Guidepost
Montessori

at Magnificent Mile
.

Tours & Events
Magnificent Mile.
Monday-Friday | 7:00 am – 6:00 pm

Nido (6 weeks to 18 months)
Toddler (18 months to 3 years)
Children's House (3 to 6 years)
Elementary (6 to 12 years)
Spanish Immersion (2 to 6 years)

226 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611 US
Brian Puerling
Guidepost Montessori at Magnificent Mile offers a vibrant, child-centered learning environment in the heart of downtown Chicago, fostering independence and a love for learning in children from infancy to elementary. Situated in one of the city's most iconic neighborhoods, this campus provides a seamless blend of urban convenience and Montessori education principles.
Brian Puerling . Head of School, Magnificent Mile
Tours & Events
Child crawling with toy

Learn more about Guidepost from the comfort of your own home!

Just starting your childcare search? Not ready to tour in person?

You’re invited to Making the Most of Childhood: A Virtual Tour of Guidepost!

Get your questions answered and learn more about our:

  • curriculum and approach
  • schedule and a typical day
  • communication & collaboration

join us for our 2024 elementary summer camp experience!.

Guidepost Montessori warmly invites your child to be a part of our enriching 2024 Summer Camp, specially designed for elementary-aged learners. Our program is a blend of hands-on activities and Montessori-inspired educational experiences, perfect for inspiring young minds to explore and grow.

Dates: June 17th, - August 23rd, 2024

Drop-off / Pick-up Hours: 7:00am - 6:00pm

Camp Hours: 8:30am - 3:00pm

Reserve Your Spot Today! Our camp spaces are quickly being booked. Click below to register and ensure your child enjoys a summer of learning, creativity, and joy at Guidepost Montessori.

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.

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!”

Nido .
A nurturing space for babies to walk, talk, and explore
Toddler.
For children ages 18 months to 3 years old
Children's House.
A preschool for hands-on reading, writing, math and more
Elementary.
Child-paced learning in an academically rigorous environment
Spanish Immersion.
For children ages 18 months to 6 years old
Guidepost at Home.
For children ages 0 to 12 years old

what parents are saying.

All
8
Google
5
Yelp
3
Eureka K.
Oct 12, 2023 on yelp
I do not usually spend time posting reviews, but I really benefited from the reviews when searching for her school. My daughter has been in Guidepost at Mag...
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Julie M.
Sep 14, 2022 on yelp
I'm very glad I got on the waitlist early for the Nido classroom here because otherwise we would have missed out on the great experience we've had so far....
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Steven G.
Feb 7, 2022 on yelp
I've never written a review on Yelp before, but I benefitted so much from the reviews of others while researching schools, the least I can do is contribute...
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Shahzeb Butt
Aug 9, 2023 on google
We've had a great experience at Guidepost Mag Mile. Our child has been going there for a year in the Children's House classroom and he is always excited to go to school and thoroughly enjoys his time there.
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Katie Miao
Jul 23, 2022 on google
We loooove it here at Guidepost Montessori Mag Mile! Our child has been attending since Toddler's class to now entering the Elementary program in the fall! She loves going to school and tells me how much fun she has everyday. She even tells me about conflicts and how her teachers help her work through them. We are so grateful for the warm and safe environment the staff provide for the children. The classrooms are fantastic, teachers and staff are wonderful. I don't have much expectations for a 5 year old but my daughter can read chapter books independently, writes *in cursive*, works on art projects daily, and has the biggest heart towards her classmates. Thank you Guidepost!
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Yiran Ma
Sep 27, 2022 on google
We sent our baby to Guidepost at the age of 1, and she is almost 2 now. She has had a great experience, grown to be strong, social and happy. In particular, her gross and fine motor skills are well developed. The classroom and teachers are outstanding, and we highly recommend Guidepost to everyone.
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Emily Lin
Jul 30, 2021 on google
We love the school community! The guides create a special bond with each child in the classroom. Our son loves and cares for his guides/teachers and each child in his room. The school has such a safe, warm and inviting environment. The classrooms are lovely (made for the child to foster their independence) and the gross motor room has lots of space and equipment for children to independently play. We love that the guides/teachers take the children on walks and adventures outside. They learn and discover things for themselves! We get updates daily through their app and the guides/teachers communicate to parents often. Wonderful staff, great location, highly reccommend! They offer tours so you can see the children environment in live time :)
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j mats
Sep 14, 2022 on google
We have had a very positive experience in the Nido classroom here. It's great to be able to drop off your kid knowing that they're going to be in good hands. And the photos they send of your kid on a daily basis are priceless.
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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

take a peek at our school.

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