Janice Mattina Director, Elementary 1 Teacher

Janice received her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida in 1966 and has Montessori certificates for the 3-6 and 6-9 age levels.  A teacher for over 30 years, Janice continued in her parents footsteps:  her mother was an elementary school teacher at Anna Maria Elementary;  her dad, Mr. Higgins, was the chemistry teacher at Manatee High in the 1950s and 1960s.  Janice was trained by Dr. Caleb Gattegno, creator of the Words in Color approach to teaching reading.  Before starting the school, she was a reading consultant to public schools in California and Ohio, and conducted workshops to train teachers in the use of Words in Color and the Cuisenaire rods.  Janice and her husband, Peter, have 4 grown children, Amy, Kara, Justin, and Kristopher, and 6 grandchildren, Anna, Colin, Nathan, Quinn, Roman, and Grant.