Montessori in rural Oaxaca

A person wearing a hat sits at a table covered with orange boards displaying various blue geometric shapes, in an indoor-outdoor setting.

What was once a traditional rural classroom is now being shaped by Montessori learning where teachers are prepared with new tools and students are welcomed into an environment designed to encourage independence, curiosity, and growth.

Impact of Our Work

Supporting Ananda School and its partnership with CONAFE, Mexico’s federal community-based rural education program, to bring Montessori pedagogy to rural villages in Oaxaca, opening the door to more accessible, engaging, and child-centered education. Through this collaboration, educators and founders of Ananda are helping train CONAFE teachers in the Montessori philosophy, bringing a new approach to learning into communities that have historically had fewer educational resources.

Vern Lal Global Foundation is proud to support this work by helping fund teacher training and the purchase of Montessori materials for new rural schools. These investments help create classrooms where children can learn through hands-on exploration, guided independence, and meaningful connection with their teachers and environment.

This work has now reached four communities in San Sebastián Río Hondo, Oaxaca: La Fábrica, Yogolo, Río San José, and Piedras Negras. In each of these villages, the introduction of Montessori learning is helping lay the foundation for stronger educational experiences and brighter opportunities for children and families.

It’s more than teacher training and classroom materials—it’s a partnership that is helping bring a new educational model to rural communities and expand what is possible for young learners in Oaxaca.

Gallery

Two people sit on a wooden floor with a blue mat, arranging Montessori math materials including number tiles and bead bars for counting activities.

A classroom with small tables and chairs, shelves holding various utensils and containers, and baskets on the floor. Bright decorations and learning materials are visible on the walls and shelves.

A group of people sits in a circle on a wooden floor inside a large room as one person reads aloud from a picture book.

Two women sit on the floor arranging letters on a wooden board while a group of people with laptops observe from tables in a wood-paneled room.

A table outdoors holds many flat, blue geometric climbing holds arranged on a large board, with trees and plants in the background.

A person uses a spray gun to paint yellow geometric shapes on multiple boards laid out on the ground outdoors.