A beautiful beginning is taking shape.

Aimee’s Story

I’m Aimee Gandy, founder and director of Curtis Park Montessori School.

I have spent more than 20 years in early childhood classrooms as a teacher and a director. I am Montessori certified, trained in RIE, and a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, and my work with young children began long before that, babysitting as a child and teenager.

This school began as a deeply personal vision: to create a place where children are treated with genuine respect, parents feel welcomed and supported, and teachers are valued as professionals and as people.

For years, I carried a vision of creating a school shaped by the values and practices I had come to care about most. I imagined warm, peaceful classrooms thoughtfully prepared for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers—places where children would be trusted in their abilities, supported as they developed independence, and given the time and space to grow into themselves.

I also imagined a school where parents would feel truly connected to their child’s experience. Raising young children can be both joyful and challenging, and families deserve a community where they can ask questions, share concerns, celebrate milestones, and know that the people caring for their children are genuine partners.

Just as importantly, I wanted to create a place where teachers could feel respected, supported, and proud of their work. The relationships teachers build with children and families are at the heart of a school. When educators are given opportunities to learn, grow, collaborate, and bring their full selves to their work, the entire community benefits.

That vision is now becoming real in the heart of Sacramento’s Curtis Park neighborhood.

Creating Curtis Park Montessori has required much more than constructing classrooms. Every detail—from the materials on the shelves and the design of the environment to the language teachers use and the way families are welcomed—is being considered with care.

I believe children, parents, and teachers all experience belonging through these everyday details: being greeted warmly, being listened to, feeling respected, and knowing that their presence matters.

Our approach brings together Montessori education, Positive Discipline, and the respectful caregiving principles of RIE. Together, these philosophies reflect what I believe most deeply: children deserve dignity, meaningful freedom within clear limits, authentic relationships, and adults who trust their natural drive to learn.

Curtis Park Montessori is the culmination of a long-held dream, but it is not a school I am creating alone. It is meant to become a genuine community—one shaped by the children, families, and educators who will learn, contribute, and grow together here.

We aren’t simply finishing a building. We’re creating a school community where children, parents, and teachers can all feel known, valued, and supported.