Administration & Staff

Our outstanding faculty and our exceptional families are supported by a group of dedicated administrators.

Celma Pinho Perry

Celma Perry is the Education Director and Founder of the Montessori Children's House of North Barrington. In her long career as an educator, Celma has devoted her life to understanding children and to creating the environments necessary for them to learn and grow. She studied child development and the Montessori approach under Lubienska de Lenval in Paris, France, and in 1956 became the founding director of the Escola Experimental de NS de Sion in São Paulo, Brazil. Concurrently, she also served as the Director of its Teacher Education Program. Upon arriving in the United States, she became the Head Teacher of Alcuin Montessori School in Oak Park, IL, as well as the Supervisor of its teacher education program, the first of its kind in the Midwest.

In 1965, a group of parents sought to bring quality Montessori education to their community of Clarendon Hills, IL, and under Celma’s educational direction they founded Seton Montessori School. As the director of that school, she fostered a loving education environment and eventually grew a one-room schoolhouse into a vibrant education community of over 200 children. Celma recognized that would-be teachers of young children needed a preparation program that would enable them to educate in the true spirit of Montessori, and to fill this need she founded the Montessori Education Centers Associated (MECA) teacher preparation program in 1970. In MECA, Celma has created one of the oldest and largest Montessori teacher education programs in North America and has prepared hundreds of teachers to thoughtfully and faithfully serve the needs of the children in their care. Celma and Desmond Perry later founded the Montessori Children's House of North Barrington, an excellently prepared environment nestled in several rolling acres in Chicago's Northwest suburbs.

Celma is a head lecturer in all of MECA’s academic programs, focusing on Montessori philosophy and techniques, parent education, and teacher preparation. Celma is a widely acknowledged expert in the Montessori community, and she has authored countless articles for publications. In 1968, she authored the first authoritative academic guide for teachers, published by AMS, called A Montessori Curriculum for the Children’s House. Additionally, she has written several other invaluable books on Montessori Education: The Cosmic Approach: Social Sciences for Children 0 to 6 Years Old, Facilitating a Montessori All-Day Program, and Facilitating a Toddler Program. Celma is an expert in preparing Montessori environments and in starting and administrating both private and public Montessori schools around the world. She also serves as an AMS consultant and presenter, a NAEYC speaker, and an international lecturer.

Having studied in Europe, Celma holds an AIRAP credential in Montessori Education, Infancy to Adolescence as well as an AMS credential in Early Childhood Education. She received a B.A. in Pedagogy from Sedes Sapientiae Universidade in São Paulo, Brazil, and a M.A. in Counseling from Pontificia Universidad Catolica in São Paulo, Brazil.

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Desmond Perry

Desmond Perry is the Chief Administrator of the Montessori Children's House. In his 30 years of experience in child development, Desmond has prepared hundreds of Montessori teachers and observed thousands of young children grow, learn, and mature. A lifelong educator, he lectures in all of MECA’s academic programs, focusing on child development, with special emphasis given to perceptual motor development, and on parenting skills. Desmond has worked in school administration since 1960, and is a recognized expert in that field.

Apart from MECA, Desmond oversees the MECA lab schools, including MCHNB, and he is a frequent lecturer to parents, teachers, and administrators. Desmond consults to schools and teacher preparation programs internationally, including programs in countries such as Ireland, Mexico, Portugal, and Brazil. He has written numerous articles that have appeared in journals such as Montessori Life, Play and Work, and Montessori All Day. He is the author of three acclaimed books: The Child: What Every Caring Parent Needs to Know, The Child is a Person, and Perceptual Motor Development for Young Children.

Desmond holds AMS credentials in Infant & Toddler Education and Early Childhood Education. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Patrick’s College in Kiltegan, Ireland, and a M.A. in Education from Loyola University in Chicago, IL.

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Kathy Robertaccio

Ms. Kathy is the Coordinator of the preschool and infant/toddler programs at MCHNB and also serves as a head teacher in the toddler and parent-infant classes. Her goal is to inspire in her students the desire to learn. She has served at MCHNB for over twenty years. Ms. Kathy holds AMS credentials in Infant & Toddler Education and Early Childhood Education, and she received a BS in Biology from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY.

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