The word Montessori actually is the name of a person, Dr. Maria Montessori, who lived in Italy at the turn of the century. She was a physician who developed a method of education based on her scientific observations of the way children learn. However, children also learn very differently than adults.
Children are sensory bound, meaning they learn through their five senses.
They need to look, feel, see, and touch, not just be told. They also learn by absorbing information from their environment. Therefore, the Montessori environment is designed to stimulate and facilitate a child's natural desire to learn. The difference between all of these facilities is their primary purpose. A day care is primarily to provide care for children, often on an all-day basis.