Timeline: Timeline Creation of AMS

1870

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born on 31 August 1870 in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father, Alessandro, was an accountant in the civil service, and her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was well-educated and had a passion for reading.

1874

The Montessori family moves to Rome

The Montessori family moved to Rome in late 1874, and in 1876 the young Maria enrolled in the local state school on Via di San Nicolo da Tolentino. As her education progressed, she began to break through the barriers which constrained women’s careers.

1890

Maria Montessori enrolled at the University of Rome

In 1890 Montessori enrolled at the University of Rome to study physics, mathematics, and natural sciences, receiving her diploma two years later. This enabled her to enter the Faculty of Medicine, as one of the first women in Italy, and the first to study at the University of Rome.

1896

First Female Doctor in Italy

1896 became one of the first female doctors in Italy, and with this distinction also became known across the country.

1900

psychiatric clinic in Rome

Works at the psychiatric clinic in Rome. Appointed director of the Orthophrenic School, a model school for training teachers of children with developmental disabilities. For two years, she experiments at the model school with materials to stimulate the senses. She succeeds in fostering the development of some of the children to such an extent that they achieve the same results on state exams as typically developing schoolchildren.

1907

The Establishment of Foundations

Timeline of AMS History from its humble beginnings in the 1900s to its current state.

1907

Casa Bambini

First Children’s House (Casa dei Bambini) is opened at 53 Via dei Marsi in the San Lorenzo district of Rome on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6

1953

International Montessori Congress

In 1953, Rambusch’s quest for a better approach to educating American children took her to Paris for the Tenth International Montessori Congress, where she met Mario Montessori, Maria’s son and her successor as head of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), an organization she had founded to support the Montessori Movement.

1956

Nancy Rambusch

In 1956, the Rambusch family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. There, Rambusch became involved with a group of parents who wanted to be involved with their children's education.

1958

Whitby School

In 1958, they founded Whitby School —the first Montessori school to open in the United States since the initial flurry of interest in the early 20th century.

1960

Nancy Rambusch Founded the American Montessori Society

In I1960, with the vigorous support of parent advocates, Nancy Rambusch founded the American Montessori Society. The goals of AMS mirrored those of AMI: to support efforts to create schools, develop teacher education programs, and publicize the value of Montessori education.

1961

TIME Magazine Featuring Nancy Rambusch

In 1961, TIME magazine featured Rambusch, Whitby School, and the American Montessori revival in its May 12 issue. The article galvanized the American public, and parents turned to AMS in large numbers for advice on starting schools and study groups.

1962

Agreement Between AMI & AMS

The difference between AMS and AMI Montessori is that AMS Montessori has adopted a new methodology other than the original Maria Montessori, whereas AMI Montessori is fully based on the Maria Montessori curriculum. AMS is based on American culture. AMI was originally established by Maria Montessori, and it functions according to the rules and regulations led by her.

1990

MPPI

The Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI) was born out of a shifting education policy landscape in the late 90s and early 00’s that created dissonance between fully-implemented Montessori and newly created regulations and rubrics designed to improve early childhood education.

1995

MACATE

The Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), founded in 1995, is dedicated to improving academic degree and certificate programs for Montessori professional educators who teach and lead in schools at the Infant and Toddler through Secondary II levels and to assure the public of their quality.

2000

Montessori Today

From its humble beginnings in a New York City apartment, the American Montessori Society has flourished and is now a professional membership organization with thousands of supporters worldwide—as well as an international clearinghouse for all matters Montessori, and a leading advocate for and supporter of Montessori education.

2015