Compass Montessori School of Federal Way

Compass Montessori School

Federal Way's Leading Preschool

Celebrating 20 years!

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Compass Montessori School of Federal Way (CMS) is a progressive Montessori preschool located in Federal Way, Washington.

We are affiliated with the Montessori Institute of America (MIA), which is a founding member of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).

Hands-On Education

Children, ages 2 1/2 to 6 years old, love to learn by doing, experimenting, touching, and using all of their senses. Our enriching and engaging environment and our love of teaching fosters an excitement for learning in all of our students.

With the advent of the information age, and now the beginning of the communication age, we are finding that traditional methods of learning can no longer prepare our children for the future. Instead, traditional methods can severely limit the ability of teachers and students to adapt to the 21st century.

Learning how to Learn

CMS develops lifelong learners who can think critically, solve problems, and work collaboratively. These are the skills your child needs to succeed in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing environment. Students are given room and opportunities to focus on tasks without distractions; this teaches them to apply abstract rules to solve novel problems. Traditional learning, which relies on rote memory, does not do this.

Classroom Readiness

Our graduating students enter public school “classroom ready.” Their strong foundation in the art of learning helps them grow and thrive both socially and academically.

Love for Compass

We have so many great things to say about Compass Montessori School. Our son's been going to CMS since September 2022, and it's amazing to see how much he's grown. He is very slow to warm so the first couple months were rough but now he absolutely LOVES his school, teachers, and classmates. There is a very diverse group of students at CMS which is really important to us, and teachers really make an effort to have families share their cultures with one another. The teachers are exceptional in providing academic and emotional growth, and we are so grateful for all their support and collaboration. We have an almost two year old that we can't wait to send off to CMS and we always recommend the school to our friends and family. - Clara Kim, parent of current student 2023

Our two daughters attend Compass. We’ve found it to be a safe, nurturing place where the teachers don’t teach just facts: They teach a love of learning. The Montessori method surrounds children with beautiful, engaging ways to learn, teaches self-regulation and focus, and allows them to follow their academic interests. The result is that at age 3, my youngest daughter is getting good at focusing on tasks, learning about the world around her, and building pre-writing skills, while our older daughter, who is turning 5, is reading insatiably and loves practicing addition. We have found the teachers to be incredibly dedicated and compassionate. They do well at communicating any concerns, hold regular parent conferences and often pause for a few minutes at pick-up time to tell us about what our kids did that day.

This school has been more than I ever expected! The classrooms are always so clean and my daughter loves her school and her teachers. She grew very confident about herself in the school’s warm atmosphere. The school has a great student to teacher ratio. Mrs. Evers has been such an inspiration to me and I learned so much from her. She helped me see my child’s needs and challenges through a perspective of love and understanding. Moreover, she has an eye for qualified teachers and I completely trust her and her staff.

My son is beginning his second year at Compass. We have been extremely pleased with his social-emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and educational growth at this preschool. The school’s adherence to the traditional Montessori philosophy and method of instruction allows my son to grow in a multitude of ways everyday building life skills, math, handwriting, language, science, and social studies. Compass has a high teacher to student ratio that appealed to our family knowing that our son had a high energy level and needed lots of redirection. My son has benefited from the cultural diversity and loving environment that Compass provides. As a parent, I am informed on a daily basis regarding my son’s progress. I am always greeted by kind and happy staff. Since beginning his preschool education at Compass, my child is more open to new experiences, shows better self-regulation, and gets along with peers not to mention demonstrates improved academic skills. I highly recommend Compass to families who are looking for educators who will honor their children as individuals and challenge them to enhance their strengths and improve on their areas of weakness.

Compass Montessori School is a wonderful school. My daughter has learned more in the independent learning environment than I could have ever imagined. She is actually teaching ME new things all of the time! The teachers are very loving & make us all feel at ease. They genuinely care about their students & it shows.

