Founded in 1976, the mission of The Washington Market School is to educate young children in a manner that is consistent with the educational philosophies of Dr. Maria Montessori and the early childhood education programs developed in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Our approach fosters each child's innate sense of self-motivation and curiosity, which in turn leads to greater autonomy and self-sufficiency; it also facilitates creativity through independent and collaborative exploration. We believe in nurturing children's intuitive processes, as well as their capacity for feeling, in order to help them achieve cognitive, emotional, and social growth.