~ What Makes Kinder Haus So Special? ~

Our Professional Staff | What Parents Say | Sample Menu | Alumni

Our Professional Staff Each staff member is chosen for their nurturing spirit, knowledge of child development and commitment to creating the highest quality programs for children. Each school has Montessori equipment, a large support staff; full time cooks, maintenance crew, on site directors and administrative assistants. This type of support is crucial for classrooms to maintain proper ratios, as teachers do not have to leave to prepare meals or call parents.

Safe Havens for Children Our campuses are maintained as beautiful, safe environments for our students. Inspections are done periodically by Louisiana State Department of Child Care Licensing, Louisiana Health Department, and the State Fire Marshall. Fire, safety preparedness, CPR and Health and Infectious Disease Control classes are mandatory for all staff.

Unique Classroom Features Natural light, living plants, child-sized furniture, custom built furniture, art hung at child’s eye-level, shaded play-grounds, accessibility to restrooms for potty-training, state-of-the-art Montessori equipment, lots of windows help ventilate air and prevent the spread of illness, hand-washing lessons mandatory for all children and staff.

Healthy Meals Nutritionally balanced meals. Click here for sample Menu Hot lunches prepared daily on campus.

The Gift for Life
Gift for Life article coming soon.

Family Friendly Atmosphere Parent involvement is welcome. Frequent opportunities are offered for family members to assist in classroom activities:

• creative art experiences
• seasonal celebrations
• community service projects
• gardening with the children
• reading stories to small groups of students
• sharing unique hobbies, professions, and cultural beliefs

Parents voice opinions and share ideas with our owner, Pat Lytle, during steering committee meetings or with our Mandeville directors, Lisa Erickson and Peggy Turner.. Family socials allow Kinder Haus families to meet and interact with staff members and classmates’ families. Some of our all-time favorite socials are:

• Annual Peace Party
• Fall Festival
• Sing-A-Long Celebration in December

Natural Outdoor Beauty Tree shaded playgrounds or shade covers.

Metairie (show photo)

Mandeville (show photo)

• Low Teacher-Child Ratios

Kinder Haus Montessori schools staffing exceeds Louisiana State Licensing requirements.

Custom Designed Science and Geography Curriculums Special interest themes are presented year round. Interactive, concrete curriculum themes bring the world into our classrooms.Some examples are:

• The Solar System
• Oceans
• Reptiles, Amphibians
• Dinosaurs
• Birds
• The Rainforest
• North America
• Asia
• Africa
• Mammals
• South America
• Europe
• Australia
• Antarctica
• Insects
• Botany
• Famous Artists

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Comments Parents Have Made

“I just wanted to send a note telling you how wonderful my 3rd grader is doing in school. Her name is Rebecca. She attended KindHaus from 1 1/2 to 4 years old and she had such a solid background! She is easily one of the best students in her class. She has tested in the top ten n her standardized tests. I know much of this is possible because of her excellent background from KinderHaus. I have a 9 month old now and I was looking at the site to gain information. The site was very informative and reminded me how wonderful Kinder Haus is. You will be seeing my new baby in a few years! Thanks again for all you do! As a teacher, I know educators do not get thanked enough for everything they do. So, Thank You so much! Tracey

“I feel very comfortable leaving my child at Kinder Haus because I know he will get the attention he needs.”

“The staff is very friendly and they seem to truly care for the children.”

“My daughter was 3.5 when her Mom and I separated and moved 1,000 miles. Kinder Haus helped give her a sense of security and self-esteem. I don’t know where we would be had it not been for Kinder Haus.”

“Children are always a #1 priority. Kinder Haus offers wonderful educational activities.”

“I am impressed with the cleanliness and organization of Kinder Haus, as well as the terrific teachers.”

“Kinder Haus provides children with a great foundation in a warm and nurturing environment.”

Mrs. Pat:

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for following your heart and pursuing your career in child care. Your school is a wonderful place for children to learn and grow. I am glad we are part of such a diverse group of families who want similar expectations for their children. We have met a lot of new friends and great teachers. Logan has learned so much in such a short period. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love, J.J.

