Sonia C. Slaven is a top-performing Educator specializing in the Montessori Method with over 20 years of experience. She has a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a concentration in Montessori education from Endicott College. She holds a 3-6 American Montessori Certification and a 6-12 Montessori St. Nicholas Certification. She provides children with the highest level of education as she assesses, identifies, and guides students to reach their fullest potential. Ms. Sonia understands that children are our future. Therefore, she maintains high academic expectations and provides a prepared environment in which children feel safe and love to learn. She conducts training seminars and workshops for Montessori teachers focusing on the areas of mathematics, language, science, history, geography, and social studies. In addition, she organizes meetings for parents in order to help them understand the impact and the effect that a Montessori environment has on their children. She has served as a consultant for Montessori schools in Ocala and Tampa approving the entire curriculum and providing continuous education for the staff. Ms. Sonia has the ability to communicate with children in an efficient way making them feel secure and confident, and she is an effective communicator and an organized planner that leads by example. During Ms. Sonia’s extensive Montessori career, she has trained teachers for a MACTE training center, has given lectures about Montessori to graduate and undergraduate USF students, and has had the privilege of being nominated for “Disney’s Teacher of the Year.” She also organized, opened, and taught in a very successful upper elementary program in a very prestigious Montessori School. Her passion for education goes beyond the children. She has a thrist for knowledge and is constantly finding ways to challenge and educate herself, even having the opportunity to complete a neuroscience course from Harvard University. Teaching and learning is her life’s passion! Ms. Sonia touched and had a positive impact on the lives of all of her students. She feels honored and proud that she still remains in contact with students that she taught as far back as twenty years ago. To receive messages, calls, and correspondence from her pupils from prestigious universities fills her life with happiness because she guided them to achieve their best. It is a testament to the value of a Montessori education.

Dean Slaven is a top-performing business and operations manager with 25 years of experience at a Fortune 500 corporation and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. He has the proven ability to assess, identify, measure, and monitor business needs, applying legal, regulatory, and safety compliance knowledge to reduce risk. He can apply the understanding of policies and procedures to situations and operations to address issues that impact efficiency, quality, and parent satisfaction. Mr. Slaven is a very effective communicator, interacting and presenting to all organizational levels. He builds teams by developing future leaders through training and mentoring. In addition, Dean Slaven has the ability to coach and develop others to meet performance goals using career development processes and tools. He measures performance through the use of key performance indicators. Mr. Slaven treats every student and his/her family as if they were his only pupils, providing them with all of the means necessary to obtain the desired result, the highest level of education. Dean Slaven is a proud father of two Montessori graduate students and believes that the Montessori Method of education is simply the best.

Ms. Leda, our primary classroom lead teacher, holds a marketing degree and boasts a rich professional background, having worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble and GSK. However, her journey took a remarkable turn when she moved from Mexico and discovered a Montessori school in NY for her own two daughters. Captivated by the Montessori philosophy, she was inspired to transition her career and obtain a credential as a Montessori teacher through the American Montessori Society (AMS) in Early Childhood. Ms. Leda has been in the Montessori environment for 10 years and she joined our team in 2015 and her commitment to the Montessori philosophy goes beyond the classroom; it's a way of life for her. Embracing the core Montessori principles, she fosters an environment where children are encouraged to explore, discover, and learn at their own pace. With a keen understanding of the Montessori materials and methods, Ms. Leda creates an atmosphere that promotes independence, self-motivation, and a deep love for learning. Her classroom is a carefully prepared space, filled with stimulating materials that cater to the diverse needs and interests of each child. Through a hands-on, experiential approach, she guides her students in developing essential life skills, critical thinking abilities, and a sense of respect for themselves and others. With Ms. Leda’s unique blend of corporate expertise and her passion and dedication to the Montessori method, she ensures that our students receive an authentic and enriching educational experience, setting the foundation for a lifelong love of learning and a strong sense of community. When she is not working at school, she loves to spend time with and take care of her daughters. She also enjoys sports and working out, especially volleyball.

Carina Arrieta was born in Maracaibo, Vanazuela and has lived in the United States for 7 years. She studied Industrial Relations at the Rafael Belloso Chacín University Maracaibo-Venezuela, and worked for 10 years as manager of a well-known men's clothing store in Venezuela. She is married with 2 children. Carina has been a part of the Montesorri Casa Dei Bambini family since 2017. She loves working with children. Every day she learns from them and enjoys experiencing how they learn and develop each of their skills on an academic and personal level.

Josnelin Montiel was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and has a bachelors degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She worked for 8 years in Food Services in the oil industry in Venezuela. She moved to the United States 5 years ago and feels so blessed and grateful to live here in Florida. She has been married since 2008 and has 2 daughters: Cecilia and Emilia. She is catholic and her favorite holiday is Christmas! Josnelin has been a teacher assistant at Montesorri Schools since 2019 and joined the MCDB family 3 years ago. Her favorite part of working with children is teaching Spanish, and loves when they learn news words and songs!

Courtney is graduate from Berklee College of Music. In Boston, she worked in the hospitality industry for 12 years and also taught music class via video at Montessori Casa Dei Bambini. While living in Boston, she met her husband and had her first child. After living in there for almost 13 years, she moved back to Tampa to be closer to family and more support as her family grows. She has loved the change and now has 2 children she's inspired by every day. Having grown up in a Montessori household and receiving a Montessori education in her early years, she understands the incredible value of Montessori. When her parents opened the school in 2014, she had never seen something more spectacular. Not only were her parents fulfilling a dream years in the making, but they were truly shaping the future through education. Proud is not enough of a word to describe how she feels to become a part of the MCDB family full time.

Christopher is a graduate of USF and a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. Though he has a full-time job he dedicates his Tuesday mornings to teach the children physical education. Christopher has been a huge advocate for fitness and wellness for his adult life and consistently devotes his time to completing various races in the area (marathons, triathlons, etc.)