Calm
Soft voices, clear routines, classical music in the background. Children settle quickly because the room is predictable.
About us
Small, warm, and entirely in Spanish.
Imagine South Slope Montessori opened in 2015 as the first Montessori preschool in New York taught entirely in Spanish. More than a decade on, we're still one mixed-age classroom of at most twelve children, led by our founder every single day. Our families wanted a small, warm, real Montessori classroom where the whole day happens in Spanish.
Our philosophy
The whole child, at their own pace.
Imagine South Slope Montessori is a privately owned school which offers early childhood education and child care. Its philosophical foundation is the work of Dr. Maria Montessori, carried forth by educators with a specialty study in the Montessori Method.
Our approach is holistic and aims to develop the whole child, nurturing growth cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically. We believe children's early years, from birth to six, are the period when they harbor the greatest capacity to learn.
We strive to provide an enriched, stimulating environment which fosters order, coordination, concentration, and independence, where the child is an active explorer and can develop self-direction and a true love of learning.
We strive to create a program which minimizes stress in a child's life and maximizes balance, self-respect, and inborn aptitudes. Through the cooperative efforts of staff and parents, we aim to give each child a gift that lasts a lifetime.
What you'll notice on a visit
Hands-on
Real materials, real work. Pouring water, slicing bananas, matching sounds to letters, building, sorting, solving puzzles.
Bilingual by living it
Every teacher speaks Spanish with the children all day. The language is never a lesson; it's the air in the room.
Small on purpose
At most twelve children and three adults. Every child is known, seen, and nurtured.
Movement for growing bodies
On nice days we walk to JJ Byrne Playground. On wet days we move, dance and do yoga in the studio.
Parents as partners
Quick replies and honest conversations about how your child is doing.
Founder
Edith Villanueva
Founder, Director & Head Teacher
Edith opened Imagine South Slope Montessori in 2015 with one idea: the calm, hands-on Montessori classroom she trained in, lived entirely in Spanish. It was the first program of its kind in New York.
A decade later she is still in the classroom every day, alongside two assistant teachers. Parents describe her as warm, patient, endlessly creative, and just as caring with grown-ups as with children.
Our teachers
Three adults are in the room every day, all speaking Spanish with the children: Edith and two assistant teachers. A music teacher joins us once a week.
Our space
A dance studio full of light
Our classroom is on the third floor of Brooklyn Arts Exchange, a beloved neighborhood arts center on 5th Avenue: wood floors, tall windows, and light all day. Low shelves hold the Montessori materials at child height, a rug marks circle time, and JJ Byrne Playground is a short walk away.
Our story
- 2015
Imagine South Slope Montessori opens at BAX, the first Montessori preschool in New York taught entirely in Spanish.
- 2018
Our first graduates head to dual-language kindergartens across Brooklyn.
- 2026
Still one small classroom, still led by Edith, still entirely in Spanish. Now enrolling.
Come see it for yourself.
Tours take about 30 minutes and children are welcome. We enroll year-round when there's space in the classroom.