Elementary Montessori Teacher Diploma

The Elementary years are filled with wonder and adventure. Between the ages of 6 – 12, children in Montessori elementary programs begin to exercise their new powers of mind to explore the universe: from the ancient (history) to the new (scientific discoveries), from the tiny (parts of a flower) to the vast (our solar system), from the profound (literature) to the precise (geometry). At the same time, Montessori elementary children learn to navigate the challenges and rewards of friendship, to plan and prioritize their projects, and to develop even greater independence within and without the classroom walls.

Have you been looking for an educational approach that offers students choice and freedom, while developing self-discipline, independence and responsibility? That presents the vast field of human knowledge as engaging – even riveting! – stories? That adapts to individual interests, strengths, and challenges? That builds academic skills in a multi-sensory, sequential way? That nourishes a growth mindset, creative thinking, and friendliness with error? That encourages collaboration and interpersonal skill development? If so, look no further than Prepared Montessorian’s Elementary Training.

Our adult learners fall into many different profiles: You might be a Montessori Assistant Guide preparing to become a Lead Guide. Or a teacher who wants to transition to a Montessori setting. Or a parent just beginning their journey as an educator.

Whatever your background and experience, our diploma course will provide theoretical and practical preparation: from Montessori philosophy to the delivery of all Montessori lessons for children from ages six to twelve, and everything in between!

Our training course is a blended learning format, with three-week in-person residency program across two summers (two weeks for the first summer and one week for the second summer); a minimum of 24 months of self-paced, self-study; and regular online seminars during evenings and occasional weekends. Note that the self-study portion requires a commitment of 8 - 10 hours per week.

To complete this course, you will need access to a Montessori elementary classroom with the complete range of 6 – 12 materials, where you can practice your lessons and complete your teaching blocks.

This training course takes at least 24 months to complete, depending on one's pace of study and ability to fulfill the practicum component.

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.

The certification program is organized into 4 semesters. There are 4 major components: 1) Introduction to Montessori: 6-week asynchronous course with assignments ; 2) Album Study Semesters: Weekly synchronous online seminars for 4 semesters ; 3) Summer Residency: In-person full-time residency over 2 summers at PMI's approved training sites; 4) Independent Work: Materials practice, 50h of Classroom Observations, 480h of Practice Teaching and 4 assessments.

Intro Course (first 6 weeks)

You will start your certification journey with a 6-week Intro Course. This course is designed to orient you to both how the training program works and core Montessori concepts. You will start with a live welcome session online to meet your instructor team and get an overview of the program and work on weekly assignments independently for the following 6 weeks before coming together again live to wrap up this course.

Timely and successful completion of this Intro Course will set you up for success for the remaining program and is required for you to move on to the semester.

Seminars

Upon completion of the Intro Course, you will start joining a series of online seminars to learn the Montessori principles and practice effective classroom management skills based on Montessori pedagogy, and to start learning the most important component of the program -- Album Study, the process in which you gain fluency in the full scope of Elementary Montessori curriculum.

You will take five 90-minute classroom leadership seminars, once each month, during Phase 1 to learn how to effectively manage a classroom the Montessori way. You will also take five 90-minute foundational studies seminars, once each month, to learn key lessons in the curriculum. In addition to these seminars, you will also join 3 monthly guided practice sessions where you get to practice materials with your peers and the instructors.

Album Study

In between the seminars, you will work on self-paced assignments to study each lesson in the curriculum, practice materials, and advance your presentation skills for each lesson. You will complete assessments along the way to prove your mastery of both the knowledge and the practice of the curriculum.

Practicum

You will complete two Observation Assignments (5 hours each) where you will observe Montessori classrooms in action to practice and hone the skill of observation as a tool. Access to Montessori elementary classroom is required to complete the assignments. You will also start to practice teaching as a Guide in the classroom. Our instructor will observe your practice teaching and conduct one practice teaching review during this phase.

Summer I

Summer I is a two-week in-person residency program located at PMI’s training center in Foothill Ranch, California. During our Summer 1 Residency, we will create a simulation environment to help you experience the tangible and intangible elements of a working Montessori elementary classroom and focus our time on advanced materials practice. Perhaps most importantly, the summer residency program offers a joyful and inspiring opportunity to connect as a community.

Depending on when you enroll into the program, you may start your Summer I right after you complete your Intro Course (for example, if you join the program in April, you will attend Summer I in July right after you complete the 6-week Intro Course. If you join the program in August or later, you will complete your entire Phase 1 before attending Summer I in the following year).

Summer II

You will return to the training site in your second summer to complete a one-week residency program focused on classroom leadership.

Seminars

You will continue to join a series of online seminars to deepen your understanding of the Montessori principles and classroom leadership, advance your Album Study, and continue with the practicum component of the program.

You will take fifteen 90-minute classroom leadership seminars, fifteen 90-minute continuing studies seminars, as well as 9 guided practice sessions during Phase 2.

Album Study

In between the seminars, you will continue to work on self-paced assignments to advance your study of the curriculum and take assessments along the way to prove your mastery of both the knowledge and the practice of the curriculum.

Practicum

You will complete your remaining Observation Assignments (8 assignments, 5 hours each) and all practice teaching hours. 3 practice teaching reviews will take place in this phase.

The phase marks the end of your training program. You will demonstrate your knowledge and practice of everything you learn to this stage in a few assessments, including a written or oral theory exam, a final album assessment, and your final teaching review. Upon completion of this phase, you are ready to graduate as a certified Elementary Montessori Teacher.

