Passionate Professionalism

Great education, excellent customer service.

Our goal is to serve both the child and the parent, equally. That’s what we mean when we describe our people as passionate professionals. We are passionate about equipping each individual child with Knowledge for Life, and we’re professionals who understand that in addition to wanting a great experience for their children, parents need to find a school that simultaneously meets their own needs.

This is what Passionate Professionalism means at LePort.

Passion is…

Highly-trained, passionate teachers, supported to do their best in every classroom, every day

We are very selective in our hiring. For our Montessori classrooms, we actively recruit the best head teachers, selecting from those who hold the top Montessori credentials. Most of our teachers have undergone the demanding, year-long training courses offered by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the original Montessori training organization founded by Dr. Maria Montessori; while a few come to us from other training backgrounds and with the experience that enables them to deliver a classroom experience that is up to our largely AMI-inspired LePort standards.

We create an appealing career path for our teachers. Many who join us as assistant teachers discover their passion for Montessori while at LePort, and we sponsor the best assistants to attain their AMI-Montessori training. We often hire new teachers straight out of their training into our Junior Teacher program, where they can apprentice under Master Teachers before becoming Head Teachers in their own classrooms. Head teachers can advance in their own careers by, in turn, becoming Master Teachers in larger classroom and mentoring new teachers. They can even become Heads of School, or join our regional or central education teams.

A purposeful, caring partnership with parents and a supportive community

At LePort, we believe that children thrive when all their caregivers work from a common playbook. That’s why we invest heavily in partnering with parents.

Strong communications when you enroll. This means home visits by your baby’s teacher to your home, before your baby begins attending our Infant program. It means getting-started handouts to guide you on how to implement Montessori ideas at home, if you so choose, and how to help your child meet key milestones, from minimizing separation anxiety, to toilet learning.
Frequent Parent Info Evenings. 3-6 times each year we invite you in to meet with our teachers and fully discuss important aspects of your child’s experience at LePort, from sleep habits for infants, to how to best prepare for high school for our middle school students.
An open door policy. For children age three and up (Primary through Elementary), we invite parents to come in to observe classes in session. Our “Watch Me Work Wednesdays” program gives you the chance to observe your child and the entire class in action, without needing to make a special request.
A strong community of like-minded parents. Because we practice authentic Montessori, LePort schools have strong, coherent parent communities. From weekend casual play dates to potluck events at schools, from Special Friends day at Thanksgiving, to graduation parties and winter recitals, each of our schools has a distinct approach to fostering community between parents.

“The teachers at LePort inspire their students. Every one of them is sincerely concerned about their students’ personal growth. As they do with the academics, they constantly talk about how personal growth relates to the rest of life. All the teachers at LePort are the same way; they have a passion for their work, and it shows with the kids.”

Tami W.
LePort Parent

Professionalism means…

Excellent customer service

At LePort, we aim to meet the needs of children and parents simultaneously. This means we tailor what we offer to the needs of parents:

Convenient schedules. We offer a range of schedules to meet many needs. Short, 8:30 am – 12 pm schedules for toddlers are great for those children just starting school—while 7 am to 6 pm extended care makes it possible for dual career couples to work and have their child experience an outstanding education. With our 12-month option for Infant, Toddler and Preschool programs, your child can stay in a familiar, nurturing environment throughout the summer (while many other programs close or operate on reduced schedules) while also receiving care on “semi-holidays”, such as Columbus Day and Martin Luther King Day, when not all work places are off.
Regular proactive communication. We provide multiple channel to communicate with parents that are convenient for parents—through weekly emails, closed Facebook groups, and Transparent Classroom.
Easily accessible locations. When we open new schools, we pick locations that are convenient to reach—whether in the middle of a residential neighborhood, near commuter freeways, or just off public transport lines.
A range of enrichment programs, right on site. Many parents aren’t able to take their children around for enrichment activities. That’s why we offer many programs on site—from soccer to chess, from music to art and even foreign language.
A hot lunch program. At our larger preschools, we offer a hot lunch program. Parents can go online and pick from a menu tailored to offer healthy choices (our founder is an obesity surgeon, so sugary foods are not on our menu). Your child’s nutritious lunch will be delivered directly to his classroom—so you don’t have to pack it.

A focus on safety and security for children and staff

At LePort, we take seriously our responsibility for the safety and security of the children we serve and our staff who is dedicated to their well being. Here are just some of the actions we take to ensure our communities are safe everyday, and that challenges that do arise are managed to a safe outcome.

Rigorous staff screening. All of our staff undergo rigorous background checks—from health screenings and immunization reviews, to verification of educational transcriptions, to fingerprinting using live scan services. Lives Scan connects fingerprints to the Department of Justice and FBI for any arrests/convictions on a potential employee’s profile; our screening includes a Level 2 background check. Lastly, all employees must secure clearance through their local Department of Social Services.
Regular emergency drills. Each school has written disaster plans for everything from fires to earthquakes, lockdowns and evacuations. We practice fire, earthquake and lockdown skills several times each year, so that our staff and students are ready to smoothly put them in practice in the unlikely event of a real emergency. Our preparations for emergencies also include the ability to quickly email, text message, and leave voice mail messages to all parents and guardians, so they can stay informed and know their child is safe.
Location-appropriate security approaches. As our schools are located in a variety of settings, from the suburbs of Orange County to downtown locations in Brooklyn and San Francisco, our security measures are adapted to each school’s settings. Most schools have key-pad controlled entry. Some also have additional, site-specific protections to address the needs of individual communities. At each of our schools, we maintain good working relationships with the local police and fire departments.
Clearly defined procedures to manage student health. Our staff is very familiar with common health problems, such as food allergies. We ensure that the families of allergic students provide us with all relevant information, including an allergy treatment plan, and regularly train our staff on the proper use of emergency epinephrine auto-injectors. We verify immunizations, and have clear policies for the handing for infant formula, breast milk, and to ensure that food preferences and special food needs are considered during snack and lunch time. Every staff member we hire is required to have completed pediatric CPR/first aid training, and we offer annual recurrent training to continuing staff.

Attention to the small things that make all the difference

How thoroughly are the classrooms cleaned, and how often? Is there a professional cleaning company, or do the teachers need to double as cleaners? Does the after school dance program measure up to our expectations, or is it time to find another partner? What happens when a teacher goes on maternity leave: who will cover for her? When you call to let the teacher know your sister will pick up your son today, does someone answer the phone—someone who can explain the process of adding an approved pick-up person? How exactly should an Infant teacher handle it when a baby rejects an already offered bottle: toss it or keep it?

These and dozens of other hidden, invisible little (and big!) things need to be figured out proactively for a school to run smoothly, day in and day out, and for everyone to have a good experience. With a team dedicated to supporting our schools in everything from development to education and operations, and strong regional and school-based leadership, LePort has the ability to come up with compelling answers, and to ensure best courses of actions are implemented consistently across all of our schools.

Don’t take our word for it:

Please contact us, come in for an event, or join us for a campus tour. We’d love for you to see Passionate Professionalism in action!

By providing us with your phone number, you consent to being contacted by LePort Montessori and/or its affiliated schools regarding their educational programs, whether such contact is by phone, autodialer, recorded message, or text. Please note: Your consent is not required as a condition of enrollment.