Becoming a Certified Montessori Teacher

We often receive inquiries on how one can become a certified Montessori teacher (Directress) and where they can start their training. While we do not presently offer a teacher training program, it is very important to find the right training center which will help you reach your goals and provide you with the proper credentials. Here you will find guidelines which will start you off in the right direction. This entire checklist is also available in a printable, PDF format here.

Becoming certified requires considerable time, energy, and financial commitment, so choosing a training center that is accredited is very important to ensure that you receive not only the proper training but, most importantly, the proper credentials/certificate at the end of the training that will be recognized by at least one of the following organizations:

• American Montessori Society (AMS)
• Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
• A training center recognized by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education Commission (MACTE)

Beware of schools offering training programs which make claims that you will be “Montessori certified” but will provide you with a certificate that is not recognized by the AMS, AMI, or MACTE.  Do your homework and check with the organizations above to see if their training center is accredited.  Remember, you will be making a significant investment so spend the extra time in advance to make sure you are in an accredited training center, especially when you will be spending almost the same amount of money for your training, if not more.

For a current list of accredited training centers (both in the U.S. and International) visit the following links:

CHECKLIST

Some key questions that should be asked to ensure that you will receive the proper credentials/certificate at the end of your training are:

• Is the training center accredited with one or more of the following:   AMS, AMI, MACTE
• Will I receive a certificate at the end of my training that is recognized by the AMS, AMI, or MACTE organization?  (If they are accredited, you should receive a legitimate certificate at the end of your training.)
• Does the instructor hold a certificate from AMS, AMI or MACTE?
• Will the training center give you references of a few past students that have gone through the training?  Talk to a few students that have undergone the training to see what their experience has been.

All Castle Montessori schools employ teachers with AMS/AMI/MACTE credentials so feel free to contact one of our Directors if you would like further guidance or are unsure about a particular training center you may be considering.