Our Story

In 1977, Little Flower moved to a new location on Oakland Park Boulevard. After arriving there, many changes occurred. The original class of six swelled to sixty, day care hours were eventually dropped, and in the space where students once napped, a Toddler class was begun. The most recent expansion of Little Flower’s curriculum came in 1990 with the addition of an Elementary class made up of 6-12 year olds.

After Ms. Edie’s passing, her daughter, Mary Cronin Byrd, took over the leadership of Little Flower. Ms. Mary dedicated the next twenty years to continuing at Little Flower the excellent tradition of Montessori education started by Ms. Edie. The annual Founder’s Day celebration continues to be held on Ms. Edie’s birthday, March 17th, to honor her memory and her dedication to the school.



In 1996, the teachers, parents and students of Little Flower combined their efforts to successfully relocate the school to its present location in Wilton Manors.

Upon Ms. Mary’s retirement in 2010, Kim Clarke-Campbell and Lisa Cassanelli, two dedicated LFMS teachers, assumed the leadership of Little Flower. Both Ms. Kim and Ms. Lisa are AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) trained and are deeply committed to having an AMI presence in every classroom. AMI was established in 1929 by Dr. Maria Montessori to maintain and protect the integrity of her educational philosophy. AMI is the oldest recognized authority on Montessori education worldwide. With great anticipation and enthusiasm, Ms. Kim and Ms. Lisa look forward to preserving and nurturing the educational ideas envisioned by Dr. Maria Montessori.



In 2012, Kathleen M. Dzura was hired as Head of School to assist in their vision. In March of 2013, an AMI consultant was invited to evaluate LFMS. Upon completion of the evaluation, LFMS was given AMI membership.