About MPW
“We believe that the benefits of a Montessori education should be accessible to all children, particularly in underserved communities.”
Montessori Public Works (MPW) is a non-profit state services and advocacy organization that provides curriculum implementation packages to New Jersey districts and public programs that wish to start high quality Montessori classrooms. We believe that the benefits of a Montessori education should be accessible to all children, particularly in underserved communities.
MPW has worked alongside New Jersey district administrators to build a curriculum implementation package and support services that delivers the full scope of resources and support needed to help implement a high-quality Montessori environment. We also provide ongoing support and professional development opportunities to districts so that their Montessori classrooms and teachers can thrive within the framework of the public school system. This is done through teacher and administrator training and coaching, and aligning the Montessori curriculum with state teaching and learning standards, classroom set-up and material guidance, and financial assistance.
Through our network of private donors passionate about Montessori and public education, MPW is able to offer Montessori curriculum for your district at costs comparable to other approved curricula, while offering high-quality Montessori materials and furniture made out of natural materials, options for teacher education preparation, and ongoing professional support in a context that works for public educators.
Our Team
Angie Schiavoni
Angie founded Montessori Public Works in 2019 to help bring high-quality Montessori learning environments to public settings across New Jersey. She is also an advisor to the Wildflower Foundation, where she helps support Montessori teachers in New Jersey who wish to start and run their own equitable, authentic Montessori micro-schools. Angie hopes her work will be part of an ecosystem approach to help to address the childcare crisis, inequities in education, and rising mental health issues among children. Before moving to New Jersey, Angie led agile product teams and built sustainable operations in the social enterprise space for 15 years. She also led product management workshops for a variety of companies and organizations, including Harvard Business School and the MIT Media Lab. She also co-founded CodeEd, an education non-profit that teaches computer science to girls from underserved communities. She’s also the proud mother of two Montessori-educated children, ages 12 and 7.
Nina Saporta
Leading product development and design for MPW, Nina has gotten to combine her appreciation of Montessori with her passion for creating. Nina's background in developing programs and products spans a multitude of different industries and experiences, from founding an intergenerational literacy and enrichment program for resettled refugees, to developing a computer science curriculum for children, working as a product manager at a record label, and providing marketing consulting to Montessori schools. Nina also wrote and published Sunshine Elementary, a chapter book inspired by the Montessori community that centers around kindness and socio-emotional skills. Whether it’s traveling across the 7 continents, playing bass in a band, or running her web development business, Nina loves getting things done and bringing life to the projects and interests she's involved in. As the mother of 3 Montessori children, Nina has seen firsthand the unparalleled benefits of this pedagogy and feels passionate about doing her part to help make Montessori more accessible for all children.
Carla Vanzant
Carla Vanzant is the Director of Partnerships at MPW, dedicated to enhancing relationships with partner programs and the wider community so that we can better serve our community’s needs and refine and grow our products and services. Her prior role as the director of the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) at Brookdale Community College showcased her unwavering dedication to ensuring educational equity.
Carla’s commitment for creating equitable spaces and community enrichment shines through her co-founding of Inspire Life, a nonprofit that provides high-quality camp and educational experiences for youth and families living in the Central Jersey Shore region of New Jersey. The organization is dedicated to fostering creativity and leadership in youth while also empowering women to ascend into leadership positions within their careers and community. Beyond her administrative roles, Carla is proactive in leading workshops and coaching sessions for a multiplicity of organizations on topics around diversity, inclusion, equity, and access. Her work in this sphere centers around creating equitable spaces, combating diversity resistance, providing education, and building systems of accountability.
With a Master of Arts in Applied Sociology, specializing in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Oklahoma City University, Carla combines academic insight with practical leadership. Carla takes great pride in being the mother of two sons, ages 12 and 9, who are thriving due to their Montessori education, and the devoted wife of her life partner, Semaj.