Mrs. Kristen Goenner, the owner and director of Little Friends Montessori LLC, received her Montessori credential in June 2001 from the American Montessori Society upon completion of her studies at the Center for Contemporary Montessori at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. She has also studied child development courses at St. Cloud State University and the University of the Pacific. Mrs. Goenner is profoundly dedicated to the philosophy and methodology of Montessori. Kristen's interests outside of Montessori include gardening, horseback riding, and travel.
Little Friends Montessori was established by Kristen and her husband Matt in August 2003. Little Friends offers a Christian environment open to all faiths. Our program is located in a residential neighborhood of Becker, MN. It is our goal to provide a family like environment for the children. Therefore, each session consists of 12 or fewer children ranging in age from 3-6 years.
The specially prepared environment that we offer is filled with a broad range of Montessori materials specifically designed for the developing minds of young children. The children receive lessons based on their developmental needs and their individual learning style. Children are encouraged to work independently choosing activities and putting their work away after it is completed. This world famous method was developed by Italy's first female medical doctor, Dr. Maria Montessori.
While attending Montessori, your child will also enjoy traditional preschool activities like music, crafts, and outside play. Learning to read is an exciting first step many children make while attending Little Friends. Communication is important to keep up with everything your child will learn in all the other areas of the learning environment (writing, math, science, geography, etc.) therefore we conference with parents twice a year.
As families we socialize in a variety of ways. We celebrate the holidays with a special evening in December and gather for the annual picnic at a local park each spring. The children often schedule play dates together too! We hope you will become a Montessori family!
