About Us

Our Mission

Motivated by our Catholic faith and following the principles of the Montessori method, Hilltop Montessori School provides children with an environment where their natural curiosity, desire for order, longing for beauty, ability to concentrate, and capacity for growth within a society can flourish, so that they might more fully realize their potential as children of God.

Situated in and intended primarily for the children of the hilltops neighborhoods of Steubenville, Ohio, Hilltop Montessori School endeavors to make the life-changing Montessori and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation experience available to all regardless of means.

Our Vision

To become a catalyst for growth and flourishing for children in Steubenville, especially among the children of the hilltop neighborhoods.

Hilltop Children’s House, a non-profit 501c3 corporation, was founded by Noëlle and Thomas Crowe in late 2017.

Noëlle moved to the LaBelle neighborhood of Steubenville in 2017 after she and Thomas got married in July 2017. Noëlle has ten years experience working in Montessori environments, primarily through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which is a Catholic religious education program based on the Montessori method. Upon moving to Steubenville, Noëlle immediately began seeking ways to put her skills and training to use in helping to improve the lives of the children, and thereby the families, of Steubenville.

Thomas has lived in the LaBelle neighborhood of Steubenville since 2008 and has long sought a way to have a more significant impact on the city. When he and Noëlle got married in 2017, the opportunity to help her establish a program for the youth of the hilltop neighborhoods became obvious.

The board of trustees of Hilltop Montessori School includes eight other members, many of whom live in the hilltop neighborhoods of Steubenville, and all of whom have a passion for education and seeking ways to improve the lives of those around them.

Our Montessori Programs

Montessori programs put children in an environment where their natural abilities are nurtured. According to a study by the University of Virginia released in November 2017, Montessori is the only educational method shown to eliminate the income achievement gap.

Maria Montessori, an Italian medical doctor in the first half of the 20th century, developed her theories on childhood education through many years of working with children of all different backgrounds, all around the world. She opened her first children’s house in the slums of Rome, Italy, in 1903, to serve the children living there while their mothers went to work. Learn more about Maria Montessori »

Friendly Pricing Structure

The average cost of a Montessori program in the state of Ohio is about $8,000. Our programs will cost less than that, with a sliding scale to reduce this number further, based on family income. Learn about our current programs and costs here. To make this possible will require support from many people. Support Hilltop Montessori School »