Our History
The Suttons Bay Children’s House was founded in 1984 by Gretchen Uhlinger, an AMI trained Montessori guide who was looking for a Montessori program for her two young daughters. That first year of operation, the school offered one toddler class for children 18 to 36 months with Colleen Christensen as the guide, one primary class for 3 to 6 year olds led by Gretchen in a renovated farm house in the village of Suttons Bay.
Over the next two decades, The Children’s House grew rapidly and operated out of several buildings before designing and opening its main campus in 2002 on North Long Lake Road. This beautiful building was intentionally designed to enhance the school’s Montessori philosophy and teaching method for infants through 6th grade. The Children’s House expanded to include 7th and 8th grade in 2014. In 2022, this growing young adolescent program became known as Compass Montessori Junior High and moved to its own campus in downtown Traverse City.
Today, The Children’s House enrolls up to 245 children, infants through 6th grade, on its 8-acre main campus on North Long Lake Road just west of downtown Traverse City, Michigan. Compass Montessori Junior High enrolls up to thirty 7th and 8th grade students at its 6,000 square foot Park Street Campus in downtown Traverse City.
Our Mission
We prepare a Montessori learning environment that supports and respects the development of each unique child and nurtures them to become independent, curious, confident, lifelong learners who strive to contribute to their communities and the greater world.
Educating the Whole Child
The Montessori approach is designed to help children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity. Our approach to learning caters to each student’s academic, physical, emotional, spiritual, and moral development.
Our Approach
For children ages 3 months to 14 years
To learn about the curriculum and prepared Montessori environments of our classrooms, please read about our programs for children from infancy through the adolescent years.
Our Programs
Curricular Scope
Learn about Dr. Montessori’s four planes of development and the continuum of knowledge from one developmental level to the next.
Portrait of a Graduate
We harness curiosity and discovery to inspire learning. As a result, our graduates are intrinsically motivated learners, critical thinkers, and strive for academic excellence.
From our Blog
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Forever inspired by the wisdom of Dr. Maria Montessori, The Children’s House and Compass Montessori Junior High cultivate a learning community where we aim for everyone to feel safe, welcome, and included, and wherein all people are empowered to explore the richness and diversity of humanity, and in doing so discover who they are, where they come from, and how they wish to contribute to our ever-changing world.
