Ohio Catholic Montessori school brings holistic education to all ‘regardless of means’
Caroline MolloyA small Catholic Montessori school in Steubenville, Ohio, is working to provide a holistic approach to education for all children, grounded in a mission to form the whole person and serve all families.
In a recent interview with Zeale News, Tom and Noëlle Crowe explained that they founded Hilltop Montessori School to expand access to a Montessori education, citing the teaching style’s benefits, especially for children from difficult circumstances.
“The way [Montessori] approaches children is the most respectful way possible, and it’s a way that looks first and foremost at ‘What do the children need? What do we know about their development?’ and therefore ‘What can we give them?” Noëlle said, adding that it isn’t based on standardized information children need to know.
She continued, “It’s really about what children need to develop into fully functioning, healthy adults. And Montessori is not just about education and the way we think of it in terms of importing academic knowledge. It’s about the full person.”
The school’s founding
The Crowe couple opened Hilltop in 2018 after being married for just five months. They had little savings, no major investors, and two students, Noëlle said.
However, the school slowly started to grow, overcoming numerous financial obstacles along the way. Hilltop now serves 41 students across preschool and elementary programs, and Tom and Noëlle also plan to expand the curriculum this fall to include a secondary school.
According to Tom, one motivating factor in the school’s founding was research that suggested a Montessori education can narrow or eliminate typical achievement gaps associated with family income, presenting a unique opportunity for Hilltop to make a strong impact in Steubenville’s low-income neighborhoods.
They said Montessori education in the U.S. is typically available to wealthier children, but their hope was to make Montessori available to everyone, serve both the children and the community, and contribute to the neighborhood’s revitalization. Hilltop relies on donors and fundraising to provide families with financial aid and keep tuition lower than most Montessori schools in the U.S.