If you complete and pass all of the required components of our Elementary I/II Montessori Teacher Certification program and you already have a Bachelor’s Degree, you will receive a Full Diploma from our training center, which is accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). MACTE is the only Montessori accrediting body that is recognized by the United States Department of Education and has accredited many Montessori training centers affiliated with AMI or AMS, as well as independent Montessori training centers like Prepared Montessorian Institute.

If you do not have a Bachelor’s Degree, you can earn an Associate’s Diploma. If you complete a Bachelor’s Degree within three years of graduation from our course, you can turn that Associate’s Diploma into a Full Diploma without completing any additional coursework.

If you are not already an Elementary Lead Guide, keep in mind that the training is a preparation program that is the gateway for future opportunities, but completion does not guarantee you will receive a Lead Guide position. We'll help put you on the right path!

Language

This course is academically rigorous and requires a mastery of listening, speaking, reading, and writing at a high level in English.

All of our courses and discussions are in English, but we do have supplemental support for Spanish-speakers who can keep up in English but express themselves in Spanish writing with more fluency. If you have questions regarding the level of English comprehension needed, please email us via our contact form at the bottom of the page.

Formats

You will have training components in all these formats:

• Live

• Online

• In-Person

• Self-Paced

Thus, you will need to the technological know-how of how to learn and operate the following types of software:

• Web browser navigation (i.e., Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge)

• video call (i.e., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, webcam)

• word processing and reading software (i.e., Google Docs, Microsoft word)

• media software (i.e., taking photos and videos, webcam, playing videos)

We will onboard you to our learning management system which houses all your resources and assignments. We will provide instructions and support yet you will need to learn how to proficiently navigate the system in order to complete your training.

Schedule

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

Please be sure to review your cohort's first semester schedule prior to applying to ensure that it fits your time. You can expect to have a similar semester schedule for the remainder of your training.

See course components below for further details.

This course has three main components:

Part 1: In Residency

Two weeks across two summers; in-person attendance typically required, but remote attendance is acceptable during Covid restrictions.

Part 2: Album Self-Study & Classroom Leadership Short Courses

Includes the following areas of study: Montessori Philosophy and Child Development, Classroom Leadership and Observation, Mathematics, History, Geometry, Language, Physical Science and Geography, Biology, Fine Arts.

Our two Classroom Leadership short courses cover "Communication and Connection" and "Observation Methodology. Each short course consists of four live, virtual sessions (90 minutes in length).

Part 3: Practicum Course

Takes 24 months to complete. Student Teaching and observation take place during the workday in a Montessori elementary classroom environment. During your student teaching, you will have 3 visits by one of our field consultants. (4 visits for adult learners who are not placed with a supervising teacher). At least one of these visits will be in-person; the others will be remote. Practice with materials takes place outside of the workday, without children present.

Assessment

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 Elementary classroom for materials practice, observations, and practice teaching.

For access to materials, this can be done in two ways:

• Coordinate with a local Montessori school to practice with their materials when students are not present (i.e., weekends)

• Purchase a set of materials from us that you can keep. Contact us for price.

For observations and practice teaching, you will need to coordinate with a local Montessori school (could be the same one for your materials practice) to observe a lead guide and then to practice teaching. You will need 50 hours of observation and 480 hours of practice teaching hours. We can assist with connecting you with our partner network of schools.

A qualified practicum site should meet the following criteria:

• is fully equipped with Montessori and other appopriate material for the age range in which you are studying

• runs an authentic Montessori curriculum (i.e., not Montessori-inspired)

• contains a group of 6 or more mix-aged children in the program associated with the age range you are studying

Your practice teaching is meant to be supported or supervised by a Supervising Guide. A qualified supervising guide is a guide:

• 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.

$6500 for the entire certification training (excluding travel and technology costs).

If you need to travel to your practicum site or in-residency, the costs are your responsibility. Any supplies and technology need to access the training (i.e., laptop, internet, webcam) are also your responsibility. Once in-person student teaching resumes, adult learners are required to have at least one field visit by a Prepared Montessorian consultant. Adult learners will be responsible for the expenses for this field visit (travel, accommodations, meals, etc).

Applicants can request either or both a scholarship and payment plan. Prepared Montessorian Institute evaluates applicant's responses and references in each cohort to determine the pool of applicants that are requesting scholarships and subsequently, determine if and how much of a scholarship is awarded. Payment options are as follows:

• Pay in full within the first month of training

• Pay in 5 installments

• Pay first installment prior to start of training in order to be onboarded into training

• Pay subsequent monthly payments in the 4 consecutive months following the start month

• Installment fee of $10 (US) added to each monthly installment

• Pay in 10 installments

• Pay first installment prior to start of training in order to be onboarded into training

• Pay subsequent monthly payments in the 9 consecutive months following the start month

• Installment fee of $10 (US) added to each monthly installment

Details of financial package will be outlined in training offer if accepted into program. You will need to accept those payment terms as part of your acceptance into the training.

1. Complete application.

• APPLICATION NOTE: You will need to upload a resume or curriculum vitae. If possible, please also upload a copy of your transcript (unofficial works as well). The transcript upload is optional at this time but will be needed prior to graduation to determine whether you'll receive a Full or Associate's Diploma.

2. Upon submission of application, a recommendation form will be sent to your Head of School, manager, or other relevant reference to complete.

3. After receiving your reference feedback, we will review your application and reference feedback and provide an admissions decision.

4. If accepted, The Prepared Montessorian Team will send an offer letter, financial information, and invitation form to join the training!

5. If you accept the terms of your offer, please complete the form to formally accept. We will then send you more information to prepare.

Also, check out the full Elementary Diploma Path-at-a-Glance document.

Download our Diploma Courses Brochure HERE.