“Our care for the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.” —Maria Montessori
There is a gap in academic achievement among students according to family income. This income achievement gap has been established time and again, but according to extensive 2013 research, it has been widening for the past few decades.
UVA Study: Montessori Eliminates the Income Achievement Gap
This is why Montessori programs, like the ones we want to provide, are so vital. According to a study published by the University of Virginia in 2017, Montessori is the only academic model that eliminates the income achievement gap. The UVA study on Montessori says children succeed in later education, regardless of the income of their household, if they began their schooling in a solid Montessori program — like ours.
Children benefit for the rest of their educational lives when they get this firm foundation at an early age, says the UVA Montessori study. Our Primary program is exactly that: forming children during those critical years, ages three to six. Our AMI Montessori programs prepare children for achievement from an early age, so they are better prepared to succeed in their academic endeavors for the rest of their lives.
Montessori Began Among Low Income Children
This outcome only makes sense, given Maria Montessori’s experience. She developed her educational models while working with the children in the slums of early 20th-century Rome, Italy. She saw what actually worked to unlock the children’s minds and enliven their natural curiosity. She saw them blossom as they were helped and encouraged to do things for themselves.
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind,” she said. That hope is realized, the promise fulfilled, if the child grows in an environment where they can flourish.
We provide that for the children of our hilltop neighborhood and beyond, and we hope you will help us make that happen.
