Mountain Sprouts Preschool Inc

Allow me to introduce one of the most passionate and creative teachers I have had the pleasure of working with. Cathy Barber is the Lead Teacher/ Director at Mountain Sprouts Preschool. She took the helm of this program in 2009 and has brought vibrance and radiant color to a program that yearned for a new spectrum and fresh methodology.

Cathy moved to Telluride from New York State where she was the Primary Head Teacher at Our World Montessori. Her teachings are derived from the Montessori/ Waldorf principles.

At a time where the world seems to function by computers and technology, Cathy reminds us that our children will learn about their world naturally when given the right environment. How is it that we can expect our children to thrive socially if we stick them in front of a computer at age 2 and beyond. I dare not say that acquiring computer skills is an unneccesary skill, but there will be time for that in elementary school and beyond. Why not feed the natural curiosity and sense of wonder that all children possess?  This idea is at the core of Cathy's philosophy. She is resistant to the idea of so called 'benchmarks' that a child must reach by a specific age. As the parent of three little girls that have met their "marks" at very different ages, I can attest that they all get there by there own means. What may seem suitable for one, is quite the contrary to another. Cathy recognizes this quality and nurtures it. The goal is to teach the children through their heart not the head. The curriculum that Cathy has developed is structured to nurture the whole child by providing hands-on learning and sensory motor expriences that lay the foundation for further learning and intellectual and social development.

Teaching to the text is an idea that may have seemed intelligent at one point, but we learn from our mistakes. Teaching to each child, allowing their natural curiosity and imagination guide their evolution and discovery is how Cathy radiates as a teacher. It is the lifelong student she looks to foster. It is within every child but unless every aspect of that child is nurtured, the passion to learn may never be awakened.

Cathy Barber is patient, loving, intelligent and kind. These are qualities most of us have come to expect from a teacher. What sets this young woman apart from the rest of the crop is that she, too, is willing, open-minded, inspired, eccentric, curious, never-ending in her quest for new and creative ways of guiding our children. It is due to these qualities, that I have never looked back at my choice in a preschool for my daughter. It has been a sheer pleasure watching her grow at her own pace, with Cathy's love and guidance.