A Warm Aloha!

Welcome to Growing Minds Montessori Academy! We are excited to offer a quality educational experience to you and your child. It has been such a blessing to have the opportunity to create a beautiful indoor and outdoor environment which encourages learning and creativity. Your child will have a wonderful opportunity for exploration, discovery, and growth as an individual, all of which will serve in the development of his or her academic skills and abilities. This learning will be engaged with a wide range of educational activities as prescribed by Dr. Maria Montessori and outlined in the curriculum developed by the North American Montessori Center (NAMC). We invite you to meet the dedicated individuals who bring this vision to life each day.

Meet Our Team

Growing Minds Montessori Academy is led by Lyudmila (Mila) Dahlman, a credentialed classroom teacher with a Master of Arts in Teaching as well as five years of teaching experience primarily at the elementary level. She is a certified Reading Specialist and trained in Montessori education for the 0–3 and 3–6 age levels.

Mila brings a strong academic and linguistic background to the program as a native Russian speaker fluent in reading, writing, and speaking. Her approach to education is also shaped by her experience as a mother of three young children, all of whom are part of the learning community.

Her focus is on creating a calm, structured, and developmentally rich environment where children build independence, confidence, and foundational academic skills through hands-on learning.

Yvonne Oliver serves as the Secretary for our school, providing essential support in legal and administrative operations, as well as assisting with grant research and funding initiatives.

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Yvonne currently resides in Hawaiian Paradise Park with her husband, Kerry, and their teenage son, Santi. Having deep roots in the local community, she brings both dedication and a strong sense of commitment to her work.

Yvonne is passionate about the success and growth of the school and is proud to contribute to its mission in meaningful and practical ways.

Christian Learning Environment

An important aspect of the program is that Growing Minds Montessori Academy is guided by the shared faith of the Dahlman family. While the school is not a formally Christian institution and does not use a Christian curriculum or follow any specific denomination, these values naturally shape the rhythm and culture of the learning environment. Christian values are shared with the children in simple and age-appropriate ways. Each morning, we read a story from the The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories, and we pray together at the beginning of the day, before meals, and at the close of the day. Christianity may also be discussed informally during class time and conversation. Topics such as Jesus as Savior, sin, salvation, and the origin of good and evil may arise naturally as we guide children to think about life, choices, and character. Children may come home wanting to continue discussing and asking questions about these or similar topics. We want to be transparent with families about this aspect of our program. Please be sure that you are comfortable with this before enrolling your child, as it is an important part of the atmosphere we cultivate.

Growing Together with Families

We believe that parents are their child’s first and most important teachers. Growing Minds Montessori Academy is honored to partner with families in supporting each child’s development, helping to create a consistent and nurturing bridge between home and school.