Taproot Montessori on Guava Avenue in La Mesa has operated as an AMS- and AMI-affiliated preschool since April 1981, enrolling children ages 18 months through kindergarten under Community Care License #376600137. The Montessori curriculum centers on Practical Life Activities and concrete sensorial materials that develop fine-motor coordination and early numeracy—foundational skills that dovetail with the first pediatric dental visits recommended by La Mesa Pediatric Dentistry. Classroom stations rotate across geography, science, art, and music, with each child progressing at an individually paced rate through multi-age groupings that span the 18-month-to-six-year developmental window. The program accommodates full- and half-day schedules across three- to five-day weekly configurations, with extended-care options available for families who also rely on the indoor recreation programming at The Playground Indoor. The capstone kindergarten year integrates bead-chain counting into the thousands, moveable-alphabet word building, and Montessori metal-inset exercises that develop the pencil grip and stroke control required for cursive introduction.