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Montessori Preschool Opening Across From Big Star This Fall

By Alisa Hauser | June 13, 2017 2:48pm
 Guidepost Montessori is coming to 1530 N. Damen Ave.
Guidepost Montessori is coming to 1530 N. Damen Ave.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

WICKER PARK — A California-based network of private Montessori schools is expanding to Chicago and will open its sixth location in Wicker Park. 

The school, Guidepost Montessori, is replacing a shuttered non-profit day care center at 1530 N. Damen Ave. and will begin accepting students for this fall.

Joel Mendes, executive director of the school, said the school will serve children 18 months through Kindergarten, with a goal of accommodating up to 120 toddlers at the new campus. 

Tuition rates were not immediately available. The school was founded in 2016 and has locations in California, Texas and North Carolina, according to its website.

Guidepost Montessori will occupy the entire 2-story, 14,000 square-foot building, which for several years was home to North Avenue Day School, a nonprofit preschool that shuttered just before Christmas. The 112-year-old building went up for sale last July

 

The day care originally was part of Association House on North Avenue, a social services group that relocated to Humboldt Park in 1999 when its century-old headquarters was turned into condos.

Mendes said that the vintage building and location were draws for the Guidepost Montessori executive team, many of whom have ties to Chicago.

"We love the community and the walkable feel of the neighborhood. It's inviting for children and we have found there are not enough high-quality options for families with children in the middle of the city," Mendes said.

 

#wickerpark is getting a private Montessori preschool across from Big Star

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