Kimberly Palacios-Rolston
My name is Kimberly Palacios-Rolston, I recently joined AMI/USA as one of the Board of Directors. My teaching career began at the Rosarian Academy in 2001, where I spent 14 years there mastering the Montessori model – a child-centered educational approach that values the human spirit in the development of the child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive abilities. I received an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education with a Montessori track, an Associate Early Childhood Credential from the American Montessori Society and an International Montessori Teaching Diploma. Aside from Montessori training, I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from Liberty University. I graduate December 2024. I have a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Southeastern University and a bachelors degree from Grace Christian University in Leadership and Ministry.
Outside of school, my husband and I work closely with a non-profit organization that provide needs and smiles for each child. For more than 25 years, Little Smiles has served children in difficult circumstances throughout South Florida. As an advocate to helping children in need, I sat on the City of West Palm Beach’s Educational Advisory Board. For 5 years, I have served as an advocate for young children who come from a life of substance abuse, poverty and trauma. I also served on the Board for Back to Basics – a non-profit that provides a one-on-one educational experience conducive to each individual’s learning style, regardless of age. The mission is to inspire personal growth, build self-esteem and support learning goals. Lastly, I recently took on the position as an Ambassador for Take Stock in Children-a non-profit organization in Florida that provides a unique opportunity for deserving, low-income youth to escape the cycle of poverty through education. In 2015, I left the day-to-day teaching to build a daycare and school for pregnant and postpartum women who battle with substance abuse at Gratitude House as their Director of Childcare. Upon completion of my mission, I moved to the Drug Abuse Foundation in Delray Beach where I continued my work advocating for children born into substance abuse.
I am thrilled to return to my first love, the classroom, and share my passion and enthusiasm for learning at Turtle River Montessori. My most recent accomplishments: 2024 The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, 2024 Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year Nominee and 2021 Teacher of the Year in Palm Beach County.