The Montessori Approach
A Montessori school is a learning center based on the whole child educational
approach of Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the first female physician to graduate
from the University of Rome. She believed that children have a natural, spontaneous interest in learning.
A Montessori program is directed at helping each child reach full potential in all areas of life. Every Montessori
classroom is a carefully prepared environment to promote the child's development of social skills, emotional
maturity, independence, and physical coordination, in addition to intellectual growth. An essential feature of the
method involves the mingling of ages within each classroom, over a three year range. The resulting atmosphere
allows for flexibility for each child to learn at his/her own pace in a home-like environment where younger
children learn from their slightly older peers, and older children reinforce their own achievements by helping
the younger ones.