Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Eldridge.
Hi Lori, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey began when I took on a position at a childcare center where my youngest daughter attended. I was in school for child brain development and to be a teacher. Taking on that position seemed to be a good stepping stone into the world of Early Childhood Education. During this time a public Montessori school opened up and both of my girls got into the school.
I had no idea what Montessori was at that time. The school was hiring so I switched gears and took on a position there. While working at the Montessori School I fell in love with the philosophy. Things started to make sense to me from a child development perspective. I loved working with kids but felt something was off in the traditional school setting and the way educators were expected to care for the kids.
In parallel to this position I became an advocate for children with special needs and consulting with childcare centers that were opening around town. While finishing my degree for early childhood development I enrolled in Belmont’s Montessori Teacher training program. I decided the public school system was not for me but I knew I wanted to focus on opening my own Montessori program. My goal was to open a 1 room school house within 3-5 years. However a childcare center I helped open had closed and was up for auction. So after a year of leaving the public sector I found myself pursuing my dream.
In May 2007 my first Montessori School was opened.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I opened my first school I had 10 students enrolled from day one. By 2010 I bought a second location and quickly grew from one 3-6 year old classroom to 2, 3-6 year old classrooms, toddlers and eventually taking on infants. By 2012 I added an elementary program as well.
Business wise things were great and we were growing however my personal life was becoming extremely hard to navigate. I found myself working hard to get myself and my 5 kids out of an abusive relationship. In 2016 my kids and I moved and I continued running the school however it was becoming hard as my ex was my business partner. In December 2019 I made the decision to close my first school due to the separation.
As I was trying to figure out the next chapter of my journey, my best friend Jerry approached me about opening another school. I was scared but it felt like the right thing to do. I let the families know at my current school and they all enrolled at the new school. The new school, Music City Montessori, opened in February 2020. Things have been great and we have expanded since opening.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Music City Montessori?
* Music City Montessori in a small private school in the Donelson area of Nashville. We have infants through 4th grade. We are currently filling the waitlist for the 2026 – 2027 school year. We have 6 classrooms at this time. We have an amazing support group within our families. I have children in elementary that have been with me since they were infants.
What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
* I am the school Director and I am on campus every day. We are small and I do everything I can to be a support system for my amazing team. MCM is known for being authentic in its approach to the Montessori Philosophy.
What sets you apart from others?
* One thing that sets me apart from a lot of the school Directors is that I am Montessori Certified in all age levels that MCM currently serves.
* The one thing that sets MCM apart, aside from the Montessori Philosophy is that we stay very strong in the belief of building a solid social emotional foundation from a very early age. Having this solid foundation allows for everything else to fall into place.
What are you most proud brand wise?
* Staying authentic in the delivery of the Montessori Philosophy. I also have an amazing team.
What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
* We are a committed group of educators that love kids, thrive on Montessori education, and we have amazing families at our school. Part of what makes us great is the support from our families.
*The Montessori Philosophy allows for the child to develop naturally which allows them to learn at their own pace. The best way to describe it is if you go to work doing something you love then you will excel, this is the same in the Montessori Environment, the kids get to work in a way that allows them to gravitate to materials they love!
* Offering care for infants is another unique thing for MCM as many Montessori schools do not offer infant programs. Seeing our infants continue with us through kindergarten and often into elementary is very rewarding.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
* Taking risks is important. I took a huge risk leaving the public school system and opening my own school. It was scary but so worth it. As I grew I had to make sacrifices to continue my education as I felt it was important to be trained in every age level that I offered at my school. This was risky as I was not sure where this would take me. At the time I opened my first school there were not many Montessori Schools in Nashville and the ones that were here had been here for 20+ years.
* I think the biggest risk over all was closing one school and reopening. I did not know if there would be an interest. How would the families feel about me closing? It was such a scary time for me to the point I almost moved out of state and took a different path. However I faced the fear and talked to my current families and found that they were more than supportive and accepting of my new journey and they walked that with me.
Regardless of whether you view yourself as a risk-taker or not, we’d love to hear your perspective on how you think about risk.
* I think being open to taking risks is very important for growth. If you are not able to take risks you can often be stuck which then leads into burn out or other mental health struggles if you are not happy. Although scary, risks are worth it if you can have an open mindset and allow yourself to be surrounded by people that lift you up. For me it was the support of my best friend Jerry and my 5 kids in addition the amazing families enrolled at my school.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://musiccitymontessori.org
- Instagram: @musiccitymontessorischool
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musiccitymontessori
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1217998/admin/dashboard/
