About Us
Terese Bradshaw
Terese Bradshaw is the Directress and founder of Montessori for Toddlers, established in 1989. Terese grew up in Marin and received a bachelor’s degree in Child Development from San Francisco State University. She completed her Montessori Training at Pacific Coast Montessori School in 1989. Terese is a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and leads workshops in Positive Discipline for many local preschool staff. Terese holds a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit, from the California State Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Terese is the mom of four adult daughters and is the grandmother to four children (three of which graduated from MFT) Terese enjoys water skiing, snow skiing and family time with her grandchildren.
Lori Picardi
Lori Picardi has been teaching at MFT for the past 6 years and is now Head Teacher in our classroom. Lori has been creating and implementing our inviting and innovative curriculum for the past 3 years in our toddler classroom. She received a bachelor’s degree in General Design from San Jose State University. Lori completed the Montessori and Positive Discipline online courses. Lori has completed the Infant and Child CPR and First Aid Certificate
Prior to joining MFT, Lori developed and led the after-school Art program at St. Francis Preschool while teaching Time for Two’s. Lori’s love for nature and the outdoors has been brought to our Montessori environment in the form of outdoor yoga, rhythm dance, and discovering insects, butterflies and hummingbirds around our rich outdoor play space. Lori is the mom of two adult daughters and enjoys art, mountain biking, and hiking. Her daughter, Lauren, graduated from MFT and now attends UC Davis.
Connie Blake
Connie Blake is an enthusiastic and outgoing Assistant Teacher at MFT. Connie has been working as a substitute teacher for more than a year at MFT and joins our staff part time. Connie has enjoyed learning about the Positive Discipline and Montessori philosophies in our classroom. Connie has completed the Infant and Child CPR and First Aid Certificate
Connie instills positivity and love in our classroom, and enjoys getting to know each child’s unique personality. Connie is the mom of two adult children, Garrett and Courtney and their black lab MyLee. In her free time, Connie enjoys running, strength training, mountain biking and the outdoors with her husband and friends.
Moira Dolan
Moira Dolan and her older brother both graduated from Montessori for Toddlers. She has been a very popular Summer Intern at MFT for the past 8 years.
Moira is currently a senior in high school in the renowned MSA program at Novato High School, studying film-development.
Moira is on the Varsity volleyball team and has been a competitive dancer since she was a young child. She also enjoys reading and trips to Lake Tahoe with her family and friends.
Our Philosophy
Montessori for Toddlers strives to:
Open Communication
Provide open communication that includes parent conferences and educational evenings. Work closely with parents to support a healthy separation experience.
Inside & Outside
Provide a beautifully prepared environment, both inside the classroom and out in the garden that is safe, orderly, nurturing and inviting.
Hands on
Teach students through hands-on, individualized experiences. Instill in our students a love of learning
Recognize and appreciate the unique personality
Support the child’s desire to be independent. “I did it myself, Terese!” is often spoken with such joy that there is no doubt about the pride that is felt by the child.
Our Experts
Our Expert Instructors
Testimonials