Our Vision
At Srim Academy, we envision a peaceful, values-based learning community rooted in Montessori philosophy. We nurture each child’s natural curiosity, independence, and sense of purpose through a carefully prepared environment that supports individualized learning and fosters deep respect for self, others, and the natural world. Blending Montessori education with Waldorf-inspired storytelling, music, and nature exploration, we cultivate academic excellence, emotional intelligence, and global awareness—preparing children not just for school, but for life.
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Both Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, deeply recognized the spiritual nature of the child and viewed education as a sacred journey of inner development. Montessori believed that the child is inherently good and carries within them a divine spark, which unfolds through purposeful work, inner discipline, and a connection to the world around them. She emphasized the importance of preparing not only the environment but also the adult, so that they may guide the child with humility, reverence, and respect for their spiritual growth. Similarly, Rudolf Steiner saw education as a means to nurture the soul and awaken the child’s consciousness in harmony with the rhythms of nature and the human spirit. At Srim Academy, we honor this shared vision by integrating mindfulness, reverence for life, and spiritual practices such as yoga, meditation, and storytelling, creating a learning environment that supports the unfolding of each child’s full human potential—body, mind, and spirit.
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Fee Schedule:
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**Ask about our small business and sibling discounts**
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School Hours: 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM (full day)
8:30 AM to 12 PM (half day)
Before and aftercare available for an extra $150 a month. We know working parents' schedules can be busy so we will work with you to make sure we can accommodate your child. Call to inquire about our extended hours.
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Toddlers (ages 13 months to 3 years):
Full day: $1200/month
Half day: $700/month
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Preschool (ages 3-6):
Full day: $1000/month
Half day: $600/month
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Our ultimate vision is to expand the school in the future to include higher grades, to eventually offer a full Pre-K through 12th grade education. Srim Academy's goal is to sow the seeds of spiritual thinking at a very young age so that children growing up in this age of social media will have the mental and spiritual strength to overcome unnecessary pressures and be strong community leaders.
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Location: Chinmaya Niketan, 5511 Williams Rd., Norcross, GA 30093. We are easily accessible from Norcross, Lilburn, Snellville, Tucker and Duluth.
Our Team
Manasa (Ildiko) Kumaran is the director of Srim Academy. Manasa is a dedicated Montessori educator originally from Hungary who moved to Atlanta in 1997 to pursue her Montessori teacher training. She has spent the past 25 years teaching in the 3 to 6 age group, bringing the Montessori philosophy to life through child-centered learning, fostering independence, and nurturing a lifelong love of discovery.
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Now based in Johns Creek, Georgia, Manasa has expanded her role in education over the last few years as a teacher coach, advisor, and pedagogical coordinator. In this capacity, she supported fellow educators in refining their instructional practices, enhancing classroom management, and aligning educational programs with the core principles of Montessori education. She is very excited to use all her experience at Srim Academy.
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A strong advocate for values-based education, Manasa believes in the importance of nurturing a child’s inner development alongside their academic growth. She emphasizes the need to lay a strong moral and spiritual foundation during the early years, which she sees as essential to shaping compassionate, grounded, and resilient individuals.
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Outside of her professional work, Ildiko volunteers with Embracing the World, a global humanitarian organization, dedicating much of her free time to service. She is also the proud mother of twin boys who attended Montessori school through middle school—an experience that further deepened her belief in the transformative power of Montessori education.
Christine Merritt is the lead toddler class teacher at Srim Academy. Her passion in Montessori education stems from a family history of running successful childcare centers that focused on leaving an imprint of love with the children enrolled and their families. It was this leadership experience that taught her that the emotional aspect of the child and their development was just as (if not more) important than their academic development and support. Even after exploring different career avenues, Christine found that her true passion has continuously led her back to working with children and playing a significant role in their most important developmental stages. She started out as an Assistant Teacher for the City Schools of Decatur before transitioning to The Montessori School at Emory, where she experienced not only working in the classroom with children from all age groups (15 months – 14 years), but also, she gained experience in administration from assisting in managing the day-to-day operations to managing the kitchen and more. She has worked with the Montessori pedagogy for 11 years in different normalized Montessori environments and gained the opportunity to focus on supporting those children. She eventually worked with Atlanta Montessori school as a lead toddler teacher for 4 years.
Lila Cleveland is the head of curriculum development at Srim Academy. Lila has been a Waldorf teacher for over a decade and is a yoga teacher who has been steeped in both Eastern values and Western educational philosophies her whole life. She helped create Srim Academy's unique curriculum, which merges all these wisdoms together in a way that encourages hands-on, creative learning, taking the best of Montessori, Waldorf and Eastern educational philosophies. Lila is also a teacher training expert, gardening enthusiast and mother.
Mitika Dhar is an assistant teacher at Srim Academy, bringing her passion for education and commitment to fostering a love of learning in young children.
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She strives to create a dynamic and supportive environment where every child can thrive and reach their full potential. With over 15 years of experience in the banking industry, Mitika has developed strong expertise in operations and administration. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and has earned multiple certifications in IT.
Beyond her professional career, Mitika is deeply engaged in mentoring and guiding her two kids at home. As a parent, she values education, discipline, and well-rounded growth, encouraging excellence in academics, sports, and social development.
Bhoomika Chachad is an assistant teacher at Srim Academy. Bhoomika has been learning classical dancing for more than 15 years and enjoys choreographing dances for kids and adults for school and public events and competitions. Bhoomika holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computers from Mumbai University, India. Her passion for dance is contagious and she loves helping kids find their rhythm and confidence on the dance floor and in life.
Akshatha Ramesh is an assistant teacher at Srim Academy. Fluent in Kannada, Hindi, English, and spoken Telugu, she is fully equipped to help our language immersion program with enthusiasm. A lover of arts and crafts, Akshatha’s passion stems from her childhood, where she assisted her mother in creating beautiful handmade pieces. She finds great joy in nurturing artistic talent and inspiring creativity in young minds.
In addition to her teaching aspirations, Akshatha has professional experience as a software developer at HCL, bringing a strong analytical mindset and problem-solving skills. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics from Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, she is deeply committed to fostering a positive, inclusive, and engaging learning environment for all her students.
Kishore Ramachandran, the founder of Srim Academy, has been a computer science professor at Georgia Tech since 1986 after receiving his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is the recipient of several research and education awards and helped pioneer Georgia Tech's online MS program in Computer Science (OMSCS), which is currently providing an opportunity for students world-wide to pursue a low-cost graduate education in computer science. A lifelong educator and community leader, Kishore has also taught Chinmaya Mission Balavihar and has helped raise his three grandchildren in recent years.
Family-owned, family values
A lot of Montessori schools and preschools these days are owned by large corporations focused on the bottom line. We are different. We're family-owned and operated, created by Georgia Tech professor Kishore Ramachandran. Two of his grandchildren attend the school.
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Ramachandran founded Srim Academy as a community service. Every dollar brought in by the school will be reinvested in the school -- paying its teachers well and up-to-date supplies and amenities --and any additional funds will be used for financial aid to children who need it for education.
"Let us give [the child] a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions. We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having found the universal centre of himself with all things."
Maria Montessori
"We need all students to be like role models to do seva (selfless service) to the human race. A lot of children in our world have so many challenges in their lives, suffering from depression, anxiety, and mental pressures. They need a center for them to have spiritual practices, a center for good thinking power and with lots of sweet conversations, positive conversations, to build powerful zeal in students. We have to think about our future generations."
Amma Sri Karunamayi
"Education is nothing if it does not train our faculties to capture all our opportunities to be useful to others but stay happy always in ourselves."