Our delivery of the course involves online seminars and discussions, in-person immersive learning experiences, individual study, and in-school teaching practice.

Our online classes are offered at different times of the day in order to make it possible to attend classes wherever you are in the world, and our live offerings can be completed in one of several locations we bring our coursework to.

When you complete all course components, you will obtain a fully certified diploma from Prepared Montessorian Institute, which is accredited by MACTE.

The diploma program requires a time commitment of approximately 800 hours. It typically takes between one and two years to complete these course requirements, depending on your personal circumstances and how rapidly you are able to complete the degree program requirements. We begin a new cohort almost monthly.

$5000 for the entire Diploma Course.

When you apply, you’ll describe your financial needs. If you are accepted into the program, we will evaluate your needs and determine your eligibility for a scholarship and/or payment plan. The payment plan is typically in 3-5 installments with the first installment due before the training starts and the subsequent 2-4 payments due the consecutive months following the start of the training.

In general, learners are responsible for travel expenses. Travel includes commuting to the practicum site, in-residency workshop and for their field visit. Once in-person student teaching resumes, adult learners are required to have at least one field visit by a Prepared Montessorian consultant. Learners will be responsible for the expenses for this field visit (travel, accommodations, meals, etc).

Prepared Montessorian Institute is accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (MACTE). Known and respected across the world, it is the only accrediting body for Montessori teacher education programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Since we largely based online, access to reliable high-speed internet and video/webcam to be on-camera in class is needed. Furthermore, you will need access to a Montessori Nido Toddler classroom for materials practice, observations, and practice teaching.

Materials Practice

For access to materials, you will coordinate with a local Montessori school to practice with their materials when students are not present (i.e., weekends). If you do not have a school confirmed during Foundational Studies, you work with our training team to recreate the materials with items that can be likely be commonly found on your own.

Practicum (Classroom Observations & Practice Teaching)

• with a Montessori teacher diploma from a MACTE-accredited institution

• and at least one year of post-certification Lead Guide experience in the same age range in which you will be studying

If there is not a qualifying Supervising Guide, the guide-in-training is designated as a "Self-Directed Guide" and will have additional review and support required from the Prepared Montessorian training team.

You will need to coordinate independently with a local Montessori school to plan out your classroom observations and practice teaching hours. You will need 50 hours of observation and 320 hours of practice teaching hours. We can assist with connecting you with our partner network of schools.

The path to certification is organized into three phases (Foundational Studies, Continuing Studies & Capstone), covering a broad range of topics including teaching methodology, childhood development, Montessori Theory, Montessori curriculum and more. It is delivered in a variety of waysto support multifaceted learning and provide both structure and flexibility to your circumstances. Below are further details about the different ways in which you gain and apply the knowledge.

Community Workshops

Community Workshops take place in every phase. These are not classes. They are online structured working meetings led by a coach with the goal of helping you plan and provide guidance for your independent work. We will be practicing presentations together, discuss Montessori spotlights and provide time to ask questions all as part of a community that shares the same goals. Be prepared to practice with Montessori exercises and materials and see how a Montessori classroom functions through video observations.

Seminars

The seminars are live online classes on a set schedule; in other words, you will need to attend on specific dates and times. The seminars are designed to ground you in different topics to be a successful Montessori lead guide.It involves an overview of Dr. Montessori's discoveries in childhood development, the practical application in the classroom, the curriculum and classroom materials, and the ways in which modern educators give lessons using those specialized materials. Most seminars require interaction and participation in breakout rooms and using other interactive tools.

Album Study

At the pace of your choosing, album study allows for the deep study of every lesson and activity that makes up the Montessori curriculum through engagement with our online album library. For reference, there are about 200 lessons in the Nido & Toddler Albums, and 600 lessons and activities in Children’s House Albums. Each lesson has written and/or videos instructions by experts on how to deliver the presentation. This structured process of self-study will guide you through the scope and sequence of the Montessori curriculum and help you master each Montessori “presentation.” The materials covered in the Albums are critical to your classroom practice and success, and much of your time will be spent here.

Classroom Observations

50 hours of classroom observations are required in your training. You will apply your knowledge of observation and practice the skills that are required to deepen your understanding about how Montessori works and the child. There are up to 20 hours of virtual classroom footage available to help you complete some of your observation hours virtually. The remaining hours will need to be completed in-person in a Montessori classroom at the age level you are studying for.

Practice Teaching

You will go from practice to reality by implementing the theoretical studies into a real-world classroom learning how to work with children and the classroom community (parents, school leaders, other guides). You will be required to be at a Montessori classroom for 320 hours to complete your practice teaching. During your practice teaching, you will have 4 practice teaching reviews conducted by one of our field consultants for assessment and feedback. At least one of these visits will be in-person; the others will be remote. It's possible that, depending on your location, you may need a consultant to travel to you. The costs of traveling for the consultant (i.e., transportation, lodging, food) will be on the learner's expense but capped at $750 total.

Below is an overview of the experiences (i.e., content details, frequency, associated assessments) in each of the three main phases of the certification training.

• Community Workshops (weekly)

• Seminars + Pre / Post Seminar Assignments + Assessment for seminars

• Album Study Assignments 1 & 2 + Assessment for Album Study Assignments

• 20 hours of classroom observation

Begin your studies with weekly community workshops to orient yourself to your prepared learning environment. Build the relationship with your coach and your fellow community of learners and create the support system that you will need to cheer you on through this journey. After several weeks of working together, you will attend your online Seminars and continue to meet with your cohort weekly to work on your assignments and ask questions. The deadline to complete all the assignments for Foundational Studies is typically two weeks upon the completion of the seminars.

• Community Workshops (Monthly)

• Seminars + Pre / Post Class Assignments

• Album study assignments 3 – 7 + Assessments for Album Study Assignments

• 30 hours of classroom observation

• 160 hours of practice teaching with 2 teaching reviews

Building upon the learnings from Foundational Studies, the seminars in Continuing Studies will take a deeper dive into 1) the role of observation by practicing the skill with an instructor and fellow learners, 2) classroom leadership topics and 3) Montessori curriculum and theory. These live, online discussions are offered at convenient times with several options throughout the year. You will work with your coach upon completion of Foundational Studies to plan out your Continuing Studies schedule and path to graduation.

Furthermore, you will continue your album studies and associated assessments and observation hours in the classroom. You begin your practice teaching requirements during the Continuing Studies phase and will need to coordinate the schedule and logistics with your practicum site.

• Community Workshops (Monthly)

• 3 Week In-Residency

• Album Study Assignment 8 & 9 + Assessments for Album Study Assignments

• 160 Hours of Practice Teaching and 2 Teaching Reviews

• Final Assessment

During this phase, you will also complete the last two assignments of your album study and the last 160 hours and 2 practice teaching reviews of your practice teaching. There will be assessments given for the last two album assignments as well as one final assessment that will cover topics from the entirety of the program.

The In-Residency portion of this phase is a set schedule where you will need to attend on specific dates and times at a specific location. This portion of the course takes the learning from the other components to deeper and more advanced levels through an in-person immersive learning experience at one of our training centers. We study and discuss parent involvement, child development, and advanced Montessori presentation skills. We offer the in-residency workshop several times throughout the year and in different locations so you can plan for the in-residency opportunity most convenient for you. Lake Forest, in Southern California, is one of the in-residency locations. Other planned locations will be in the Northeast, Midwest and Southern US regions and will be announced so you can plan accordingly.

Click HERE to access further details about the course structure.

Click HERE to access a Diploma Courses brochure.

You could use this Time Zone Converter if you need to convert the Foundational Studies schedule.