My kids love going to school here. They feel loved, respected and cherished by the teachers. They stay amongst the top (if not the top) of the class once they move on to elementary school being they have covered such a wide variety of subjects at Compass Montessori. They learn to be responsible, hard working people. They learn to complete a project and clean up after themselves once completed. The school is clean and well organized. The teachers are well educated. They communicate any news or updates often.This is a kind and loving environment which we will dearly miss after graduation. We have all learned so much from our time at Compass Montessori. Thank you!

We feel so fortunate to have had our son at Compass during his formative years. Mina and all the teachers create such a nurturing, loving, fun and safe environment for the kids to explore, learn and grow. Because of this, the love of learning is ingrained in our son and it’s a lasting gift Compass has given him. We believe it’ll serve him for the rest of his life, helping him succeed especially when things get tough. It’s also such a joy to see how the school embraces different cultures and even teaches the kids to speak and sing in different languages. We are forever grateful to Compass.

Founder & Instructor

Mina Evers is a Montessori education enthusiast who has been involved in teaching and leading children since her teenage years.

She has been a youth leader, Sunday school teacher, and Sunday school director.

Her passion for children led her to take Montessori education courses 20 years ago. The Montessori method immediately excited her and she has become very passionate about pursuing her goal with Montessori-based teaching.

For Mina, teaching children is not only a passion but a way to give something back to society by guiding young minds to develop the joy of learning and life skills that last their lifetimes. She enjoys every minute of her teaching career and expects to teach for many years to come.

What is Montessori?

Montessori is a method generally known as a self-directed approach of learning using a set of materials that are by nature self-correcting. The teacher observes and then directs or leads the child rather than merely instructing. The child not only learns concepts in reading or math, for instance, but more importantly learns how to learn, thus establishing a foundation that lasts a lifetime.

How does the Montessori child adapt to a traditional elementary classroom?

Because of their self-discipline and independence, children who have been in the Montessori preschool classroom for the full 3-year span adjust readily to traditional elementary classrooms. Since the majority of children have been reading since they were 4-1/2 or 5 years of age, they love to learn wherever they are.

What are the learning outcomes?

Compass Montessori School’s 2-1/2 to 3 year old students show an enthusiasm for exploration, a love of work, concern for others, concentration, a drive towards excellence, orderliness, and a joy of learning. It is inspiring to see most of our 4 to 5 year old students casually reading to each other, confident in the knowledge that they taught themselves how to read!

What guidelines for learning are the children given?

CMS’ method is based on each child’s fundamental need for freedom within limits. Children are longing to do… to touch, to smell, to taste, to see, to hear… so that they may learn. They choose their “work” and concentrate for surprisingly long periods of time without interruption.

Socializing as they learn, the children use their newly acquired speech skills to express themselves as individuals and to chat about their life values, interests, and family members.

How do the children move and choose their work?

Children move about freely and choose their “work” with responsibility and freedom. They absorb a broad understanding of the world through hands-on materials. Their independence and self-confidence grow as they learn through projects that allow them to learn as individuals at their own pace and to reach toward their own potential.

Why should I begin my child at such an early age?

Exposing children to an enriched environment at their most sensitive developmental periods can help them develop their abilities to a high level without pressure and through the freedom of choice.

What ages are the children?

Children, ages 2-1/2 to 6, work and play together as a family in a cooperative and non-competitive daycare and preschool environment. They encourage each other to succeed and learn from their mistakes without feeling inferior or superior. The ideal Montessori learning program for your child is the full 3-years.

Why provide Montessori learning for your child?

Our method surrounds your child with engaging learning materials and supportive teachers as they fulfill their profound need to learn. By encouraging curiosity and wonder, we can help your child reach his/her full potential.

What does “Montessori” mean?

The child has one intuitive aim: his self-development. He desperately wants to develop his inner resources: his abilities to cope with a strange, complex world. He wants to do and learn and see for himself, and not through the eyes of an adult. The child who accomplishes this moves into harmony with the rest of the world. He becomes a full person. — Dr. Maria Montessori