
Message From
Our Montessori Consultant

Olivia Dunne was born in County Westmeath, Ireland and studied at the Maria Montessori Training Institute in Hampstead, London.
Having travelled and taught for a few years Olivia opened her own preschool in Dublin in 1977. She is still running the preschool and is as passionate about children’s education now as she was when it opened. For many years Olivia served on the national committee of the Association of AMI Montessori Teachers of Ireland. She attends Montessori conferences and workshops in various countries and keeps up to date on all that is happening in Montessori training and in preschools around the world.
Olivia believes Montessori is the perfect education for a child. It is centered on each individual child and allows them to develop at their own pace and in a way which leads them on through each stage. The materials, which Maria Montessori developed, are often self-corrective which means the child does not need endless intervention from an adult. The mixed age group allows for a great sense of community in the Montessori environment. Children’s joy of learning is continuously sparked and leads them to develop their interests. Montessori wanted to give each child the keys to discovering the world. She was an environmentalist long before it became popular and the children learn to have great respect for our planet.
“We do not say that we want to prepare a school for the children, we wish to prepare an environment for life, where the child can develop a life.” (Maria Montessori)
As well as running her preschool Olivia has three grown up children and four granddaughters, all living nearby, who keep her busy. She is very involved in local community projects in Dunlaoghaire, where she lives. She is a year-round swimmer in the sea. She loves to cook and has many hobbies, loves all sorts of music, theatre and reading, gardening, and walking.




