Our Team · Est. 1986

Montessori Academy The people behind
your child's education.

Meet Ruhi Khan, Executive Director and founder, and our campus directors and credentialed Montessori teachers across all three Los Angeles campuses. Low turnover, AMI and AMS credentials, and 40 years of shared institutional knowledge.

Meet Us in Person — Free Tour Meet the Directors
Founded by Ruhi Khan · 1986 AMI & AMS credentialed teachers 3 named campus directors Industry-low teacher turnover
40+ years in LA
3 campus directors
AMI & AMS credentialed
Culver City · West Adams · Downey
Lowest teacher turnover in LA
Ruhi Khan, Executive Director and Founder of Montessori Academy, with a student

Ruhi Khan — Executive Director

Founder · Est. 1986 · AMI Certified
Founder & Executive Director

Ruhi Khan

Executive Director · Montessori Academy · Est. 1986

Ruhi Khan founded Montessori Academy in 1986 with a single conviction: that every child in Los Angeles deserves access to a Montessori education, regardless of ZIP code. Forty years later, that conviction has shaped three thriving campuses and thousands of children who carry the habits of independent thinking and intrinsic motivation into the world.

Ruhi holds AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Montessori certification and has spent her career deepening her study of child development, language acquisition, and the prepared environment. She remains actively involved in all three campuses — visiting classrooms, mentoring teachers, and meeting personally with enrolled and prospective families.

Ruhi is the reason Montessori Academy opens at 7 AM and closes at 6 PM year-round. "Working parents shouldn't have to choose between their career and their child's education," she says. "We built the school around real family life."

AMI Montessori Certification — Association Montessori Internationale
California Child Development Program Director Permit
40+ years of early childhood education in Los Angeles
Recipient, NAEYC affiliate recognition for program excellence
Full Director Profile
Campus Leadership

Three campuses. Three directors. One philosophy.

Each Montessori Academy campus is led by a credentialed director with deep Montessori expertise and long institutional tenure.

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Culver City

Gaby Ponce

Campus Director · Montessori Academy Culver City

Gaby leads the Culver City campus with deep roots in the Montessori method and a warm, family-centered leadership style. She holds AMS Montessori credentials and California Child Development permits, and is fluent in English and Spanish.

AMS Credential CA Site Supervisor Permit Bilingual (EN/ES)
(310) 215-3388

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West Adams

Vanessa Verastegui

Campus Director · Montessori Academy West Adams

Vanessa leads the West Adams campus with Montessori credentials and California Child Development permits. Known for building a warm, community-focused environment, she is deeply connected to the West Adams and Leimert Park parent community.

Montessori Credentialed CA Site Supervisor Permit AMS · AMI · NAMTA
(323) 795-0200

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Downey · MAOF Expert

Veronica Tapia

Campus Director · Montessori Academy Downey

Veronica leads Montessori Academy's largest campus — serving children from 6 weeks through 3rd grade. She oversees the full range of Downey programs and is the team's MAOF and CalWORKs specialist, having guided hundreds of Downey families through subsidy enrollment. Bilingual in English and Spanish.

AMS · AMI · NAMTA CA Program Director Permit Infant Montessori Specialist MAOF Expert Bilingual (EN/ES)
(562) 291-2324
What Sets Our Team Apart

The team is the school.

At Montessori Academy, the quality of your child's experience comes down to the people in the room with them every day. Here is what we do differently.

01

AMI & AMS Credentials

Our lead teachers hold AMI or AMS credentials — the two internationally recognized Montessori certification bodies. These are not generic childcare certifications; they require extensive 9–12 month training programs covering pedagogy, materials, and child development.

02

Industry-Low Teacher Turnover

The national average preschool teacher turnover rate is approximately 30% per year. At Montessori Academy, our annual turnover is a fraction of that. Many lead teachers have been with us for 7–15+ years. Consistency builds trust — for children and for families.

03

Native Language Immersion Teachers

Our Mandarin, Spanish, French, and Tagalog language teachers are native or near-native speakers who deliver immersion throughout the school day — not a 20-minute class taught by a generalist. Language acquisition at this level requires authentic, fluent exposure.

