Children’s House Montessori School in Camden has signed an option agreement to purchase 3 Cross St. in Rockport, which school officials say will include a significant investment in nature-based learning.
The school has been looking for a new home for some time. Its current home at 58 Elm St. was owned by MSAD 28, which informed it a few years ago of plans to convert the building into teacher housing. When that plan fell through because the renovation cost would be too high, the school district offered the building to the town of Camden and the town voted to continue to lease the property to the Montessori school.
In February, however, the town was considering giving the school five-year notice not to renew its lease because of the high costs of maintaining the building.
Rachel Nixon, head of Children’s House, issued a press release this week announcing that a new location, the former Anchor Church site, has been found.
“Children’s House will be located directly across from the beloved Erickson Fields Preserve, owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. The school will also be adjacent to new affordable housing developments, placing CHMS within a growing neighborhood and strengthening its role as a community partner serving Midcoast families.”
In the press release, officials stressed the importance of nature-based learning. “Montessori students participate in weekly Forest Fridays at Merryspring Nature Center, enjoy outdoor adventures including rock climbing at Barrett’s Cove during summer camp, and engage in hands-on environmental education projects in the classrooms. Last year, CHMS students raised nearly 300 brook trout eggs, provided through the generosity of the Casco Hatchery, before releasing the young fish into the Megunticook River.”
Children’s House serves children ages 18 months to 9 years in school-year and summer programs.
The school will continue operations at the Elm Street location in Camden through next summer and plans to open at the new location for the 2027-28 school year.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.