Words From Our MHMS Families

As a new school, Moss & Heart is beginning to grow, and we are grateful to share the experiences and insights from our first families.

Teacher Amy and her staff have made the transition from at-home care to school such a lovely experience. Moss & Heart's space is warm and welcoming from the moment you walk in, helping us feel at ease during our hectic workdays, knowing our child is so well cared for and nurtured. We couldn't ask for a better environment for our child.
– Parent of a child enrolled at the age of 17 months

Praise For Our Guide’s Prior Experiences

While we may not have alumni yet, Amy brings years of experience as a Montessori nanny, caring for children and working closely with families. Here are some insights into our Guide's skills and strengths.

Guide Amy White has been an incredible caregiver for my daughter, Caroline, from the ages of 1 to 5 years. As a first-time parent, Amy has been my unwavering source of support and a constant wellspring of helpful ideas for improving my parenting skills. Her guidance is consistently effective.

I have complete trust in Amy's ability to educate my daughter on any subject, no matter how sensitive or taboo it may be. Amy has not only been a guiding influence in my daughter's life but also an indispensable advisor for me as a parent, helping us navigate both significant life changes and everyday challenges. Her wisdom and support extend far beyond traditional education, enriching not only my daughter's educational path but also our family's overall growth and development.

Amy's dedication to Montessori principles is evident throughout her time with Caroline, and it's a joy to witness the respect and kindness my child displays after Amy's visits.

Here are just a few examples of what Amy has imparted to Caroline:

  • Care of the self: Amy has guided Caroline in advanced toileting skills, teaching her not only how to use the restroom independently but also how to manage resources like toilet paper effectively.

  • Grace and courtesy: Amy has instilled in Caroline the art of introducing herself and others, as well as resolving playground disagreements with grace and empathy.

  • Respect: Caroline has developed a habit of returning her toys to their designated 'homes' after play, and she eagerly takes part in household tasks like washing windows, all thanks to Amy's influence.

I am genuinely thrilled about Amy's plan to open Moss & Heart Montessori School, as it will provide her with the opportunity to positively impact numerous children and their families. I have no doubt that her dedication and expertise will lead to the development of more confident, kind, and thoughtful children as a result of her care and guidance.

— Jennifer C

I have had the opportunity to closely observe Amy’s ability to work with my [two sons] in a competent, patient manner. She has consistently demonstrated effective communication not only with me, but also with their teachers. My son’s teacher commented on how lucky I was to have someone with Amy’s demeanor be a caretaker for him. While in Amy’s care, my children were kept busy with interactive games, outdoor play and explorations, and arts and crafts. I highly recommend Amy, as I am confident that her character, knowledge, and experience will greatly lead to future endeavors that will benefit any community that she decides to use her talent for enriching young minds.

— EILEEN G

Amy and another Montessori Guide-in-training were indispensable resources in a novel afterschool applied math tutoring program I set up for a local Portland elementary school.  The program aimed to give primary school age children better number sense through sensorial, manipulative and play based mathematics activities.  We relied heavily on Montessori math instruction sequences and environments - two areas that I simply could not have pulled off without Amy's help.  

The school itself was not air-conditioned, the children were often tired after a long day and the afterschool environment could sometimes be chaotic with children coming and going constantly.  Nonetheless Amy was always a beacon of patient, positive, engaging energy.  Together we all sought to create a calm, positive and welcoming environment for the children.  The Montessori materials have an appeal all their own but Amy brought them to life for children in a way that encouraged them to think about ways they could apply this "fun game" in their own lives.  Amy was clever about connecting the children's natural wish to be social with group learning opportunities.  After lessons with Amy many children continued to "play" the math and to delight in teaching it to and sharing it with their friends.

I believe the kind of memories that Amy had a hand in forming will give many of these children an extremely positive association with math and confidence in their own abilities that they might previously not have experienced.

— TANYA B

We have been working with Amy off/on for 2 (almost 3) years. We have 3 kids (ages 7 years, 4 years, and 2 years) and she manages all three of them seamlessly. We have had her babysit for date nights, watch our kiddos while my husband and I went on a 5 day trip, she has nannied for our youngest (from infancy - 20 months), done school pick up and everything in between!! Our kids have a blast with her and even request we go out so Amy can babysit! She is very engaged with them and they are always playing outside, going on an outing in the community, taking a walk, playing a game and I have never once seen or heard of them watching TV or on electronic devices while they are with her. Amy has saved my sanity more than once and we have never found anyone like her. We trust Amy with our kids without hesitation.

— JENN W

We hired Amy over the summer for a temporary position. Amy was absolutely fantastic with our 15 month old son. She took him to the park, library, and other play groups. We would most definitely hire her again.

— Amberly F

Amy made a wonderful impression on our children and family. She was caring, punctual, trustworthy, and flexible. Most importantly, Amy applied her education (graduate-level), in such a way that aided our children in reaching social, intellectual and physical milestones by creating [activities] and learning games. She handled challenges our children presented with ease and always maintained a wonderfully bright and cheerful disposition.

- MIA Y

Amy is absolutely wonderful! We needed a sitter so we could attend an out of town wedding in Portland and I was a wreck about entrusting my one year old to a stranger. The only sitter my daughter has ever had is my mom and I'm a total worrywart. Amy put me completely at ease. She was amazing with my daughter. She arrived early and handled my daughter's separation anxiety like a pro. My daughter stopped crying within two minutes which is pretty much a miracle. I searched all over [Care.com] and read all the reviews for the sitters in Portland. It's hard to know if someone is trustworthy by reading a little snippet online. I can tell you that Amy is completely trustworthy and a total gem. When I got back, my baby was so happy playing with Amy that she didn't even want to come to me at first. That has never ever happened. Amy watched my daughter for two days and I tried to convince her to move to Florida by the end. She's in grad school to be a teacher and she even taught me some tricks to get the baby to go to sleep easier. Couldn't have asked for anything more from a sitter!!

— COURTNEY H

Amy is a stellar student who worked with me not only as a student in my Advanced Experimental Methods class but also as an assistant on a successful project. We already have submitted a manuscript for publication and Amy is one of the authors on that manuscript. Happily for me, Amy’s communication skills are excellent. And this extends to both written and oral communication skills. Because of this, the research we performed together went very smoothly with no frustration whatsoever on my part. Time management is a place where Amy really excels. In the research Amy did with me, I mostly left her alone to manage a huge task on her own. She succeeded where other students who I had given similar tasks to in other years had failed. The fact that the task was extremely difficult, and involved ambiguities, judgment calls, and knowledge that she originally did not have, made her success all the more admirable. Another positive characteristic that describes Amy is that she is an excellent team player, who gets along well with everyone. She is at the same time, highly committed to the work that she does but also is very pleasant to be around. More generally, Amy is intelligent, resourceful, and highly committed to educational issues in general, and to alternative education in particular—particularly the Montessori experience. My observation is that Amy is a wonderful student who wishes to make strong contributions to support human development in positive and life-affirming directions. She has much experience providing child-care and obviously loves it.

— DR. DAVID TRAFIMOW

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

FELLOW, ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

EXECUTIVE EDITOR, BASIC AND APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

EXECUTIVE EDITOR, JOURNAL OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY