A Montessori school for ages 2 to 5
Wool is a small Montessori school with a toddler room and two primary rooms. Children choose their work from low shelves, and a guide who knows them well is always close by.
Programs
2-year-olds
A room of its own, with a guide and an assistant
3-year-olds
Two rooms, each mixed in age
4-year-olds
The oldest children in each room
Each room is mixed in age, so a child usually stays with the same guide through the primary years.
Sample programs.
Our rooms
Pours water from a small pitcher and wipes the tray afterward
Sorts, matches and stacks wooden shapes
Hangs a coat on a low hook and puts on shoes
Sings and listens to a short story in a small circle
When a child is ready for a longer morning and a bigger group, the guides and the family talk about a move to a primary room.
Chooses work from the shelves in a long, uninterrupted morning
Prepares snack for friends and cleans up after
Traces letters in sand and counts with wooden bead chains
Helps younger children in the room with a task they have mastered
Children stay in their primary room until it is time to leave for kindergarten; the guides talk it through with each family in the spring.
Sample levels.
Dates
Tours run twice a year, applications open in the new year, and families hear from us in March.
October and January
A tour takes about an hour in the morning, while the rooms are working. Children are welcome to come along.
Book a tourJanuary
The form is on our enrollment page and takes a few minutes.
March
By email and a phone call, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
Late August
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent.
Late December and March
We share the full list of closures at the start of the school year.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Licensed by Oregon DELC
Child care center license · OR License # 000000Verify
1 adult to 5 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 10
1 adult to 10 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 16
1 adult to 10 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 16
Group size
Up to 16 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
42
Ages 2 years to 5 years
An adult greets every child at the door and signs them in. At pickup a child goes only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. We ask families not to send nuts, and snack is prepared in the room with the children.
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school, we call you right away and a guide stays close until you arrive.
We practice fire and earthquake drills, and we count heads every time children move between the rooms and the garden.
Children wash their hands at a child-height sink on arrival and before snack, and work materials are wiped down between uses.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The team
Nine adults work at Wool: a director, a guide and an assistant in each room, and a school administrator. Three of the guides are here.
Director and primary guide
June leads the school and guides one of the primary rooms. She is at the door most mornings, and she is the person to ask about a tour.
Toddler room guide
Alka guides the toddler room, where a child's first weeks are slow and short. She keeps the room small and the shelves low.
Primary room guide
Asher guides the second primary room. He gives the lessons on the rug and then steps back while children work.
From families
“The tour was unhurried. June showed us the shelves, let our son try a tray, and answered every question about the day without a script.”
“Drop-off is calm. A guide meets each child at the door, and we always know who to ask when we have a question.”
“The weekly note tells us what the room worked on, so we can set out the same kind of thing at home.”
Sample reviews.
Book a tour on our tour page. We show you the rooms in the morning while children are working, and you are welcome to bring your child.
Applications open in January. The form asks about your family and the schedule you hope for. We ask for medical and custody details privately, once you enroll.
Families hear from us in March, by email and a phone call. When a room is full, we offer a place on the waitlist and tell you where you stand.
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent. Bring lunch, a water bottle and a change of clothes in a labeled bag.
Tours run in October and January. Book one, or call the school and we will find a time that works.