WLPS  8845 Main Street  Whitmore Lake, MI 48189 WLPS
Like the Wind Montessori School

Inspiring a Lifelong Love of Learning

Young male student playing a game with letters.
Young female student playing a game with number cards.
Two female students sitting at a table writing on paper.
Young make student playing a game on the floor.
Three female students playing on a tire swing outdoors.
Young male student putting a flower into a vase.
Two female students on the floor playing a matching game with tiles.
Young male student playing with pretend food toys.
Two female students in the windows of a playhouse outdoors on the playground.
Five young students playing outdoors.
Young female student stacking pink boxes of varying sizes.
Three young male students working together on a project at a round table.

Go Like the Wind Montessori School & Daycare

Montessori is an educational movement, philosophy, and method in which students are taught confidence and learning capabilities that will last them a lifetime. Founded by an innovative scientist, the Montessori method is a peaceful, respectful, and holistic way of learning. This method strives to teach your child the joy of learning while also providing a framework for individual and social discipline, so they can thrive even beyond the classroom.

Go Like the Wind is passionate about providing an authentic Montessori education. From our curriculum materials and mixed-age classrooms to our well-trained, professional, dedicated teachers, staff, and faculty, we help students acquire inner discipline, concentration, perseverance, and thoughtfulness that encourages success throughout their education and beyond. 

Academic Calendar

Join our School Community

We believe Montessori teachings extend beyond our classrooms into our community and the wider world. Go Like the Wind Montessori School & Daycare has a long history of proven experience in applying the Montessori method and seeing its success in each student. Set your little one on the path to success and apply today! 

Our Programs

Montessori Teachings & Goals for Our Children

The carefully cultivated environment at Go Like the Wind Montessori School & Daycare offers our children the opportunity to reach their highest potential and become:

  • Independent Thinkers: Montessori students genuinely love to learn. They are curious and inspired by the work that they do in the classroom. Our staff supports each student’s natural development of knowledge with a strong sense of self that they can use to thrive in the real world. 
  • Collaborative Learners: Each of our classrooms is designed to encourage students to interact and work together. As a result, our students learn to be helpful to others while taking care of themselves and their environment. The older students assist younger children and collaborate within a multi-age classroom. The ability to connect and work with others is shown to lead to good working relationships and productivity throughout life. 
  • Creative Problem Solvers: The Montessori method strives to teach children to think creatively and resourcefully by allowing them a voice during the decision-making process. Students will progress at their own pace within the classroom and take ownership of their individualized learning plan and knowledge. Our teachers create an environment for students to have the freedom and tools to pursue the answers to their own questions. 
  • Compassionate Citizens: We teach our children to be polite and respectful by showing care and concern for each other regardless of someone’s background or abilities. Polite manners are a cornerstone of our philosophy; even small gestures such as opening the door for others is an important milestone for our students. While it may seem small, instilling these habits early allows our students to grow into kind, respectful adults. 

Select Age Range

  • Infant
  • Toddler
  • Primary
  • K-6th
  • Summer Camps
  • Before/Aftercare
  • Snow Day/No School Care

Infant

6 weeks - 18 months

We understand that trusting us with your infant is a huge and sometimes daunting decision. We want you to feel secure knowing that with us, your baby will be cared for in the most nurturing environment. We maintain a very low, 1:3 teacher to child ratio. This ensures we can provide the highest level of attention and warmth to your child in a cozy environment similar to your own home.

Our infant community is warm, nurturing, and holistic. We focus on developing a sense of trust and self-importance within each child. We provide the babies a safe space to grow and discover the world around them. The Montessori infant curriculum is built on an understanding of developmental stages, sensitive interaction, and a prepared environment that focuses on physical, social, language, and cognitive development. This is to fully support the unique growth of each child.

We emphasize consistency in routine and individual care, enabling a baby to maintain their own feeding and sleeping schedule. We talk to our infants, rock them, hold them, and encourage them to try new things as they grow.

We want our infants to be initiators, explorers, and self-learners.

Rates & Tuition

Admissions Fees

Application Fee $75
Deposit $500 (credited towards tuition)

Infant Program

Birth to 18 months Class Times Monthly Rates
Half Day 7:30 am - 12:00 pm $1,020
Full Day 7:30 am - 3:30 pm  $1,700 

Toddler

18 Months – 3 Years

Toddlers are growing and discovering themselves and the world around them every day. Our toddler environment is caring and nurturing, fostering each child’s development of basic trust. The Toddler Montessori curriculum focuses on language, socialization, movement, exploration, practical life, functional independence, as well as grace and courtesy. The program is designed to meet the needs of each individual child and emphasizes movement, play, manipulation, exploration, socialization, and personal autonomy.

Children will engage in activities that enrich the curriculum, such as sensory materials, use of crawling/climbing structures, music, art, language, dramatic play, stories, and outdoor experiences. Each child is given a free choice of activities to choose from and is permitted to proceed at their own pace.

