Angela Chaney
When asked where she is from, Angie will respond, “Everywhere!” As the youngest child of a military family, Angie had the opportunity to live in many states on both the west coast and the east coast. When her father retired from the Navy, her family moved to Texas for many years before returning to live near her extended family in Indiana.
Angie joined our team in 2017 as an assistant pre-primary teacher. When presented with the offer to become a lead Montessori toddler teacher, she leaped at the opportunity. Angie began her career working with infants and toddlers in 1994 at a preschool in Indiana. This is where she discovered her passion for working with young children and families. She has enjoyed her experience through the years of being a two-year-old assistant teacher, lead infant teacher, private nanny, and as a teaching assistant at the elementary level for children with exceptional needs. Angie has worked as a full-time graphic designer for many years while also working part-time as a teacher. But as the years past, she felt the calling deep in her heart to return full time to the children.
Angie received her MACTE accredited Infant and Toddler Montessori credential from The Center for Guided Montessori Studies. She holds an Early Childhood Staff Credential from the Florida Department of Children and Family. Angie attended Rasmussen College, where she earned her Early Childhood Education and Development Associate of Science. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education Leadership and Child Development. She is an active member of the American Montessori Society (AMS), the International Montessori Council (IMC), and a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Angie also has an Associate of Science in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburg.
Angie’s favorite part of the Montessori pedagogy and philosophy, compared to traditional early childhood programs, is that the curriculum is modeled to follow the child’s development and changing needs. Each child has within themselves a fantastic ability to absorb knowledge gained from their environment. Concrete, practical life skills set the foundation for understanding more abstract concepts in later development. Observing a toddler’s spontaneous work and growing concentration is, in itself, its own reward.
When Angie is not working with young children, she enjoys camping, hiking, reading, and spending time with her adult children and grandchild, along with her Basset Hound, Emmylou Basset. She has a passion for real-life illustration and occasionally paints. She is teaching herself how to crochet and knit. One day, she hopes to learn to speak Spanish fluently. Angie’s lifelong dream is to travel the world to visit the ancient ruins of historical civilizations.