Owner & Director

Denise Spetrino is the head of school and owner of Fishtown Montessori School. She earned her master’s degree in teaching, learning and curriculum from Drexel University in 2011 and received a bachelor of science in early childhood and elementary education from Temple University in 2006. Denise currently holds certifications in educational administration (principal’s certification, level I) and teaching (pre-K – 6th grade, Level II) and has 9 years experience teaching in a charter school in Philadelphia.

Denise has been working with children and their families ever since she started her first job in 1992 and has held the following titles among others: preschool teacher, camp counselor, nanny, governess, teacher, curriculum developer, tutor, mentor, and an assistant teacher in a Montessori preschool. Throughout her work in education, Denise has gained a deep understanding of the learning process and she continues to fulfill this passion as her work progresses. She is currently enrolled in the graduate level Montessori teacher training program at Chestnut Hill College.

When Denise isn’t nose down in a book or tending her container garden, she’s often found strolling her two-year-old daughter around the 19125 where she’s lived for over 10 years with her husband John.