One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori, a pioneering educator and the first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree, revolutionized education by recognizing that young children are sensorial learners. In the specially prepared environment of the Montessori classroom, children learn by using manipulative materials designed specifically for their young minds and bodies. The wide variety of flexible materials promotes a logical progression of cognitive development, motor skills and social interaction at each child’s individual pace. The Montessori program is designed to encourage and enhance a child’s natural love of learning and discovery and serves the needs of the whole child, emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually.

Two factors distinguishing a Montessori classroom from that of a traditional school are class make-up and continuity. In each classroom we aim for a balance of boys and girls, aged 3 to 6, who remain with one teacher and one assistant through the duration of the program. The class thus becomes a self-sustaining community with great continuity from one year to the next.

This class mix grew out of Maria Montessori’s respect for the individuality of each child’s unique passage through different emotional, social, intellectual and physical levels. The range of ages in the classroom provides a richness of experience that is absent when children are grouped narrowly by year.

Through individual learning activities in these mixed-age groups, Montessori teachers guide the child’s development of concentration and independence. Teachers encourage children of different abilities and backgrounds to interact and learn from each other in a non-competitive environment. A three-year-old can observe and learn penmanship or math from the older and more advanced children while older boys and girls hone their own abilities and develop confidence by teaching younger children new skills.

In Montessori classrooms we emphasize courtesy towards others and nurture a curiosity about the world around us. Respect for the individual child is the hallmark of Montessori education. In such an environment, supported by the teacher’s sensitivity to each child’s needs, the child is able to grow in competence, self-esteem and maturity.