Nikki Garrett Director/Early Childhood Teacher Mrs. Garrett is native to the New Paltz area, but began her teaching career in rural Thailand. She returned to teach at the Academy of New Paltz, working with teens to build a vital and relevant curriculum based on their own interests. She has worked at Lederman Children’s Center and High Meadow School, specializing in introducing art to young children. Experiences with her daughter Estelle sparked her interest in Montessoriand inspired her to found a school. She met Mary Prentice in 2002 and the two worked together to build Maria’s Garden. Mrs. Garrett is certified as an Early Childhood Montessori teacher by the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/ New York. She has also trained with the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, New Jersey and is a member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance. She holds a BFA in Visual Art from Purchase College. Shannon Murray Early Childhood Teacher Ms. Murray has been part of the Maria's Garden teaching team since 2006. She is currently completing her 3-6 Montessori certification through The Center for Montessori Teacher Education at the College of New Rochelle. Ms. Murray holds a bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy from Lesley University and is working on her Masters degree in Art Therapy, a course of study she began in California and plans to complete at Pratt Institute. She has worked in the educational and child care fields for six years, including an internship at the Children’s Center at New Paltz College, teaching an arts-based science curriculum in an afterschool program, coordinating activities at a children’s hospital, tutoring for a literacy organization, and creating a music therapy program for children ages 4-14.