The Discovery Atelier was not designed to be the biggest preschool in Lake Norman. It was designed to be the best experience a young child can have — in two languages, with teachers who truly know them, in groups small enough that no one is ever overlooked.
Every group at The Discovery Atelier has two qualified, bilingual teachers present — always. Not when we feel like it. Not as a bonus feature. As a structural guarantee.
Your 3-year-old receives more than 2× the individual attention than at any standard licensed facility. Our ratio: 1:6 (12 children, 2 teachers) — compared to NC law's 1:15.
Your 4-year-old receives 50% more individual attention than the legal standard requires — in a bilingual classroom, with two teachers, every single day.
Christina holds a BAFEP qualification from Austria — a five-year specialist degree in early childhood pedagogy that covers child development, bilingual education, Montessori practice, and Reggio Emilia methodology. In the United States, this is equivalent to a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education, with a depth of specialisation that most university programs don't match.
Having grown up in Austria and lived across Europe before settling in the Lake Norman area, Christina brings something the region has never had: a native German speaker who is also a trained early childhood educator — designing a program where bilingual development and Montessori learning happen together, naturally, every day.
She designed the Discovery Atelier curriculum from the ground up. Not from a textbook — but from years of working directly with small children and observing what actually helps them acquire language, develop independence, and genuinely love learning.
"The goal is not a bilingual child. The goal is a child who knows they can do hard things — and who happens to speak two languages while doing them."— Christina Kratzer, Founder
We accept children aged 3 through 5. Children should be born 2023 through summer 2024 and fully potty-trained before starting.
Not at all. Most of our families have zero prior German. The immersion approach is designed for children starting from scratch — language is acquired naturally through play, routine, and daily interaction.
Christina holds a BAFEP qualification from Austria — a five-year specialist degree in early childhood education, covering child development, Montessori method, Reggio Emilia practice, and bilingual pedagogy. It is the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education, with a depth of specialisation that most programs don't offer.
Three things: daily German-English immersion — which exists nowhere else in the Lake Norman region — a maximum of 12 children per group, and two qualified teachers always present. The combination doesn't exist anywhere else nearby.
The school opens August 2027. The school year runs August through May. Contact us for summer program availability.
Yes. Founding families receive guaranteed priority enrollment for any future expansion. Your child transitions with the same teachers, same curriculum, and the same tuition rate (permanently locked).
Still have a question? Christina personally answers every inquiry.
Email Christina Directly →Starting in a licensed home environment is not a compromise. It is a deliberate choice — grounded in research on what young children actually need.
Young children learn best when they feel safe. A home setting — warm, calm, and non-institutional — is closer to what they already know.
Phase 1 gives us direct control over every element of the experience. No facilities compromise, no administrative distraction — just teaching.
The first six families don't just enroll — they help us understand what works. Their experience directly shapes the curriculum, routines, and program we carry forward.
Phase 1 operates under a North Carolina Family Child Care Home license — with full regulatory oversight, safety standards, and professional accountability.
Most schools grow by packing in more children. We grow by doing the same thing better, in more spaces — with the same small groups and the same two-teacher standard every time.
An intimate, purpose-built environment — by design. One group, twelve children aged 3–5, two bilingual educators. Lake Norman, NC. This is where it begins — and where the standard is set. Every family in the founding cohort shapes what The Discovery Atelier becomes.
A purpose-built space in the Huntersville, Cornelius, or Davidson area — designed from the ground up for bilingual Montessori education. More groups, more children, same small-group philosophy. The two-teacher standard holds. The ratio caps hold. The only thing that changes is the address.
No matter how large The Discovery Atelier grows — whether we are serving 10 children or 50 — three things will never change: there will always be two qualified teachers in every classroom, the ratio for ages 3–4 will never exceed 1:8, and the ratio for ages 4–5 will never exceed 1:10. Not as a goal. As a structural guarantee written into how we operate.
If you're a parent reading this and wondering whether we'll grow too fast and lose what made you choose us — this is our answer. We have planned growth carefully so that quality is preserved by design, not by hope. Every Phase 2 group will meet the same standard as Phase 1. That is the only kind of growth we will pursue.
Founding families don't just get a great preschool experience — they help shape what The Discovery Atelier becomes for every family that follows. Founding spots are limited — apply early.