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Community and compassion
We are all connected. True education reaches beyond the classroom walls, and our children learn early that their kindness can reach far.
A supportive village
We believe a strong connection within our school family is essential. Parents and teachers walk hand in hand, and families take part in celebrations, community projects the children lead, and field trips connected to our monthly country studies.
Giving back
Children discover the joy of giving back to the neighborhood around them, and grow up understanding their power to make a positive impact.
Helping families around the world
Through our partnership with the Tzu Chi Foundation, children learn Chinese each week and create projects that help others, discovering that compassion and service know no borders
The peace rug
When a disagreement arises, children invite their friend to our peace rug to work it out together, with a teacher gently guiding them through each step. Each child takes a turn to speak while the other listens with their whole body. They learn to look at one another with kind, compassionate eyes, and to put their feelings into words: "I felt sad when…" or "I felt frustrated because…"
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With practice, children grow a rich vocabulary for their emotions, learn to truly hear another person's side, and discover that they can solve problems with kindness. These are lifelong gifts: empathy, self-awareness, and the confidence to make peace.
Learning and giving with Tzu Chi
Once a week, teachers from the Tzu Chi Foundation visit our classroom to share the Chinese language with our children through songs, stories, and play. Alongside Spanish and English, it opens one more window onto the world, and one more way to make a friend.
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Together with Tzu Chi, we also create giving-back projects designed for small hands, so children experience for themselves that caring for others is something they can do, right now, at any age.
About Tzu Chi
Tzu Chi is a volunteer-based humanitarian organization founded in Taiwan in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, a Buddhist nun. It began with thirty homemakers who each set aside a few cents from their grocery money every day to help neighbors in need. In Chinese, its name means "compassion" and "relief."
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Today, Tzu Chi volunteers offer disaster relief, medical care, education, food assistance, and environmental protection in communities around the world. Tzu Chi USA has served families across the United States since 1989, with its national headquarters here in Southern California.
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We love what this story teaches our children: that small, everyday acts of kindness, gathered together, can change the world.
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What parents are saying
"Ms. Rokina's school has been a tremendously positive and nurturing experience for our daughter Naomi. Naomi started when she was 3 and blossomed in so many ways right from the start. Just recently she read her first word and was so proud of herself! After the first few weeks, Naomi said 'I love school!' As parents, we couldn't be happier. I recommend her school with my full confidence and trust."
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Devin N.
"When I moved to Pasadena from the East Coast, I was looking for a true Montessori school. I knew this was one at the first visit. The kids planted flowers, watched a chick hatch, learned about eclipses and Picasso. I was so surprised when my 4-year-old came home and talked about marsupials! The teachers are so loving and caring. It is a hidden gem in Pasadena!"
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Jipan X.
"Within the first two weeks of sending our daughter here, she started coming home telling us the most unbelievable things, all learning through playing and doing 'jobs.' Learning this way has made our daughter thrive to new levels. Ms. Rokina is so kind, patient, and understanding, and knows how to teach and instill good behavior. She has rounded out her program to include gardening, yoga, art, cooking, and much more. We highly recommend it!"
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Carrie S.
"If you are looking for a calm, safe, and nurturing environment where your child can expand and explore, you will love this school! Our son was always so happy and excited to go to school each day. He developed a love of numbers, began to read, learned about geography and famous artists, and most importantly strengthened his love of learning while developing a self-confidence that aided him greatly in his transition to kindergarten."
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Sarah N.
"When I pick her up she says things like 'this is the best school ever' or 'I love Ms. Rokina!' I love the peace rug, the advanced geography and art studies, how much the kids are outside in nature, and the yoga. Ms. Rokina is gentle, kind, calm, and intelligent, yet has high standards. The setting is intimate yet professional, clean, safe, and stimulating."
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Cindy O.