Our teachers and staff strive to cultivate a sense of self care, growth, and autonomy in every child. We never exceed 4 children per teacher, so each child is met with individual care. 

Rates & Tuition

Admissions Fees

Application Fee $75 
Deposit $500 (credited towards tuition)

Toddler Program

18 to 36 months Class Times Monthly Rates
Half Day 7:30 am - 12:00 pm $960
Full Day 7:30 am - 3:30 pm $1600

Primary

3 – 6 Years

Enrollment for the 2024/2025 school year opens on February 19th, 2024!

Our Primary Preschool Program is a “hands on” approach to learning, focused on creating a customized environment crafted to each student’s unique abilities, interests, and learning styles.

The classroom is designed to empower each child to become an independent, responsible student who loves to learn. We give our students large uninterrupted blocks of work time; they select an activity, fully immerse themselves in it for as long as they find interesting, clean up the activity, return it to the shelf and self-initiate another task.

The curriculum includes language, math, cultural, science, sensorial, practical life, as well as grace and courtesy. Embedded in our Primary classroom curriculum is socialization, movement, exploration, and functional independence. Our students will not only learn, but develop a love and true interest for learning.
Our program also explores topics such as Spanish, art, history, zoology, botany, physical education, music and much more!

After completing our Primary Program, your child will be able to:

  • Write the alphabet
  • Read a book at their own pace
  • Development of early creative writing skills
  • Mathematics, such as quantity, numerals, sequence, recognition of 1 through 100, and place value and concepts to addition and subtraction
  • Understand countries and cultures of the world
  • Be exposed to broad science terminology and concepts
  • Function in a group with Grace and Courtesy
  • Self-identify as an independent learner

Rates & Tuition

Admissions Fees

Application Fee $75
Deposit $500 (credited towards tuition)

Primary

Ages 3 to 6 Class Times Monthly Rates
Half Day  8:50 am - 12:05 pm $900
Full Day  8:50 am - 3:35 pm $1500

K-6th

Kindergarten – 6th Grade

The Montessori Kindergarten Program is full. Any new applicants will be waitlisted. Grades 1-3 is limited. Grades 4-6 are unlimited.

Our Elementary Montessori experience is a multi-age, tuition-free Montessori Magnet Program open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Children in kindergarten learn in a primary class with ages 3-6. Children in grades first through third are placed together in a lower elementary class and fourth through sixth grades learn together in an upper elementary class. In each classroom, students are recognized as independent learners within the diverse, caring, and calm Montessori learning community; this allows students to create a unique path to help them grow as a whole child.

Elementary Montessori education varies from a traditional public-school education in a variety of ways. Most notably, we focus on student-led interests and mixed age classrooms which allow students to not only pursue the topics they’re interested in, but also learn to collaborate with both older and younger children. Students move through the core curriculum (language arts, math, and geometry) along with science, geography, sensorial and practical life studies at their own pace. Students in this program participate in Music, Gym, Art and STEM enrichments taught by Whitmore Lake Elementary certified teachers.

A typical day is comprised of uninterrupted blocks of time for students to choose an activity and explore, experiment, and invent as long as they find that subject and activity interesting. Then they clean up, return their learning materials to the assigned spot and choose another lesson to work on. Classrooms each have a lead teacher and teacher assistant that offer support and one-on-one instruction for students.

How to enroll in the Montessori Magnet Program for the 24/25 School Year

Email info@wlps.net for more information.

If you are: Enrollment Dates Enrollment Form Additional Information
Currently enrolled at GLTW or MMP January 26 -February 16 If you re-enroll after February 16, you are subject to the lottery. 
Currently enrolled at WLES February 19 -March 8 Federal mandate requires magnet schools to process applications through a random lottery if they receive more applications than there are spots available.If applicable, the Montessori Magnet Program lottery for grades K-6 will take place on March 13 and families will be notified at the end of the business day. Any applications received after that date will be placed on a waitlist and contacted as spots become available. 
In-district & new to WLPS February 19 - March 8
Out of district February 19 - March 8
  • WLPS Montessori Magnet Program will attempt to accommodate siblings on a case-by-case basis, based on space availability at the magnet school. Siblings will be given enrollment preference, but school cannot guarantee sibling placements.
  • All students with disabilities are eligible to apply. The WLPS Montessori Magnet program expects to be able to provide appropriate services within the magnet school to meet individual needs unless otherwise required by an Individualized Education Plan.

Summer Camps

2024 Weekly Summer Camps - June 12th-August 14th!
Registration is open! Enroll by May 1st to save $50/camp!

Our Montessori Summer Camps (ages 3-12) are another way we provide year-round care and education for your growing child. Our talented, caring staff paired with fun filled activities ensure joyful learning and play every single day. Activities that children participate in during Summer Camp include outdoor fun, arts and crafts, games, summer learning, and more! Sign up for even more Montessori learning and fun for your child, even during the summer months.

