Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. She worked in the fields of psychiatry, education and anthropology. She believed that each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed, rather than as a "blank slate" waiting to be written upon. Her main contributions to the work of those of us raising and educating children are in these areas:

Preparing the most natural and life-supporting environments for the child Observing the child living freely in this environment Continually adapting the environment in order that the chid may fulfill his or her greatest potential, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The main goal of Montessori is to provide a stimulating, child oriented environment that children can explore, touch and learn without fear. The end result is to encourage life long learning, the joy of learning, and happiness about one's path and purpose in life.

From the moment infants are born, they start learning.  They begin to respond to touch, sound, light, taste, and smell.  The learning continues every day through every experience. In our program we provide a safe, stimulating, peaceful and home like environment which has been carefully prepared with challenging and stimulating materials.

Children who receive this extra stimulation during infancy and the toddler years are likely to be much more alert and interested in learning in later childhood than children who lack this extra care and attention.

"Scientific observation has established that education is not what the teacher gives; education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. The task of the teacher becomes that of preparing a series of motives of cultural activity, spread over a specially prepared environment, and then refraining from obtrusive interference. Human teachers can only help the great work that is being done, as servants help the master. Doing so, they will be witnesses to the unfolding of the human soul and to the rising of a New Man who will not be a victim of events, but will have the clarity of vision to direct and shape the future of human society." - Maria Montessori, Education for a New World, THE

"There is nothing in the intellect which was not first in the senses." - Aristotle