The Montessori style of preschool education was developed based on the research and observations of Dr. Maria Montessori. Dr. Montessori, inspired by children's innate abilities to develop new skills through experimentation and free play, created a philosophy based on a curriculum guided by the emergent interests and developmental needs of the children. Dr. Montessori said famously, "[The child] learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so he passes little by little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love."
The Reggio Emilia approach to preschool education is a project-based philosophy developed in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia. A project-based curriculum means that all areas of the child's education and development are addressed through an overall theme. The preschool teacher in a Reggio Emilia classroom fosters social/emotional development and emergent math and literacy skills during the course of working on a class project. The Reggio Emilia approach is a teacher-directed approach as opposed to the emergent, child-guided curriculum of a Montessori classroom.
There are many different types of faith-based preschool education programs, often based in churches or religious centers. These programs focus primarily on the development of a strong moral foundation. Faith-based curricula draw upon simple allegories and experiences from the child's own life to draw analogies to religious concepts.
When selecting a style of preschool education that best fits the needs of your child and family, consider where your values lie. Do you prefer a curriculum that is child-directed or teacher-directed? Do you view the process of socialization as one of moral or emotional development? Other considerations include price, proximity, hours of operation and overall cleanliness.