Rates & Tuition

Admissions Fees

Application Fee $50
Camp Price Range (before May 1st) $175 - $250
Camp Price Range (after May 1st) $225 - $300

Programs Times Price
Half Day 8:30 am - 12:45 pm  $200/week
Full Day

Before/Aftercare
8:30 am -  3:30 pm

7:30 am - 6:00 pm
 $250/week

$10/hr

EduCare

Through creative activities and themed projects, we will ensure children have a place to engage in free play before and after school. In afternoon EduCare children experience planned lessons and activities in an open-choice format congruent with our Montessori philosophy. Students will be in a mixed-age group similar to Montessori classrooms.

We aim to build on the Grace and Courtesy of the Montessori program by promoting peer problem solving through active listening, discussions and mediation.

Weather permitting we will spend time outside on the playground. If not, we make sure the students get time to move their bodies in our well-equipped gym.

We will have space and time for children to enjoy snacks from home.

We do offer full-day EduCare with pre-registration on select days when WLPS is closed.
 Please see the Go Like the Wind Calendar for these days/links to register.

Rates & Tuition

Before-and After-School EduCare

Fees are based on the number of hours your student attends the child care (EduCare) program each month.

Rate: 1st Child: $10.00 per hour
2nd Child: $6.00 per hour
3rd Child: FREE if enrolled in a WLPS/GLTW program
Infant and Toddler hours: 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Primary hours: Before-school: 7:30-8:50 am
After-school half: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
After-school full: 3:30 - 6:00 pm
Elementary hours: Before-school: 7:30 - 8:50 am
After-school: 3:30 - 6:00 pm

Snow Day & No School Day Educare

We offer full-day EduCare with pre-registration on select days when WLPS is closed, including Snow Days, unless otherwise indicated.

  • If you are currently enrolled in a tuition-based program, there are no additional charges for Snow Day & No School Day EduCare.
  • Click the button below to complete the registration forms. Approval is based on availability.
GLTW EduCare Registration Forms

Hours & Rates

Hours for Snow Day & No School Day EduCare

6:30 am - 6:00 pm


Snow Day & No School Day EduCare Rates

A $35 registration fee is applied to any student not enrolled in Go Like The Wind, Head Start, GSRP, or Kids Club.

Tuition for EduCare is $10/hr for the first child enrolled and $6/hr for all additional children.*

Tuition is billed monthly and is based on attendance. Students receiving DHS assistance will be billed bi-weekly to correspond with DHS payment periods.

*Children enrolled in any GLTW tuition-based program (Infant, Toddler, Primary Preschoolers) are excluded from non-school day/snow day EduCare charges. This does not include Kindergarten in Primary.

What Parents are Saying

Angela B.

Our daughter has been at GLTW since she was 15 months old and she is now almost 6. Her growth has been incredible as we've watched her mature into an independent, confident young person. GLTW has a long legacy in the community and their dedication to authentic Montessori education is the highest in the Ann Arbor region. We highly recommend them!

Giulia L.

Our son has been a student in the toddler and primary programs at Go Like the Wind for the past 1.5. years. Through this time, we have witnessed dedicated and loving teaching. The community of students and teachers are incredible. I am always surprised by how much he learns and at how independent he has become. At 3 he can dress himself, prepare his place for meals, cleans up after himself, spell his name, and recognizes most letters and numbers. It is an amazing learning environment. I highly recommend!

Yi D.

My daughter has been at Go Like the Wind since she was 12 months old. I cannot tell you enough good things about this place. The teachers really care, they are not just there to "watch" my child. They listen and understand the children. Each teacher my daughter has had has warmed my heart. I have no problem leaving my child there while I work, knowing she is well taken care of. I really am amazed at the level of curriculum, understanding, and care that goes into teaching my daughter like they are one of their own.

Tammy C.

My oldest graduated last year from Go Like the Wind, her Montessori education gave her the advantage of knowing herself and loving her individualism, giving her a strong solid base entering High School. The open communication with the teachers and their willingness to accommodate students is what makes this school a home away from home. My younger two, both now in Upper Elementary, are still excited to go to school every day as their classroom teachers and enrichment teachers make learning exciting and fun, giving them the guidance to explore the world around them.

Katie A.

Go like the wind is the best place we have found for the education of our children. The teachers are all excellent and meet each child where they are and helps them to excel in their own, unique way. They can move up as quickly as they want or take time in the areas they struggle. The environment is friendly and family like. I am so glad we found this school to build a solid foundation in the love of learning for each of my children.

Meet Our Director

Karen Barney WLPS Director of Montessori Education & Child Care

Karen Barney
WLPS Director of Montessori
Education & Child Care

Ms. Karen has worked in Montessori education for 20 years and is a certified Montessori teacher having taught for 12 years, including one year in Shanghai, China. She has a master's in Social Work and Urban Planning. In addition to a Montessori Administrator’s Certification, Karen is in the process of completing a School Administration Certificate program. The GLTW community is grateful to have her lead us all into an exciting future leading Montessori education in northern Washtenaw County.

8845 Main St. Whitmore Lake, MI Main Street Campus

We’re located between Ann Arbor and Brighton, Right off US-23