Lais Cristina Blanco Soares
Lead Teacher, Toddler Community
My name is Lais, I am originally from São Paulo, Brazil. I moved to the U.S in 2015 as an au pair, an exchange program where you live with a host family and care for their children. It was an amazing experience! I graduated with a degree in Education in 2012 and I have been a teacher since then. I love my profession, and that is why I decided to become a Montessori teacher. In 2020, I earned my Montessori certification from Barrie Institute. It is a great honor to share everything I learned with my students, but also, to learn every single day from the greatest people of all: The children. During my free time I love taking long walks around Palisades; listening to music and podcasts; and doing puzzles and crafts, such as wood burning and embroidery. My newest hobby is cultivating succulents. Every day with my students is a new chapter of a beautiful Montessori journey, and I feel lucky to have the chance to be part of their lives. As Dr. Maria Montessori said, “The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”