About Us – Downtown – Mi Casita Montessori

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“Education is not something the teacher does, but a natural process that develops spontaneously in the human being.”

— Dr. Maria Montessori

Dear Families!

Serving this community has been a true blessing. I started my professional journey in Montessori over twenty years ago, and I am thrilled to be here after so much growth in my career and personally.

I am a certified Montessori Guide for the Infant/Toddler and Primary level. I am also a DFPS-certified Childcare Director. Throughout my career, I have held various positions on campus. Additionally, I have had the privilege of being a Montessori parent to Elvin, who is 23 years old, Marcos, who is 20, and Elayna, who is 17.

I grew up in Nicaragua, moved to L.A. as a teenager, and relocated to Austin in 2001. Now, I find myself in the most beautiful dream job I have ever had. Serving and creating an environment for growth for children and adults, filled with compassion and gratitude, is one of my career’s most rewarding goals.
I thoroughly enjoy the daily challenges of being the Owner/Director of Mi Casita, and I love working with the amazing group of talented and caring adults. For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your children.

Thank you for joining this special community, and welcome to Mi Casita!

Keyla Martinez

Director of Downtown

Mision

It is our goal to provide a loving, diverse, bilingual, educational environment for young children built on a foundation of compassion, gratitude and service.

Vision

We aspire to attain our mission through the leadership of a dedicated administrative team and the guidance of trained Montessori guides, all committed to continuous personal and professional development. We seek to build community for the extended family of Mi Casita Montessori through family events, parent workshops, and service opportunities.

Our Happy Parents

What a wonderful daycare/school that Mi Casita has brought to East Austin. The level of care and education for my son has surpassed anything I could have expected at such a young age.

Baby boy is absolutely thriving at this school and the guidance and Montessori principles have been a big reason why. I cannot imagine sending him anywhere else. The community we found at Mi Casita has been wonderful.

Edgar Barguiarena
Our child is absolutely thriving at Mi Casita! We have attended since the East campus opened in early 2024 and have been so impressed with the care they provide our child.

The owner, director, and guides all work hard to foster a loving and appropriately challenging environment and the results we see in our child speak for themselves: curiosity, language (fully bilingual), focus, independence, emotional development & security.

I’m thankful we found a school where our teachers are an extension of our household and where we can work together to guide our child through all the fun & new experiences of toddlerhood.

Mi Casita is a relatively small school, with low student to teacher ratios which has helped develop a close community. That’s something I didn’t know to look for as a first time parent but has been lovely for our family to experience.

Marissa Javaid
I am so happy we found Mi Casita! The Austin daycare scene is so competitive and I was overwhelmed with where to start. We were so lucky to get our 2 year old into the school – from day one I have had 100% confidence not just in the level of care they provide, but also in their commitment to my Childs education.

She is thriving, learning, and so happy to go to school every day. It’s a wonderful, tight-knit community of families with plenty of opportunities for us to connect with other parents and staff throughout the year. We’ve been so amazed by the immense impact the Montessori approach has made in our child’s independence, language skills (both Spanish and English) and compassion.

Bridget Hildebrandt
My son has been attending Mi Casita Montessori since he was 18 months old and I couldn’t be happier with his time there. I love the small community and they’ve truly become a second family to us over the last year. The staff has great communication about everything from what the children are learning each week to changes in procedures etc.

Ashley Fenrick
My son goes here and we’ve absolutely loved being a part of Mi Casita. His teachers are caring and wonderful and we wholely trust them. He loves going to see the “nice ladies” and all of his friends and we’re constantly amazed with the new things he learns and all of the things he is capable of that Mi Casita helps him and us to realize.

Even during Covid, we feel that they are doing a great job to keep everyone safe and also keep everyone enriched and growing

Philip Matson
We feel so lucky to be a part of the Mi Casita family. The care, individual attention and emotional support the kids get here is truly extraordinary, above and beyond any other school we considered.

The Loverich family
Mi Casita Montessori school has been such a blessing for our family! We have seen our 18 month old son flourish with his growth and development since becoming a student at Mi Casita a few months ago.

He gets so excited to go to school and clearly loves his teachers and classmates! Enrolling him there is the best decision we could have made and we feel so thankful for the nurturing learning environment that is offered at Mi Casita!

Sarah Rice
We love Mi Casita! The staff is incredibly loving and kind with our daughter, and the teaching methodology has been very amazing for our daughters development. Highly recommend!!

Scott Briton