About

Kati McClurg has served as an Early Childhood Educator for more than 30 years. She found Montessori when exploring alternative approaches to educating young children and has since focused her passions on this methodology.  She moved to Amelia Island, Florida to receive her Montessori training and to begin her Montessori career. Kati holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and attained her American Montessori Society (AMS/MACTE) Primary Credential from Summit Montessori Teacher Training Institute in Davie, FL. Kati is passionate about both environmental and place-based education, which partner beautifully with the Montessori way of teaching and learning.  Witnessing that many Montessori schools struggled to be financially and culturally inclusive and recognizing that she wouldn’t have been able to afford Montessori schools for her own children, Kati started dreaming of creating a school where accessibility was central to the vision. Having served as a member of the Peace Corp in Namibia and the Gambia, taught in Tanzania and taught in a small Alaskan Yup’ik Village, Kati understands the experience of being linguistically and culturally isolated and the effort and reciprocity that is required to find belonging. She is passionate about creating a school home where children and families from all identities and circumstances can find acceptance and community.

In her free time Kati enjoys time with her two teenage daughters; exploring nature, taking their dog for long walks, spending time at the beach, and gardening.

“My passion for Montessori and place-based education motivates me to inspire Rain Lily children to learn about our local natural environment and about both Black and female leaders who have done and continue to do extraordinary things in our community. I hope the children learn about our island home and expand that knowledge and compassion to encompass the world.”

Tania is originally from Cuba, and has now lived in the Fernandina Beach area for many years.  Tania achieved a BS in Exceptional Student Education from Universidad de Ciencias Pedagogicas in Cuba before immigrating to the United States.  She attained her AMS Montessori Primary Credential from Duhovka Montessori Training Center.  She began her teaching career as an educator in Cuba.  When Tania first came to Florida, she worked at daycares in Miami and on Amelia Island, and too often in these programs she was surprised and saddened by what she saw: messy environments where children wandered about without having the best opportunity for learning. Once she discovered the Montessori philosophy of teaching, she knew she was ready for this new beautiful path.  She fell in love when she encountered Montessori and saw young children doing amazing, independent work.  For Tania, Montessori is not just a philosophy, but a way of life. She considers herself a lifelong learner, and it is her passion to instill that same love of learning within all of the children she teaches. She enjoys reading, cooking and going on beach walks with her children in her spare time. Tania cares deeply about providing her students with a learning environment that cultivates their desire to become lifelong learners and inspires them to transform both the world and themselves.  As a native Spanish speaker, Tania shares daily opportunities for Rain Lily Montessori children to explore and practice a second language through Montessori inspired Spanish language lessons.

Tania enjoys reading, cooking and going on beach walks with her family in her spare time.  She has one daughter, two sons, and one granddaughter.  

“We need the families, but they tell us they need us too. Our accessible, inclusive Montessori community is something that has never been offered here before.”