Excerpts from Letters

May 24, 2006

I’ve heard that without rain, there are no rainbows. Well, we had plenty of rain during the last school year. The rainbows seemed hard to find. When we arrived back in Louisiana, our life seemed in shambles. My husband’s office and our house had very little damage. Kinder Haus was not so lucky. My classroom (the preschool room) had suffered the most damage. My family’s homes in New Orleans East and Lakeview were completely destroyed and my family was not able to return to the area. So there we were - shocked, confused, and trying desperately to find some semblance of normalcy. We cleaned, sanded, painted, scraped, bleached, and decorated the school until at last it was ready. Ahhhh, finally some normalcy! Then the Friday before school opened, there was another hurdle - the lead teacher in the toddler class was not returning and I was asked to take over the position. They say that God works in mysterious ways. I believe this. I accepted the position in toddler, but I never realized how much I would grow to love this new age group. I have to admit, there were still hurdles. There was a lot of crying to contend with at first. We had to learn the hard way that EVERYTHING looks tasty to toddlers (including furniture, tree bark, and teacher’s knees). All that seems almost insignificant when I look at all the wonder the toddlers have brought to my life. I have learned to appreciate lizard watching again (thank you Julian). I enjoy making animal sounds when we read stories, but I love hearing the children’s animal impressions. (Maddie’s elephant, Olivia’s lion and Catherine’s puppy are priceless.) I love hearing their voices raised in song. I would like to thank Addie and Elena for teaching the class how to sing “Tomorrow”. Every morning during group we light the peace candle and sing the peace song. Sometimes it’s a bit more exuberant than peaceful, but watching those little hands sign messages of peace is beautiful. Shelby has become an expert at signing and saying, “Careful, hot! Ready? Peace is shining.” And after group, Sonja sings “Clean up, clean up!” to let everyone know it’s time to transition. Every child contributes something to the class. Ryan is shy and doesn’t say much, but his smiles and hugs speak for themselves. Harsha has that sweet smile that melts your heart. Isabella has that belly laugh. Kay is just so sweet and helpful; whenever I ask a question, she shouts, “Me! Me! I know, I know!” and Weatherly with her boundless energy, running around the playground yelling, “Look at me, I running!” there’s no happy pill in the world to compare to that. I know this year was difficult for everyone. I want to thank you, the parents, for trusting me with your babies. I just cannot explain how much I’ve enjoyed teaching and learning from the children. They have helped to heal my heart in ways I could not fathom. Thank you so much for sharing all your rainbows with me.

Much love, Ali

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After Katrina….

Pat and Staff,

Thank you for being the normalcy amidst all recent chaos. You and all of the staff have been GREAT! The kids have no choice but to be happy and positive. You guys are wonderful and we are extremely blessed to have you! –Emily

Dear All, We are very happy to have joined your school and thank you for the warm welcome. Hunter is having a ball and mentions Ms. Jane, Ms. Sharon, and Ms. Sandy frequently at home. Also, we want to especially thank Ms. Ali, Ms. Celeste, and Ms. Tracy for their kind care of Kay, their exceptional patience, and their generosity with lap time! We are relieved to know our sweet girl is in such good hands.

Sincerely,

The Kergosiens David, Elizabeth, Hunter, & Kay

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moving…..

“I sadly write this letter because I have come to love this school and all the wonderful teachers and staff so much!!! The caring and respect all of you have for the children is quite evident. Patience is incredibly lucky to have been at Kinder Haus. We both will miss all of you!”

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new to school…

“I have been home with Maya since she was born so her starting school is a big change for her and for me, but with your help this has been a very easy transition for both of us. When I bring Maya to school in the morning I can leave and feel completely relaxed. I know she’s being well cared for, she’s safe and she’s going to have a fun and creative day. It is also great to notice that Maya is learning so many new things every day, new words, new songs and new concepts. Maya talks about her new friends and she tells me that she loves her school and her teachers and she’s very excited to go to school every morning. Kinder Haus is a great school and I feel very fortunate to have Maya come here. Thank you for being such wonderful teachers!”

