The idea of early and preschool education has existed since the ancient Greeks and Romans. However, in the 18th century there was a need for alternative, free schools as a result of disagreement with the current concept of education, but also how the child was viewed. Modern findings contribute to changing the attitude of adults towards the child, and the child is no longer an object, but a subject that actively participates in the educational process. Education must be such as to satisfy the basic needs of children for love, freedom, fun and creativity. In Croatia, in addition to the regular preschool program, there are also alternative programs. One of them is Montessori pedagogy, which appears in the first decade of the 20th century, according to which Maria Montessori offers new didactic and pedagogical solutions. A common feature of the regular and Montessori programs is putting the child at the center of events, the child's interests, creativity, experience and ways of understanding the environment. It is very important that the child has the right to development that is in line with his or her individual capabilities and abilities. Independence is one of the fundamental guiding thoughts of Montessori pedagogy. Also, in the regular program of early and preschool education, independence in children is very important. That is why this paper presents the peculiarities of Montessori pedagogy, compares the space and accessories as well as educators in the regular and Montessori program of early and preschool education. For the purposes of this paper, a survey was conducted to examine the assessment of children's independence in regular and Montessori programs of early and preschool education.