Value In a Happier, Healthier Society
A growing, global crisis in mental health has attracted comment from many social, political, economic and healthcare commentators. In 2018, one estimate suggested mental illness could cost the world $16 trillion US dollars by 2030 and the situation has worsened since then. It is time for decision makers and educators to consider and act on the growing body of evidence that Montessori education can play a critical role in improving children’s mental health as well as their long-term wellbeing in adulthood.
In May 2024, the intersection between a country’s economic vitality and its approach to early childhood education was starkly highlighted in the UK with the publication of, ‘Prioritising early childhood for a happier, healthier society’. The report details “how investing in early childhood could generate at least £45.5 billion in value added for the national economy each year.” At the heart of the argument is the idea that building resilience, providing stability and developing interpersonal skills early in life is the best foundation for healthy and engaged adults.
It comes at a time when the UK has seen a 44% increase to more than half a million young people out of work due to long-term illness. Mental health problems – including depression, bad nerves and anxiety – affect more than a third of the 16- to 34-year-olds (36%) who were out of work due to long-term illness, according to an Office for National Statistics labour force survey. At a global level the World Health Organization recently suggested that one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group.
For those of us involved in AMI’s mission, which “understands, articulates and aids the natural development of human beings throughout their lives”, recognition of the importance of the early years of development as the foundation for a healthy society is welcome. The problems identified are global and we believe that the work of Maria Montessori brings a unique and powerful educational philosophy that offers solutions.
A Growing Evidence Base
My colleague Louise Livingston has reflected that the Montessori approach “supports children’s emotional well-being from an early age, with teachers specifically trained to observe children’s individual developmental needs and drives”. It offers environments where “children…are supported to regulate their emotions and build resilience and self-reliance as well as the ability to verbalise their feelings to encourage brain development.” These are the traits which underpin productive adult lives.
The evidence base for Montessori as a plausible answer to the challenges is strong and growing. Those familiar with the work of Angeline S. Lillard will have reflected on the findings in her 2021 paper, ‘An Association Between Montessori Education in Childhood and Adult Wellbeing’. The research concluded “…that attending Montessori as a child might plausibly cause higher adult wellbeing” across the factors assessed of general wellbeing, engagement, social trust, and self-confidence.
Measurement across age, gender, race, childhood SES, and years in private school indicated that “..attending Montessori for at least two childhood years was associated with significantly higher adult wellbeing on all four factors” and that the difference in wellbeing existed when compared to individuals from conventional schools. Further analysis determined “..that the more years one attended Montessori, the higher one’s wellbeing as an adult.” The research established a strong bridge between early childhood education and its long-term impact upon adults.
The recent follow up paper, “Perfect timing: sensitive periods for Montessori education and long-term wellbeing” (2025), from Lillard and colleagues from the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, looked in even more detail at the findings. The results offer fundamental support for the long-term wellbeing benefits of the three-year cycle of Montessori education and particularly in the 3-6 age range. There is appropriate caution about schools that use the Montessori name but “do not respect the 3-year-cyle”.
There have been other studies with “An examination of the psychological resilience of preschool children with and without Montessori education” from Elif Sezgin and Tülay Şener (2024) concluding that, on a comparative basis, “…Montessori education positively impacts children's psychological resilience.” Lillard and Else-Quest (2006) compared children in Montessori and non-Montessori education on a range of cognitive, academic, social and behavioural measures and concluded that 'at least when strictly implemented, Montessori education fosters social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other types of schools'.
Other papers from Fleming and Culclasure (2023) and Hemmen, Marks and Brown (2023) have offered evidence that a Montessori education brings strong academic outcomes. Combined with the growing insights into the long term impact the case becomes even more compelling. Politicians and educators should not wait forever to embrace an educational philosophy that gives children the best possible start in life and prepares the way to improvements in adult wellbeing.
Fulfilling Human Potential Throughout Life
It is no less revealing to see how characteristics fostered by education in the early years can make a startling difference to the way children grow into innovative, creative and successful adults. The book, ‘The Innovator’s DNA’ involved research across 6 years looking at 3,000 executives and interviewing 500 leaders and saw Hal Gregersen, Jeffrey H. Dyer and Clayton Christensen looking at the world’s most innovative companies.
Gregersen comments, “About 25 to 30 percent of our innovation capacity is a genetic component, it’s our DNA. But that’s one-third of the equation. The other two-thirds is the world we live in. It’s fascinating when we interview these famous entrepreneurs to realise that they grew up in worlds where adults paid attention to these innovation skills. Most often these adults were parents and grandparents, but in about one-third of the cases they were master teachers at Montessori or Montessori-like schools.”
These thoughts add weight to the notion that Montessori education has something very special to add to the education of young people. Equally importantly, we are seeing areas where businesses are borrowing elements of Montessori to achieve more stable workforces, better communication and enhanced results. At AMI we believe that Maria Montessori’s philosophy is relevant to fulfilling human potential at all stages of life and in all situations.
In Support of An Education Revolution
It is an approach that informs our approach to developing training for classroom guides and assistants who teach young people from birth to 18, as well as for those living and working with the realities of dementia, disability and ageing. It guides our courses in administration, sports and for those bringing Montessori education to underserved communities around the world, including migratory tribes, displaced persons and refugee communities. We apply the same pedagogical principles from the savvanah to shanty towns and megacities to villages with respect for local communities, customs and indigenous lives.
We are all for a happier, healthier, society and believe that articulating the value in economic terms is useful if it reinforces the importance of early childhood education. We would aspire, perhaps more ambitiously, to a happier, healthier, humanity that is on the path to global peace and sustainable development. In that regard we are wholly aligned with Angeline Lillard’s thrilling statement that “the time is ripe for an education revolution” and urge decision makers around the world to see a Montessori uprising as the clearest path to a better future.
Lynne Lawrence
Executive Director
Association Montessori Internationale
