Montessori is a philosophy with the fundamental tenet that a child learns best within a social environment which supports each individual's unique development. As the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome, Montessori became involved with education as a doctor treating children labeled as retarded. Then in 1907, she was invited to open a child care center for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome. Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who are different from one another.
Children create themselves through purposeful activity.
The most important years for learning are from birth to age six. 4. Children possess unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment, which includes people as well as materials. The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination as well as cognitive preparation. The holistic curriculum, under the direction of a specially prepared teacher, allows the child to experience the joy of learning, time to enjoy the process and insure the development of self-esteem, and provides the experiences from which children create their knowledge.