About Friends of
Monte Vista Montessori

Friends of Monte Vista Montessori (FOMVM) is the parent- and community-led nonprofit that supports Monte Vista Montessori School (MVM) beyond what tuition covers. We raise funds through events like the Night at The Cove and Big Give SA, and support the on-campus traditions that bring the MVM community together - including the Fiesta celebration, our Winter Social, and Teacher Appreciation nights.

We work closely with MVM's administration to identify the school's highest-priority needs each year — replacing aging utilities and equipment, renovating bathrooms, repainting classrooms and common spaces — and direct funds where they'll have the most immediate impact, alongside classroom materials and family programming.

Upcoming Events

Ways to Give

Our
Roots

In 1953, Hanna and Johan Laven came to Texas from Europe to help set up the first Montessori schools in America. Trained under the guidance of Maria Montessori, the Lavens founded San Antonio's Kriterion Montessori School on the hill overlooking San Pedro Park. For forty years, Kriterion set the standard for Montessori education in San Antonio. In 2008, Kriterion's core team of Montessorians and a group of dedicated parents came together to found a nonprofit Montessori school, continuing the work started on the hill in a new location in the heart of Monte Vista.

Monte Vista Montessori (MVM) carries that history forward. Since the 1950s, its students and teachers have been part of the neighborhood, reflecting the community's changes and growth. Today, MVM's diverse student body can be found working in the school garden at the corner of Magnolia and Belknap, or making the weekly walk to San Pedro Library — the next generation of Monte Vista's teachers, doctors, architects, and neighbors.

Where Your Support Goes

Campus repairs & upgrades

Major equipment repairs and replacements, bathrooms renovations, painting, roofing, and other priorities identified in partnership with MVM administration.

Classroom materials

Replacing and expanding the hands-on Montessori materials every classroom depends on.

Administrative support

Helping MVM's staff keep the school running smoothly.

Community & family events

The outings and gatherings that bring MVM families together outside the classroom.

Our Board.

Friends of Monte Vista Montessori is run entirely by volunteers — current parents, alumni families, teachers, and neighbors who care about keeping MVM strong. Our board meets monthly, and every meeting is open to the MVM community. If you'd like to get involved or just see how decisions get made, you're welcome to join us.