Who We Are
The hardest part of choosing a school is trusting someone else to love your child the way you do. Pam Lynn, our founder, understood this in 1975, when she could not find the right Montessori classroom for her own daughter and decided to build one. 50 years later, that same care still shapes every Bergamo classroom across our three Sacramento Campuses. Your little one will be greeted by name each morning by an AMI or AMS-trained guide, given the time to explore at their own pace, and gently helped to see themselves as a capable, contributing member of our community. That is the promise on which Bergamo was founded, and it is the one we keep for your family every single day.
Parent Reviews
Sarah H.
July 29, 2026
The staff takes impeccable care of my boys and they have a ton of fun and really enjoy it. My youngest has some feeding issues and the staff has worked with us to have his feeding therapist come and help improve his eating. His teachers have also helped us learn new tips and tricks to get him more comfortable with different foods!
Rachel C.
July 29, 2026
The teachers and staff are friendly and wonderful. I never stress about leaving my child in the morning. It’s a safe school as well which gives me peace of mind. My daughter learns a ton with the curriculum and tells me about her days with the biggest smile
Aubrey P.
July 14, 2026
The staff is so kind! All of the ladies at the front desk when you enter know every child and greets them personally. Ms. Wendy runs a great program and she is very responsive which is much appreciated as a parent.
Kyle K.
July 7, 2026
Wendy is The bomb.com!!!! All of my babies loved it here!
Katelyn K.
July 7, 2026
How you care for all the children in the school and provide and healthy learning environment
Saira A.
June 30, 2026
Everything
Wendy H.
June 2, 2026
Love this summer camp!!
Nadira R.
May 27, 2026
Teacher and staff are very friendly
Mari H.
May 19, 2026
The teachers are very friendly and kind to the kids. I love that they do arts and crafts every day, and go outside as well!
Cassidy M.
April 14, 2026
We have had such a wonderful experience with Creative Child Learning Center. With two of our kids attending, I can confidently say they are absolutely thriving in this environment. The teachers are caring, attentive, and truly invested in each child’s growth—both academically and emotionally. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing our kids are not only learning every day but are also genuinely happy and excited to go to school. We’ve seen so much development in their confidence, social skills, and love for learning. The communication from the staff has also been incredible, which makes us feel really connected and involved as parents. We are so grateful to be part of this community and highly recommend Creative Child Learning Center to any family looking for a nurturing, supportive, and enriching place for their children.
Our Story
Bergamo began in 1975 with one mother, one borrowed church space, and a belief that children deserve more than a place to pass the day. Pam Lynn, our founder, wanted a real Montessori education for her daughter, Wendy, so she built one. Over the past four decades, that single classroom of 17 children has become a community of around 500, with three Sacramento-area Campuses offering Infant, Toddler, Primary, and Elementary Programs.
What has never changed is the reason we exist. Our mission is to prepare your child for life, not just for the next grade. We celebrate each child as an individual and help them discover how they can contribute to the world around them. Children are born curious and eager to learn, and our job is to protect that natural drive by giving your little one a beautiful, well-prepared environment, warm, well-trained adults, and a community of families who believe in the same things you do.
The science backs up what we see every day. According to the University of Virginia, children in Montessori preschool programs showed stronger outcomes in reading, memory, executive function, and social understanding by the end of kindergarten, and those gains continued to grow over time. This research describes exactly what our guides witness in our classrooms: children who learn deeply because they are trusted to explore at their own pace.
Our mission is to prepare your child for life. We celebrate child's individuality and help them discover how they can best contribute to our world. We do this by providing environments that meet your loved one's developmental needs, by surrounding them with loving, well-prepared adults, and by building a community of families who actively support this purpose. According to the American Montessori Society, Montessori education nurtures the whole child across cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth, which is the foundation upon which everything at Bergamo is built.
We want every child to walk into a Bergamo classroom feeling welcomed, capable, and free to be themselves. When your child trusts the adults around them and feels respected as an individual, they begin to take healthy risks, make real choices, and build genuine confidence. Our vision is a community of curious, kind, lifelong learners who see themselves as capable contributors, both inside our classrooms and out in their world.
