About May River Montessori

Our History

The history of montessori

Dr. Maria Montessori was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School in 1896. As a woman she was deterred from becoming a physician. Working in the shadows led her to treat underprivileged young children. Using love as the center of her method, Maria Montessori created the “prepared environment.”

Materials were arranged on low shelves and provided a structured, proven path of learning, which allowed the child to develop at their own pace, according to their own learning modalities. Dr. Montessori said the years between birth and six are the formative years, which modern science has since validated. These are the years of the absorbent mind, the years in which intelligence itself is being formed. It is also the time that a child most easily learns attitudes, values, and the ground rules of human behavior. These years can be constructively devoted to helping them acquire good manners and habits, to take their place in culture. The importance of the prepared environment lies in its ability to provide the use of attractive, inviting, and developmentally appropriate materials, and to provide opportunities to explore the world of sensory, motor, and intellectual experiences.

The children developed an extraordinarily high level of intellectual and social ability using her approach.

Montessori was introduced in the United States in 1912. One of the earliest schools was established by Alexander Graham Bell. Today, the Montessori approach is taught in a great number of schools in the United States and throughout the world.

MAY RIVER MONTESSORI

Our hERITAGE

May River Montessori opened its doors in August of 1987 to 17 young children who became the school’s first students. In four short years, the school’s growth exceeded the capacity of the original site. Over the last three decades, the school has continued to grow through three relocations and over seven major additions and renovations to its current home. May River Montessori has played a significant role in the social and educational environment of the growing Bluffton community.

The brainchild of two mothers, May River Montessori, has grown and flourished throughout the years, touching the lives and hearts of hundreds of families. In turn, each of these families has become a beautiful part of May River Montessori’s heritage and has helped to make the school what it is today.

Our ORGANIZATION

May River Montessori is a non-profit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation.

if you would like to donate to our organization, please contact us below!