Montessori education was founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on scientific observation of children’s learning processes. Guided by her discovery that children teach themselves, Dr. Montessori designed a “prepared environment” in which children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities. Nearly a century after Maria Montessori’s first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) opened in Rome, Montessori education is found all over the world, spanning ages from birth to adolescence.