Our curriculum is authentic Montessori, shaped around the way your child actually learns. Rather than rushing children through a one-size-fits-all schedule, our guides observe each child closely and offer the right lesson at the right moment. Much of the day is built around an uninterrupted three-hour work cycle, which gives your little one the time and calm they need to concentrate deeply, repeat work until they master it, and feel the real satisfaction of finishing something on their own.
Inside our prepared Montessori environments, your child moves through four distinct curriculum areas. Practical Life activities, like preparing a snack or caring for the classroom, build independence and coordination. Sensorial materials sharpen the senses. In language, children first listen for the sounds in spoken words before meeting letters and, later, building words. In mathematics, they begin with the counting sequence before moving to number symbols and the decimal system. In every area, your child works from simple, concrete ideas toward more complex and abstract ones, and a guide confirms understanding before introducing the next step.
What Makes Our Montessori Schools Different?
Parents often ask us what really sets Bergamo apart, and the honest answer is the depth of the relationship between our guides and your child. Our lead guides hold Montessori teaching diplomas earned over hundreds of instructional hours, along with a college degree or coursework in early childhood education. They choose this work because they love it, and that shows in how well they come to know each child.
Martha Ruiz, School Leader of Bergamo Montessori Country Day, has been part of this community for 35 years. She describes the Bergamo approach simply: "Authentic and true Montessori. It is based on kindness, respect, and fostering independence. We hold true to those values on how we treat each other, but most importantly, the children". That commitment is why families stay within our school network, often from infancy through to elementary school.
Our guides meet your child exactly where they are. As Hilary Marking, School Leader of Bergamo Montessori at Serrano, puts it, "our school is special because we allow young children to see themselves as capable, competent contributors to their community." Your child is not measured against everyone else or pushed to keep pace with a group. They are encouraged to follow their interests, celebrated for their strengths, and gently supported in the areas that take more time. In our mixed-age classrooms, younger children learn by watching older ones, and older children grow into leaders by helping their younger friends.
That growth follows your child the whole way through Bergamo.
Early Childhood Leadership & Staff
One of the biggest questions parents carry before enrollment is a simple one: Will my child truly be known and cared for here? At Bergamo, the answer starts with our people. Before a new child joins us, we meet with the whole family so we understand both the parent and the child from day one.
Martha Ruiz
School Leader, Bergamo Montessori Country Day Campus
With 35 years at the campus, Martha has helped create the close, caring community that makes Country Day Campus feel so special. She leads with warmth, trust, and a deep commitment to strong family communication.
Hilary Marking
School Leader, Bergamo Montessori at Serrano Campus
Hilary Marking brings 23 years of experience in early education as a professional nanny, infant-to-preschool teacher, and administrator. She sees caring for young children as a true calling and leads the Serrano Campus with warmth, joy, and a deep belief in a child’s place within the community.
Dayna Brennan
School Leader, Bergamo Montessori School Campus
Dayna, School Leader at Bergamo Montessori School, loves watching each child connect naturally with their environment and discover the purpose, beauty, and joy within the Montessori materials.
Achievements & Accreditations
For more than 40 years, Bergamo has earned a reputation across the greater Sacramento region as a trusted, authentic Montessori school. We are the only program in our area to offer Infant classrooms led by guides who hold the prestigious AMI Montessori certification, a two-year training devoted to child development from birth to age 3. Our lead guides hold Montessori teaching diplomas, along with degrees or coursework in early childhood education, and our assistants bring experience and ongoing training of their own.
"Our school is special because we allow young children to see themselves as capable, competent contributors to their community."
Hilary Marking, School Leader of Bergamo Montessori at Serrano.
Endeavor Schools is a community of more than 100 schools across the country, brought together by a shared commitment to caring for children during the most important years of their lives. Each school is thoughtfully connected to its local community, creating environments where children feel safe, supported, and encouraged to grow. Behind every classroom is a team of educators and parents who understand how much these early experiences matter, and who are dedicated to helping children build confidence, develop essential skills, and find a genuine love for learning. At the heart of Endeavor Schools is a focus on one simple goal: to give every child the support and foundation they need to thrive, both in school and in life.