Few things, real things
A glass tumbler instead of a plastic toy, a real knife, a real plant. Children learn care with real things.
About us
We opened in 2019 with six children. Today we have two classrooms, a plane tree and a large family of parents.
Dear parents,
I first met Montessori in Bergamo, in the first week of my AMI training, watching a child put the same cylinder block in and out for twenty minutes. Nobody said "well done"; when she finished she looked up, smiled and put the block back on the shelf. In that moment I understood what I had been looking for in ten years of preschool teaching.
We opened Çınaraltı in 2019 in this stone house in Urla, two streets from my grandmother's home. We set it up as a home rather than a school: the kitchen inside, the shelves low, the garden always open. The plane tree in the middle of the garden was there before us; we took our name from it.
Do not expect spectacular results, early reading or rankings from us. What we can promise is this: here your child will learn to choose their own work, finish it, put it away and respect someone else's work. The rest will come at their own pace.
Come and watch the work period with us one morning.
Ayşe TunçUrla, November 2026
Training and certificates
- Hacettepe University, Child Development and Education (BSc)
- AMI 3–6 Montessori diploma, Bergamo
- AMI 0–3 (Assistants to Infancy) diploma
- First aid training (current)
What matters to us
Silence is a language too
No bells, background music or raised voices in class. We talk by bending down to the child's height.
Outside every day
The garden is part of the classroom: soil, water, sand and the seasons. Rain is no reason to stay in.
Together with parents
Two meetings per term, a written observation report and a parent meeting every month. We are curious about home life too.
The stone house and the plane tree
The house was built in the 1950s as a vineyard house; in 2018 we rebuilt the inside for children without touching its stones. The windows came down, the kitchen counter dropped to child height and the stairs got a second handrail.
The garden is 1,400 m². Under the plane tree we have breakfast in the morning and stories in the afternoon. The vegetable beds grow lettuce, tomatoes, mint and basil in season; the children harvest them and carry them to the kitchen.
Licences and certificates
Our two groups report to two different authorities. Originals are displayed at the entrance; you can see them during your visit.
- Nest (18–36 months)Private nursery licensed by the Ministry of Family and Social Services. Licence date and number: to be entered in the admin panel.
- Children's House (3–6 years)Private kindergarten under the Ministry of National Education. Institution code: to be entered in the admin panel.
- Our guides' Montessori trainingAMI (Association Montessori Internationale) 0–3 and 3–6 diplomas, listed person by person on the Team page.
- Kitchen and hygieneHygiene training certificates for kitchen staff and a dietitian-approved monthly menu.
Let's continue the letter one morning, under the plane tree.