WELCOME to
Davis Montessori
Teacher Education Program
Vision & Mission
To develop the adult learner’s critical hope through the Montessori teacher training program in order to be transformative guides who are rooted in an anti-bias and anti-racist approach.
To provide, prepare, and support Montessori guides in the greater Sacramento area with a holistic and decentralized approach to teaching and learning so that adult learners are equipped to work in both private and public Montessori learning environments.
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To reimagine the continuance of Dr. Maria Montessori’s work of fostering and engaging compassionate, competent, and connected changemakers who are lifelong learners and advocates.
Critical Hope
The ability to realistically assess one’s environment through a lens of equity and justice while also envisioning the possibility of a better future (Dugan, 2017; DuncanAndrade, 2009).
Our Team.
Meet our Teachers and Adminstrators
MAT, MEd
Director of Teaching & Learning
Sovandara is a K/1 guide at a public Montessori school, Birch Lane Montessori, in Davis, CA. Sovandara has taught for 18 years--in which 5 of those years included teaching abroad in The Gambia, China, and India; and for 4 years, she served as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coordinator at an independent school in the Los Angeles area. She earned her AMS-credentialed (Early Childhood) in 2007. She also has a MEd with a Montessori Emphasis, and a MAT in Elementary education. She holds a CA- Clear Credential, Multiple Subject Teaching and a Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development Certificate.
MAT
Early Childhood Specialist
Cheryl has over 20 years teaching experience with children ages 3 to 6 with a MAT and K-8 Washington State Teacher Certified, and an American Montessori Society Early Childhood credential. She enjoys creating curriculums that addresses student’s needs, while making it relevant and fun. She believes that community parternship, communication, and candid dialog is essential to success.
MA
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
​Kimberly started her career working with children when she worked as a recreational aide at an elementary school in 2010, in Long Beach, CA. After working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), her curiosity grew and a genuine passion developed to support people affected by ASD and their families by helping them to overcome challenges and obstacles as they navigate life. Kimberly has a BA with an emphasis in Family Consumer Sciences, specializing in Child Development and Family Studies. She also has a MA in Human Behavior with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. She is currently working as a BCBA and supports families to develop and acheive their goals. She also trains behavioral technicians and guides them to be successful in the field.
Liz has worked as a teacher and teacher mentor in early childhood classrooms for over twenty years. She is currently a research partner and teacher mentor with the Bay Area Writing Project and a research partner with ViệtSpeak, a Vietnamese bilingual advocacy group in Melbourne, Australia. Her research ties together bilingual education, early childhood education and family and community engagement. She is currently working on a bookmaking project with Vietnamese families in an early childhood center in Melbourne, Australia.
Research Partner
Remy Glovin,
MA
Practicum Coordinatoor
Remy graduated with a M.A. in Education from UC Davis in 2008. In 2009, she recieved her Elementary I (6 to 9 years old) Montessori credential. She has taught at Dixon Montessori Charter School and at California Montessori Project. She also was fortunate enough to work in a fantastic little Montessori school in New Plymouth on the North Island of New Zealand for three years before moving back to California. She then started at a public Montessori school in Davis, CA-- Birch Lane Montessori. She began in K/1 and moved to lower elementary (grades 2/3), and then eventually in upper elementary (grades 4/5/6). She then went and got her upper elementry Montessori credential (9 to 12 years old).
Amanda Garza
Kelly Vellanoweth
Early Childhood Specialist
TBD
TBD
Instructor
TBD
Amanda has a Lower Elementary I (6 to 9 years old) Montessori Credential.
Registrar
Non Discrimination Policy
DM-TEP does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.