Dr. Maria Montessori, the creator of what is called “The Montessori Method of Education,” based this approach on her scientific observations of young children’s behavior. Maria Montessori became involved with education as a doctor teaching special needs children. In 1907, she opened a child care center for the children of poor families. She based the program on her observations that young children learn best in a home like setting filled with developmentally conducive materials that provide experiences contributing to the growth of self-motivated, independent learners. She carried her message throughout the world, including the United States, as early as 1912. The Montessori approach was more widely adopted in the US by the mid- 1950s.
Dr. Montessori believed that “no human being is educated by another person. He must do it himself or it will never be done. A truly educated individual continues to learn long after he leaves the classroom because he is motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love for knowledge.” Therefore, at Manalapan Montessori, our goal is not to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of studies, but rather to cultivate his own natural desire to learn.