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
Brittney Talamonti
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.
Brittney Talamonti . Head of School
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

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.

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
Explore our school's upcoming events

explore our school's upcoming events.


take a peek at our school.

what parents are saying.

All
7
Google
4
Yelp
3
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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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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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...
Read more
Michelle Russell
Jul 31, 2023 on google
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 curriculum, the families - you instantly walk into a very special and rare community. We watched our 4-year-old's personality just explode in a few short months she was there. She confidently expresses herself, insists on doing things on her own and we can see she has developed a true love of learning. Her teacher, Ms. Maria truly has a special gift with the children. We can't say enough about her and Ms. Sue and all the love, care and heart they bring the kids daily. Certainly the kind of teachers kids don't forget. We are so glad our little one has this school as her foundation before she heads to public school. Can't say it enough!
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Brooke Loseke
Jun 8, 2019 on google
Our daughter has been attending Guidepost since November 2018 in the Toddler Spanish Immersion program and we only have wonderful things to say about the school, administration and the guides (teachers). From the moment you enter the building you are greeted with calm, warm and loving faces from all the staff in a clean, beautiful and organized environment. The administration and guides genuinely care about the children and love seeing them learn and grow in a true Montessori environment. After only being in the Toddler Spanish Immersion program for five months, our daughter can understand simple sentences in Spanish, is more polite (says things like, “are you ok?” “Do you need a hug?”) and even likes to help us set up the table for dinner (she is only 2.5 years old!) They also offer opportunities for parents to learn and connect by attending open houses such as, Morning Yoga and Yogurt, or parent only seminars to help us implement the same teaching style at home. Compared to other Montessori schools we have visited, the classrooms are well stocked with authentic Montessori materials. Our daughter is also in the Extended Day program where they offer cooking classes, advanced art (pastels, watercolor pencils etc.) and outdoor activities (all included with tuition!). We love this school and hope they will open an elementary soon so we can continue to grow and be a part of the Guidepost community.
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Sharleen Villagra Eby
Apr 2, 2019 on google
Our family has been attending Guidepost Montessori in Wicker Park since July 2018 and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about the administration, guides, and other families. This is a place that emphasizes true child led learning, community, and respect for the individual. The guides show an immense amount of love for the children and genuinely enjoy their work. I can say this from experience with other programs as this is our 4th school after moving to different cities/states over the years. Guidepost Wicker Park is by far the most impressive. I wish all children had the privilege of attending such a strong school.
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Alison Young
Aug 14, 2020 on google
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 help them learn and grow. My daughter loved her time there and the extended day programming was especially fun for her! Highly recommend.
Read more

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