Midwest Montessori plans grand opening

MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State University Development Foundation has partnered with Midwest Montessori to bring a daycare and preschool to the greater MSU campus. Midwest Montessori will officially open its doors with a grand opening event on Friday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m.

Midwest Montessori is owned and operated by Caleb and Courtney Heilman and is located at 812 8th Street NW, south of Model Hall on property owned by the MSU Development Foundation.

The event will kick off with a ribbon cutting with the Minot Area Chamber EDC Ambassadors, along with remarks from Caleb Heilman; Steve Shirley, Minot State president; and Rick Hedberg, MSU Development Foundation executive director. There will be a tour of the facility after the ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house for all members of the public, including subsequent facility tours, from 2-4 p.m.

“The MSU Development Foundation is excited for the opening of Midwest Montessori. We couldn't be more pleased to partner with Caleb and his team in bringing this unique offering to Minot,” Hedberg said. “The preschool and daycare will benefit a wide range of individuals in our community, most especially MSU early childhood education students by providing hands-on learning opportunities. This practical experience is invaluable for our students.

“This facility is not only addressing a critical community need, but we're also ensuring that our students gain real-world experience that will prepare them for a future in education and caregiving. This is an exciting development for our entire community.”

The mission of Midwest Montessori is to provide a fully implemented program that fosters independence, autonomy, social responsibility, and environmental awareness through movement and creativity. They will support children from 6 weeks old to 6 years old. Infants from 6 weeks to 17 months will utilize the Nido House, while the Toddler Room and Children's House are in the new building.

“Courtney and I are thrilled to bring Midwest Montessori to the Minot community and, frankly, relieved to see the development of the project come to fruition. The project has been over three years in the making, and we're just so proud of what it has come to be,” Heilman said. “Our team, the facility, and the service they'll allow us to provide to families in our community is beyond what either of us envisioned when we first embarked on this journey.”

“This truly has taken a village and we have so many groups/people we owe thanks to; the engineering and contracting teams that helped us through the early phases of development, the City of Minot for working alongside us through the permitting process; our financing partners, Rick Hedberg of the MSU Development Foundation and Samantha Mattson of the North Dakota Development Fund; and our leadership team who worked countless hours to bring it all together —Heather Erickson, Sarah Peterson, and Marie Cuitar.

While Caleb and Courtney Heilman are owner/operators, Heilman acknowledged his extended family and the work they have put into the project.

“This doesn't happen without the support of mine and Courtney's extended families,” he said. “Our parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews have been at the site nearly every day, assisting with everything from unloading large shipments to property maintenance and finishing work. I would be remiss if I didn't extend a special thank you to my dad, Kent. None of this happens without the time and effort he's put into the project from the very beginning.”

Their goal is to honor Maria Montesori’s pedagogy by offering fully-implemented Montessori in accordance with her scientific practices and observations, utilizing current educational research to inform programming choices. The Children’s House guide will have Association Montessori Internationale Training (AMI). Montessori founded AMI in 1929 to keep high standards for guides and schools.

Midwest Montessori has worked extensively with Minot State University professors Dan Conn and Karen Foley and will work with the Minot Infant Development Program.

“From its conception, our drive to create Midwest Montessori simply stemmed from wanting something better for our own children,” Heilman added. “We refused to subscribe to the notion that a place where children could be kept safe, loved, encouraged to engage with a high standard of education, have unfettered access to properly designed free play environments, and high-quality nutrition, along with full-time care under one roof, was unrealistic. We're proud to have not compromised throughout the process and share that Midwest Montessori will deliver all these benefits to families who choose to enroll with us.

“We will work tirelessly to ensure Midwest Montessori becomes a business/service that we and the community of Minot can be proud of, and we can't wait to see how many families' lives are improved because of that work."

Members of the Midwest Montessori team are Heather Erickson, director; Sarah Peterson, curriculum director and Children’s House 1 guide; Marie Cutaiar, Children’s House 2 guide; Madi Nichols, Toddler Room guide; Alex Justinak, Nido 1 guide; and McKayla Wright, Nido 2 guide.

Along with the MSU Development Foundation, the project received assistance from the North Dakota Development Fund.

For more information on Midwest Montessori, see the company’s Facebook PAGE, contact Caleb Heilman by EMAIL, or directly with members of their leadership team at midwestmontessori.minot@gmail.com.