04

Infant & Toddler Specialists

The Downey campus infant care team holds Infant & Toddler Child Development Permits and Montessori Nido training. Working with children from 6 weeks old requires specialized knowledge that most preschool teachers do not have.

05

Mentorship & Ongoing Training

Ruhi Khan leads monthly professional development sessions for all campus teachers. New teachers are mentored by senior staff for their first year. The result is a team that continuously improves rather than one that stagnates after the initial credential.

06

MAOF & Subsidy Expertise

Marco Delgado and the Downey administrative team have guided hundreds of families through MAOF, CalWORKs, CSPP, and CCTR subsidy applications. This expertise is rare — most private Montessori schools don't accept subsidies at all. We built the systems to make it work.

Credential Guide

What our teachers' credentials actually mean.

Montessori credentials are not all equal. Here is what each certification signifies and why it matters for your child.

AMI

Association Montessori Internationale

Founded by Maria Montessori's family, AMI training is considered the gold standard of Montessori credentials. Programs are 9–12 months of full-time study covering Montessori philosophy, all material presentations, child development, and album preparation. AMI teachers undergo extensive observation and practical examinations.

AMS

American Montessori Society

AMS is the leading US-based Montessori credentialing body. AMS programs are accredited by MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) and require comprehensive coverage of Montessori methodology. AMS credentials are widely recognized and respected in the US Montessori community.

CA Teacher Permit

California Child Development Teacher Permit

Required by California law for all lead teachers in licensed childcare centers. The Teacher Permit requires 24 units of Child Development coursework and 350+ hours of direct work experience. Montessori Academy's teachers hold Teacher, Site Supervisor, or Program Director permits — well above the state minimum.

Program Director

California Child Development Program Director Permit

The highest-level California Child Development credential, held by our campus directors. Requires 15+ Early Childhood Education units at the upper division level, an AA or higher, and substantial supervisory experience. This is the credential that authorizes oversight of entire childcare programs.

Montessori Academy teacher guiding a child with Montessori materials in a prepared environment
In the Classroom

Teachers who stay — children who thrive.

The relationship between a child and their Montessori teacher is one of the most formative of early childhood. When that teacher has been in the same classroom for years — knowing the materials inside out, knowing the children by name, knowing their rhythms — the effect compounds year over year.

Montessori Academy's most senior lead teachers have guided 3, 4, even 5 cohorts of children through the Primary program. The institutional knowledge they hold about what works, what doesn't, and how to read each child is irreplaceable.

40+
Years in Los Angeles
3
Credentialed Campus Directors
7–15
Avg. Teacher Tenure (Years)
4
Languages Taught Daily
FAQ

Your questions about our team, answered.

All lead teachers at Montessori Academy hold California Child Development Teacher Permits at minimum. Many hold AMI or AMS credentials. Campus directors hold Site Supervisor or Program Director level California permits — the highest-tier state credentials available.
Ruhi Khan is the Executive Director and founder of Montessori Academy. She established the school in 1986 and has led its growth from one campus to three. She holds AMI Montessori certification and has over 40 years of early childhood education experience in Los Angeles.
Many lead teachers have been with Montessori Academy for 7–15+ years. The national preschool teacher turnover rate averages ~30% per year. Our rate is a fraction of that. Long tenure means teachers deeply know the materials, the families, and the children — and that consistency benefits everyone in the classroom.
All campuses meet or exceed California state requirements of 1:8 for children ages 2–5. The Downey infant care program maintains a 1:4 ratio for children 6 weeks to 18 months as required by California law for licensed infant care centers.
Yes. Language immersion teachers are native or near-native speakers of Mandarin, Spanish, French, or Tagalog depending on campus. Language is woven into the daily environment by qualified bilingual educators — not taught as a separate class by a generalist teacher.
Schedule a campus tour. We conduct tours during school hours so you can observe teachers in the classroom and ask questions directly. Call your preferred campus or fill out our tour form — most families tour within a few days of reaching out.
Come Meet Us

The best way to evaluate a school is to see it in action.

Tour any campus during school hours. You'll observe the teachers, see the prepared environment, and meet the director. No obligation, no pressure — just an honest look at what Montessori Academy is.

Schedule a Free Tour Director's Full Profile

Our Campuses

Culver City West Adams Downey Why Montessori