The first pillar we raised in creating Renaissance Schools was Neuroscience. We believe that education should be based on the scientific understanding of human development, including both neural and physical development. This brought us to the Montessori Method, because Dr. Montessori’s method is based on the scientific observations of children, especially their development from an infant to an adult. Dr. Montessori opened her first school (Casa dei Bambini) in 1907, and today there are close to 4,000 certified Montessori schools in the United States and about 7,000 worldwide. She developed a school movement that is perfectly in-line with what modern science and today’s neuroscience research confirm our children need.

The Science of Early Childhood Development: Closing The Gap Between What We Know and What We Do is from the National Scientific Council on The Developing Child and is published by Harvard University. It takes research from all different disciplines and combines them to show the importance of early childhood education. Here are their core concepts:

• Child development is a foundation for community development and economic development, as capable children become the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society.

• Brains are built over time.

• The interactive influences of genes and experience literally shape the architecture of the developing brain, and the active ingredient is the “serve and return” nature of children’s engagement in relationships with their parents and other caregivers in their family or community.

• Both brain architecture and developing abilities are built “from the bottom up,” with simple circuits and skills providing the scaffolding for more advanced circuits and skills over time.

• Toxic stress in early childhood is associated with persistent effects on the nervous system and stress hormone systems that can damage developing brain architecture and lead to lifelong problems in learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.

• Creating the right conditions for early childhood development is likely to be more effective and less costly than addressing problems at a later age.

The Montessori Method is based on the theory of planes of development, first proposed by Dr. Montessori. The Planes of Development were created through scientific observation of children in the Casa de Bambini that Dr. Montessori ran in Rome, Italy. She observed successive stages of human independence based on the experiences and acquisitions of the previous plane(s), thus each phase is constructive in and of itself as well as foundational for the subsequent development. To quote:

I have found that in his development, the child passes through certain phases, each of which has its own particular needs. The characteristics of each are so different that the passages from one phase to the other has been described by certain psychologists as 'rebirths'. (Four Planes of Education, p. 1)

The first plane of development: zero to six years old

The creation of physical and psychological independence.  

From weaning to walking, the infant self-constructs through the impressions offered through the environment. The focus is on the self. From feeding and dressing oneself, to speaking and self-soothing, this is a period of great focus on physical skills and the organization of the mind and body.

The second plane of development: six to twelve years old

The formation of intellectual and social independence.

During this period children love to work together in groups. We observe the birth of the moral sense due to this sense of belonging. The new ignited reasoning mind seeks mental independence via the imagination and is no longer tethered to concrete objects. They can imagine far into the past as well as into the future. 

Third Plane/Development (adolescence): twelve to eighteen years old

The fabrication of social independence.

These students are striving to be independent in society. For that reason, Dr. Montessori envisioned an education where they could experience the work of a society: economy, supply, and demand under the influence of labor and natural resources. They are preparing to enter the larger, global community and express strong sentiments of social justice. They are sensitive to their social, emotional, and physical well-being and are learning how to get along with one another and feel accepted by their peers while establishing their independence from their families. 

Fourth Plane/Development: eighteen to twenty-four years old

The child reaches maturity.

The transition to adulthood and the construction of self understanding is to live fully and express oneself as a contributor in society.

These concepts are integral to early childhood education and development. Our education method is founded upon the Montessori Method for this reason and is why we employ outdoor nature play alongside the Montessori Method. It takes skill and practice to understand early childhood development and to educate children as they develop organically from one stage to the next.

The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behaviour towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practised to perfection only when working among children."

— Dr. Maria Montessori