She built the school she couldn't find.
Mrs. Citlali searched for her own children first — then trained, and built the answer.
I built this page. I'm Chris, her husband — so yes, I'm biased. But before I was her husband, I was her colleague: we met in 2005 as engineering counterparts, me in the engineering office in Dayton, OH, her on the factory floor in Saltillo, Mexico. I saw the excellence in her work before I ever knew her heart. And it was her life — the way she lived it — that first showed me who God was, and led me to faith in Christ.
So everything below comes from my lips: the most biased — and best-informed — testimonial she'll ever get.
— Chris, her husband
My children had the privilege of being taught and trained by an engineer and MBA —
and so can yours.
The same journey your family is on
Mrs. Citlali took the long road here. She graduated summa cum laude in Industrial Engineering, earned her MBA with honors, and spent nearly two decades in engineering and operations — including at Apple in Austin.
Then we became parents, and the search you're on became ours. Preschools that felt like warehouses. "Montessori" schools that didn't hold up to a second look. Homeschooling — I watched her carry that weight. So she went all the way to the source: a full AMI diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas — the training lineage Dr. Maria Montessori founded herself — and classroom experience as an assistant at Goodwater Montessori.
Teaching runs in her family: her parents were both teachers, and her grandfather has a high school that bears his name. She homeschooled our own four children through the early years (I helped a little). For years she has taught and mentored young people at our church. She teaches in English and Spanish. And in Liberty Hill she opened La Vita è Bella: Montessori Children's House small enough that every child is truly known — all built on the foundation of faith in Christ.
She lives it at home, too
She homeschooled our four children through the early years — nothing in this method is theory to her; it's how our family lived. And the Children's House itself? It's the very home where our children were raised. These rooms have been raising children all along.
Three careers, one classroom
The engineer's precision
Two decades of building processes that work means a prepared environment that actually stays prepared — every material in its place, every lesson sequenced with intention.
The mother's experience
I watched her live the hard days — the search, the doubt, the burnout. When she says she'll partner with you, she means the kind of partnership she once needed herself.
The AMI standard
Her diploma is from AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) — the organization Dr. Montessori founded. A rigorous training: child development, every material, hundreds of supervised hours. Observe first, intervene second — "Follow the Child" as a discipline, not a slogan.
"We love Mrs. Citlali! She is 100% engaged and she loves the kids. She's researched the Montessori method deeply, and she's genuinely passionate about their success. My daughter wants to spend all day with her."
— Sarah M., Liberty Hill parent
Come meet her.
Bring your child and your hardest questions — she's asked them all herself. Only 2 of 10 spots remain.
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