Guidepost
Montessori

at Wicker Park
.

Tours & Events
Wicker Park.
Monday to Friday | 7:00am - 6:00pm

Toddler (2 to 3 years)
Children's House (3 to 6 years)
Spanish Immersion (2 to 6 years)

1530 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 US
Gladys Contreras
Guidepost Montessori in Wicker Park is one of the most trusted Montessori schools in Chicago, Illinois. Indoors, rooms are spacious, bright, and light-filled, creating a warm and calm space for children to work. Our school is conveniently located in the heart of Wicker Park, on the corner of Pierce and Damen Avenues.
Gladys Contreras . Head of School
Tours & Events

learn more about our programs & approach.

What makes Montessori unique? How will Guidepost support your child at each stage of development? What does a typical day look like? In this info session, we discuss the Montessori curriculum and approach, schedule options and what a typical day looks like, and how we collaborate and communicate with parents.

Making the Most of Childhood

discover the benefits of our spanish immersion programs.

Children under the age of six absorb language effortlessly, which is why we are pleased to offer bilingual environments. In our Spanish Immersion program, children learn both Spanish and English literacy skills, however, the prevailing language spoken throughout the day is Spanish. The overall emphasis on Spanish rapidly increases fluency, as children feel naturally compelled to communicate with their Spanish-speaking guides. Learn more about our Spanish Immersion program here

The gift of language: Spanish Immersion at Guidepost Montessori

what parents are saying.

All
8
Google
5
Yelp
3
Puja G
Mar 26 on google
We have loved our experience at Guidepost Wicker Park and absolutely recommend others to send their kids here. It is a wonderful and safe space for kids to learn and grow!
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Ashley G
Dec 1, 2024 on google
We’ve been delighted with everyone that works at Guidepost: guides, aids, administration. All 10/10, committed to these kids and making an amazing community.
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Jasmine L
Apr 1, 2024 on google
Guidepost Montessori Wicker Park has been my family’s second home in Chicago. My two sons have grown with so much confidence and independence thanks to the loving care and kindness of all the staff.
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Eliana S
Apr 1, 2024 on google
I could not be more happy for the decision to have chosen Montessori education for my son.
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Rachel H
Mar 1, 2024 on google
We have been so happy at Guidepost Wicker Park! We're very glad we chose this preschool!
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Michelle R
Jul 31, 2023 on yelp
We were referred by friends who had a great experience so that was reassuring as we had just moved from out of state. And they were right! The teachers, the...
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Alison Y
Aug 14, 2020 on yelp
Guidepost is a wonderful school with caring and attentive staff and administration. You can tell they truly love working with children and are excited to...
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Shannon M
Apr 3, 2019 on yelp
We have sent our daughter here for over a year. She first started off in the English Toddler (2 YO) room and is in Children's House (3-6). I can only...
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take a peek at our school.

explore our programs.

Our approach is designed to empower each child to achieve independence by combining our hands-on curriculum with personalized learning to create an environment where curiosity flourishes, independence grows, and academic excellence is a natural outcome.

We want your child to see and believe: “I am capable!”

Toddler.
For children ages 18 months to 3 years old
Children's House.
A preschool for hands-on reading, writing, math and more
Spanish Immersion.
For children ages 18 months to 6 years old
Guidepost at Home.
For children ages 0 to 12 years old

what makes us stand out.

How is the Guidepost Montessori approach different from conventional education?

At Guidepost, we join with parents on their mission to help their child grow and live well. Together, we design an education to empower each child to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence she needs to craft an independent, flourishing life.

Though there are many differences between the conventional approach and Guidepost, here are some of the most important:

Conventional Education vs Guidepost Montessori
What is the Guidepost Mission?

At Guidepost, our mission is to support each child in achieving her own independence. To do this, we help her gain the knowledge, build the skills, and craft the personal character she needs to flourish. Above all, our goal is to cultivate joy—in the pursuit of knowledge, in effort applied to work worth doing, in the achievements of herself and others, and in taking the steps to author her own life.

Read more about the Guidepost Mission.

Learn about the key milestones we support—from infancy through high school.

Read more about why we educate for independence, and how we support independence for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-age children.

What are the outcomes of your programs?

Montessori education is known world-wide for having positive impacts on both academics and social and emotional skills.

At Guidepost Montessori, when we design an environment to meet the developmental needs and interests of children alongside personalized care and support, the child can learn advanced skills at an accelerated pace.

Our students, for example, regularly learn to read by the time they’re 4-years-old and can perform all four math operations with 4-digit numbers by the end of their Kindergarten year.

The language and math skills of our kindergartners are on a par with what children in conventional programs learn in 3rd grade or beyond! What’s more, our students learn advanced academics joyfully—while simultaneously developing deep focus, self-discipline, and positive social skills.

Read more about the Guidepost Montessori advanced Language Curriculum in Children’s House.

Read more about the Guidepost Montessori advanced Math Curriculum in Children’s House.


Do your programs include Kindergarten?

Yes! The third year of our Children’s House program, designed for 3- to 6-year-olds, is the capstone kindergarten year. In this year, the child has been well-prepared to experience an explosion of literacy, learn advanced math concepts, and use her hard-won ability to focus, problem-solve, and persist through challenges to then make advanced gains across the curriculum. Children who continue with Guidepost through Kindergarten are often well-ahead of their peers when they enter 1st grade.

Learn more about the capstone Kindergarten year at Guidepost.

Learn more about the next exciting stage: the Guidepost elementary program.

Following elementary, students continue on to our Montessori middle and high school, the Academy of Thought & Industry: a school that combines a classical liberal arts emphasis on history and great books, and a Montessori emphasis on independence and agency.

How does Guidepost partner with parents?

At Guidepost, we want to make the best education the best for children and parents. This is why we provide year-round, extended-day programming at no extra cost, enabling consistent and uninterrupted access to the care and developmental support parents expect. We invite you into your child’s world—with daily photo and video updates, regular milestone meetings, and parent-child events that showcase your child’s progress. We work to understand your unique context and needs, so that we can provide support for milestones at home as well as at school.

In everything we do, we strive to cultivate joy as you watch your child grow!

Read about Transparent Classroom, the app that provides a window into your child’s day.

Read about recent family events such as Grandparent’s Day, a cultural celebration, and a spring celebration.

start your journey with us.

Our team of admissions specialists are ready to meet you and get you started on your journey within the Guidepost community. We're here to provide your family with the information and confidence you need to enroll in one of our programs.

Learn more about Montessori.

Read our enrollment guide.

Book a school tour.

Submit your application.

Start your journey with us