our programs.