Administration & Staff
Kyung Rho, Director
Kyung is the director at Children’s House, and she has worked here for over 20 years. She moved to Columbia with her husband, who earned his doctorate in Economics from the University of Missouri. She began her teaching career in Seoul, Korea where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She also earned a Master’s degree in Family Counseling. Kyung received her AMS Montessori Certification in 2000 and was honored with Columbia Home and Lifestyle Magazine’s Teaching Award in 2008.
In 1999, Kyung decided that she wanted more experience with American style classroom education in the hopes that upon a return to Korea, she could blend the two very different styles of educating into something new. She visited nearly every school in Columbia, but fell in love with Children’s House. After volunteering at the school for a year, she felt confident that Montessori education was right for her. Soon after, Kyung earned her Montessori Teaching Certification through St. Louis University at MOMTEP.
In an unexpected way, Kyung was able to blend the two styles like she’d envisioned. However, instead of bringing the American teaching style to Korea, she brought some of the Korean traditions to Children’s House. About her experiences in education, Kyung says,