Hagerstown Children's School is a private Preschool and Kindergarten with a supporting Extended Day Childcare Program and Preprimary Program for Two Year Olds. Our goals are to foster self-confident and self-reliant learners, good work habits, creative thinking and problem solving skills, and to nurture each child's own sense of wonder and joy of learning.

"Education for Life"

Hagerstown Children's School was Founded by a group of parents and teachers to provide an excellent nontraditional education for their own children, using Montessori learning materials to support the curriculum.

Hagerstown Children's School is the only Montessori based school in Washington County, Maryland. We currenlty have children from the tri-state area enrolled.

Hagerstown Children's School is a proud member of Montessori Schools of Maryland.

School Credentials • Staff Credentials • Parent Accolades

School Credentials
Hagerstown Children's School is a not-for-profit organization, licensed by the Maryland Child Care Administration and approved by the State Department of Education as a nonpublic school. All of our staff meet the licensing requirements of those agencies. We are affiliate members of the International Montessori Society and the National Center for Montessori Education.

Staff Credentials

• Kimberly Hicks, Administrator
  • B.A Business Administration Management, National Administrator Credential, CPR and First Aid Certified, Montessori Teacher Certification
• Heather Tosten, Director/Teacher- Pre-primary Child Care Program
  • A.A. Early Childhood Education,  Montessori Assistant Certificate, Montessori Teacher Certificate, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 5

HCS Staff

• Sue Schaeffer, Teacher - Primary Program
  • B.A. Sociology, Certification in Social Work,  Montessori Teacher Certification, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 4
• Gina Magee, Assistant - Primary Classroom
  • OCC Senior Staff Qualified, Montessori Assistant Certificate, Montessori Teacher Certificate, Montessori Assistant Certificate, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 3
• Alieta Dodson, Senior Child Care Staff - Extended Care Classroom
  • OCC Senior Staff Qualified, Early Childhood Professions Program at Washington County Technical High school, Montessori Assistant Certificate, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 4
• Ashley Cunningham, Child Care Staff - Primary Classroom Assistant
  • OCC Aide Qualified, Washington County Tech High School Early Childhood Professions Program, Montessori Assistant Certificate, CPR can First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 3
• Penny Weagly, Child Care Staff - Pre-Primary Child Care Program Assistant and Teacher
  •  Montessori Assistant Certificate, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 3
    
• Samantha Early, Child Care Staff - Extended Care Classroom
  • OCC Assistant Teacher, Early Childhood Professions Program at Washington County, Preschool Child Care Certification, Montessori Assistant Certificate, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 3
• Patricia Jacobs, Child Care Staff - All Programs
  • OCC Aide Qualified, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, CPR and First Aid Certified
• Kaelin Smith, Child Care Staff - Extended Care Classroom
  • OCC Aide Qualified, CPR and First Aid Certified, Maryland Child Care Credential - Level 3
    

Parents Accolades

"I truly believe what many experts say, that a child's brain is it's most active from infancy to age 5 years. This is why I choose to send my two children to HCS. HCS has given my children the best possible building blocks for learning. It has has taught them to love learning at a very early age. Their "work" feels like play yet, the curriculum explores different cultures, countries, art and music and they are taught advanced concepts in science, math and languages at a very early age. You will surely see the results of an HCS education when they enter elementary school. Your child will love to learn and school won't be a chore. I credit HCS and it's teachers for the success of my children's education. Starting from age 2 yrs. and continuing through and including kindergarden has prepared both my children for great futures."

"The quality of the staff, specialized learning materials, and home-like atmosphere are reasons we have chosen HCS for our Child. We are very pleased with and highly recommend the program."

"The children thrive in this quiet, respectful environment, and I love to be there myself. Even greater than the learning of facts and concepts is the reverence for learning itself that children experience here."