Our School began in 1996 through the interest and efforts of the founder and Executive Director Ms. Shetal Walters, and a small group of parents. We held our first session in a home-based environment and over the course of three years expanded into three homes and served 40 families. Because of increased community interest, the program was expanded to include full-day programs, a toddler program, as well as late day school to meet the needs of the families involved. In March of 1999 we moved into our current facility, which was designed specifically for Montessori.

Desert Garden offers a Montessori infant program to begin a child’s journey with the best considerations possible in education. The infant program allows for us to begin our process in establishing a relationship with parent, school, and child at a very early age. This sense of community and consistency is a wonderful nurturing way to begin a child’s experiences with the outside world.

Over the years we have expanded our school to accommodate the needs of our children and the community. Our expanded campus allows us to serve infant through high school children, from ages 6 weeks to 18 years. We also offer programs including art, music, theater, Spanish, organic gardening and an organic kitchen, all of which are extremely important areas in offering a child a well-rounded education.

Desert Garden Montessori creates an environment for children and families in which they are encouraged to explore, create, learn, socialize and celebrate their unique talents.

We are committed to developing within each person a sense of responsibility, belonging and interdependence with nature, the community and our world.

We embrace a set of core values that guide our educational approach and create a nurturing environment for our students. These core values are connection, diversity, authenticity, respect and integrated wellness.

• Connection lies at the heart of our community, fostering strong relationships between students, teachers, and families.
• We believe in celebrating and embracing diversity, recognizing that each individual brings unique perspectives and experiences that enrich our learning community.
• Our commitment to authenticity means that we value and encourage students to be true to themselves, fostering a sense of self-awareness and genuine expression.
• Respect is a cornerstone of our interactions, teaching students to honor one another’s ideas, backgrounds, and boundaries.
• Integrated Wellness is at the forefront of our curriculum, promoting holistic development by nurturing the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our students and staff.

At Desert Garden Montessori, these core values form the foundation for an educational experience that empowers students to thrive academically, socially, and personally. The child learns through wonderful and broad experiences that are exposed to him/her at an early age. We reason that children learn best when exposed to various stimuli in a prepared environment with gentle guidance and freedom to make choices. Inner discipline can only be achieved in an atmosphere of freedom where the child is trusted to make choices that are appropriate for their own level of readiness. The teacher is there to encourage, redirect, and supervise, but it is the child that learns through personal motivation in manipulating the work itself within the prepared environment.

Desert Garden Montessori admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

The Desert Garden Community has made a commitment to providing quality childcare. We are proud to share that we are participants of the Quality First program and celebrate our 4-star rating!  It is our responsibility to continue to pursue high quality standards.  If you have any questions, please contact us.

Desert Garden Montessori is a fully-accredited International Baccalaureate School for the Middle Years Programme.

The staff at DGM make every effort to achieve the highest level of education and standards for the students served. As such, DGM maintains its Montessori accreditation with International Montessori Council (IMC).

Desert Garden Montessori was authorized in Spring 2019 as an IB (International Baccalaureate) World School for our Middle Years Programme, grades 7 – 10. We are proud to be part of an ever-growing global community of 5,000+ schools offering an International Baccalaureate program in 153 different countries.

We are excited to share that DGM is a Cognia Accredited School as of 2023. Earning this additional external certification is another way we are working to continuously grow and improve our program. Accreditation from Cognia is a valuable mark of distinction recognized around the world. They are the world leader in providing improvement and accreditation services to education providers of all types in their pursuit of excellence in serving students.