Administrative Staff

Central Montessori Academy – Toddler, Preschool and Elementary in Northwest Cincinnati

We are an independent Montessori school nurturing and developing young scholars from toddler through sixth grade.

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Administrative Staff

The Administrative Staff, under the direction of the Head of School, manages CMA’s day-to-day operations. Our Administrative Staff is an approachable group who are committed not only to helping walk you through the admission process, but to making sure you feel welcome and included as a part of the Central Montessori Academy’s community.

Denise Ott is our Office and Admissions Director who schedules all tours and interviews. Please contact her at (513) 742-5800 if you are interested in learning more about CMA.

Head of School

René Steinkamp
Head of School

My name is Rene’ Steinkamp, and I became the Head of School at Central Montessori Academy (CMA) in July 2021. I have been a part of the CMA family for 30 years. I started this journey as a parent, a volunteer and for the last 18 years as a teacher in the Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms. I have a Masters of Biology and Bachelor of Science degrees from Miami University. I am AMS Montessori Certified I & II; I have taught in Montessori classrooms from preschool to Jr. High as well as many other certifications and experiences within the educational field. I have also participated on public and private school boards for 16 years.

Part of my life’s work has been dedicated to CMA by helping to expand our school from being a preschool of 24 students in the 90s (The Children’s Way) to the current Toddler – 6th grade program we have today. I always wanted those who lived outside the city limits to have a choice of quality and authentic Montessori education. The goal was to have a place where school felt safe, parents became part of the community within the ‘institution’ of learning, and where children’s differences and diversity would be celebrated and nurtured. A place where following the child and their needs was the norm, where quality Montessori education included helping the students become the best version of themselves and therefore, able to emerge to be productive members of society.

Admissions Director

Denise Ott
Admissions Director

My name is Denise Ott and I am the Admissions Director at Central Montessori Academy. I joined the Administration team in 2019 and I am very excited to share this journey with everyone. I attended Greater Cincinnati Center for Montessori Education where I received my Montessori teaching credential for preschool. For 7 years I was a Lead Teacher\Aide in a Montessori preschool classroom for deaf children. Most recently I ran my own Daycare at home where I taught my youngest child and 6 other children the Montessori Philosophy.

I have been married for 16 wonderful years and we have 3 beautiful children: McKenzie, Aiden and Parker. In my spare time, I love to craft, sew and spend time with family. I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to meet and greet all the wonderful CMA students and family!