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To all Kinderhaus Montessori Staff

My wife and I thought it would be appropriate to take a few minutes and acknowledge the Kinderhaus Montessori staff and express how fortunate we are to have been associated with Kinderhaus. Our daughter, Lauren, has been enrolled here since she was 16 months old (October 1999). Lauren’s evolution ftom baby to toddler to child, and now young lady, has been astounding. At five (5) years of age, Lauren exhibits a tremendous amount of self-respect, is respectful of others, and is respectful of her environment. Not to say that she does not have her moments, but for 5 years of age, I would say that she is well-ahead of where she would be if she would have went to school anywhere else. The exposure she has received at Kinderhaus to not only the scholastic basics, but also social skill development and sensory development, has been excellent. We would highly recommend Kinder Haus to any prospective parent. There is book called Bringing Out The Winner In Your Child written by John Croyle that compares raising a child to packing a suitcase for later in life. From when the child is born until the child leaves the home to begin a life of their own, there are values, morals, ethics, beliefs, and experiences that will form the foundation on which the child will draw upon in later years. These intangibles are instilled by parents/relatives, friends, teachers, etc. Kinderhaus has been instrumental in assisting in this process, and we are proud of the decision we made to include Kinder Haus with helping to pack our daughter’s suitcase.

Sincerely, Eric B. Spillmon

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Dear Ms. Pat & Toddler Team: We just wanted to take the time to send you a note to express our thoughts and feelings of our experience with Kinder Haus. It has been such a wonderful experience having Gianni here at your facility. The Toddler Team does a phenomenal job with the children. They have surpassed our expectations in every way. I remember sitting in the toddler room during Gianni’s phase in period. I looked around the room and saw children just a little older than he naming all the animals, making the animal sounds, using sign language and cleaning their space after lunch. I could not believe what I saw and thought how wonderful it would be if Gianni could do all this. And here we are only nine months later and Gianni is doing all of this and more. I thank you for giving my child and my family such wonderful memories of Kinder Haus. We are sad to leave this facility but are so grateful that we have the opportunity to continue his education at Kinder Haus in Mandeville. Wishing you all much continued success.

The Montalbano’s

To Kinder Haus Montessori, Mandeville:

My daughter, Dr. Kristin Hebert-Fisher,  sends me copies of your Newsletter, because of two of your darling children, my grandsons, Grey and Eli Fisher.  The Newsletters is always informative, but, more importantly, reflects the caring, compassionate spirit of your “school”, as well as the  commitment of your wonderful staff.  The two-way flow of blessings - staff to children, children to staff-is inspirational to this proud Papa!  Please add my e-mail address to your mailing lists and thank you.

Rick Hebert

We invite your comments, please email us at the Metairie school or the Mandeville school.

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SAMPLE MENU

Monday - White Beans & Rice Sausage Cornbread Salad Pineapple Milk

Tuesday - Fish Sticks Grits Broccoli Peaches Bread & Butter Milk

Wednesday - Meatsauce & Noodles Green Beans Bananas Bread & Butter Milk

Thursday - Smothered Chicken Gravy Mashed Potatoes Peas Fruit Cocktail Bread & Butter Milk

Friday - Sloppy Joe Corn Applesauce Milk

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Alumni Outstanding Alumni Achievements 2001-2002

* 2003 the top three finalists in the 4th grade geography bee at Kehoe France (in Metairie), were all Kinder Haus Kids! Congratulations Revill Burke, Brennan Brown, and Brett Bordlee.

* Congratulations Tyler O’Brien who is an honor student at Ceadarwood Elementary School in Mandeville. Spelling Bee Winner, Spanish Bee Winner, 1st and 2nd grade perfect spelling tests every week, and Honorable Mention in St. Tammany parish art contest, published in Young Authors poetry Anthology (2000).

Mandeville Alumni Letter: Our house tends to be quite hectic and noisy. The Montessori method was great for our daughter, Zoe, and for our whole family. Kinder Haus introduced a much needed quiet and calm into our lives. Seeing things in a positive light and being thankful for the many joys of life are just two of the many lessons Kinder Haus reinforced in our daily lives. Zoe flourished at Kinder Haus and really developed into her own self. I am thankful to the teachers and staff for fostering Zoe’s growth into the happy, self-confident, independent, and social child that she is today.

Sincerely,

Zoe’s Mom, Betsy