Considering Montessori? Here’s What to Look For

If you find yourself considering Montessori education as an option for your family, you undoubtedly have plenty of questions. If you take one thought away from this article let it be this: anyone can call their school “Montessori”. There is no regulation on use of the name. If you have read articles and heard stories from other families about the incredible benefits of this method of education, they are absolutely the result of a high fidelity Montessori program. Read on to learn more about what to look for. 

What’s in a name?

Throughout her life, Dr. Maria Montessori strove to retain a certain level of control over the course the Montessori movement took. It was, after all, her life’s work and bore her name. She wanted to be sure that guides were trained correctly, methods were applied as she intended, and a complete set of authentic materials graced the shelves of classrooms. Today, there are two major organizations that carry on her work and are generally regarded as the standard for Montessori education. They are AMI (Association Montessori International), which was created by Dr. Montessori herself, and AMS (American Montessori Society), which branched off from AMI in 1960. Today the two organizations maintain a positive working relationship and mutual respect for the work they both do, which is to carry on the legacy of Dr. Montessori and ensure visionary, high-quality education for children.

Recognition, Affiliation, and Accreditation

If you are looking for a high fidelity Montessori program (which is critical if you want your child to reap the benefits!), it’s important to find a school that is connected to either AMI or AMS. There are different levels of connection, depending on how closely a school aligns their work with what is considered ideal. Hollis Montessori School is recognized by AMI.

To obtain Recognition Status through AMI, a school must undertake a rigorous multi-year process that begins with a self-study and culminates with an in-person visit by an AMI consultant. A specific set of criteria must be met, including having 100% of lead teachers being trained through an AMI sponsored teacher training program. If a school meets all criteria, but has a lower percentage of AMI trained teachers, the school may be considered AMI Affiliated or AMI Associated. Schools must reapply for recognition status on an annual basis with an AMI consultant visit every three years.

To become accredited through AMS a school must undertake a similar self-study process with a three day in-person site visit by AMS representatives. Schools must go through the accreditation process at least once every seven years.

Specifically Trained Educators

Montessori guides (the term we often use for our teachers) are specially trained. In addition to college degrees they have obtained, they have also earned special Montessori credentials from recognized training programs. Many of these programs run for several years, include many hours of lectures and reading, practical examinations, written papers, material making assignments, and multiple observations in classroom settings. Many people consider the level of work required for obtaining such a credential to be similar to that required for earning a master’s degree.

Multi-Age Groupings

One of the most important elements of a Montessori school is that the classes are organized not by single chronological year classes, but into multi-age mixed groups. This approach is intentional and critical to higher levels of learning. Children ages three to five (preschool and kindergarten) are grouped together, as are elementary-aged children. Some schools break the elementary years up into lower (grades 1-3) and upper (grades 4-6) while others keep them all together. Infants, toddlers, and adolescents are also placed into similarly mixed groups.

Why do we do this? There are many reasons. For one, younger children have no shortage of models to surround themselves with. They can see what is expected of them as they grow, both socially and academically, and they work to emulate what they see older children doing. As for the older children, they are given the unique opportunity to practice leadership skills and cultivate empathy for younger children. In addition, they often help teach, which reinforces their own mastery of subjects.

The Classroom Environment

There is much to be said for the Montessori classroom environment - more than we could possibly summarize in a paragraph or two here. That said, we can certainly highlight the most critical features you should look for in a well-run program.

• Classrooms will feature ample natural light and children will have access to the outdoors.

• Furniture will be sized for the children who are meant to use it, and there will be a variety of different furniture options. This means in lieu of desks in rows, you should see group  work areas, independent work areas, and space to work comfortably on the floor.

• Natural materials like wood, glass, and woven baskets should take the place of plastics.

• Specialized Montessori materials should be well organized and adorn shelves at the children’s height.

• The room may be decorated with living plants and carefully hung works of art. You should not see walls covered with posters or busy color schemes.

• It should be apparent that the guide is not the center of the room, but rather serves as an element of support for the children who work there.

• Children should have free access to take care of their own personal needs, such as using the restroom, serving themselves snacks, having drinks of water, and retrieving all materials necessary to explore and work.

We hope this article has been a helpful guide as you embark on your journey into Montessori education. If you have any questions or would like any guidance, please feel free to contact us.

Montessori: What’s in a Name?

A common question among parents is, “What, exactly, makes a school ‘Montessori’?”  The answer is more layered than you may think.  The truth is, any school can call themselves ‘Montessori’ but the interpretation of the approach can vary greatly.  Read on to better understand the differences...

Humble Beginnings

As you may already know, Montessori education had its start in the slums of Rome, Italy.  Dr. Maria Montessori was a physician who had been studying child development.  She already found some success with institutionalized children who had been deemed uneducable.  Her first school, Casa dei Bambini, was created to serve the children of poor families while their parents worked during the day.  It was here that Dr. Montessori worked to create more materials, observe the children, and further develop her ideas and methods.  

Dr. Montessori’s successes quickly gained attention of the international community and schools began to open across the globe.  

Organization: AMI

Dr. Montessori soon realized the importance for standardization among Montessori schools.  She felt it critical to preserve the integrity of the method, ensure teachers were well-trained, distribute publications, and manufacture materials.  In 1929 she created AMI, Association Montessori Internationale, to meet these goals.

Today AMI has its headquarters in the Netherlands and supports affiliated societies in thirty-five countries around the world, including the United States.  AMI works to provide high-quality teacher training, materials, consulting services, publications, materials, and much more to Montessori schools.  AMI is the original Montessori organization and is regarded as having high standards and preserving Montessori’s original ideas, methodology, and work.

You can learn more about AMI here: https://montessori-ami.org/

Information about AMI USA can be found here: https://amiusa.org/

New Ideas: AMS

While Montessori had come to the United States much earlier, it wasn’t until the 1960s that its popularity really began to spread.  Nancy McCormick Rambusch was a young American teacher who trained at an AMI center in London.  She was appointed by Mario Montessori (Maria Montessori’s son) to be AMI’s United States representative.  Rambusch opened the Whitby School in Greenwich, Connecticut, and worked to support the spread of Montessori education in the United States.

Over time, Rambusch and her colleagues began to advocate for certain changes within Montessori.  They felt that for Montessori to be successful in the United States certain elements of the curriculum needed to remain flexible.  Leaders at AMI disagreed, arguing for preservation of Montessori’s original ideas in their entirety.  Representatives from both perspectives worked together toward a solution, but eventually parted ways and the American Montessori Society was created.

Rambusch established AMS at Whitby in 1960, and it continues to be the most prevalent Montessori organization in the United States today.  AMS functions similarly to AMI, in that it provides teacher training, publications, and resources to Montessori schools across the country, as well as to a number of international schools.

More information about AMS can be found here: http://amshq.org/

Montessori Schools Today

As mentioned earlier in this article, any school may call themselves a Montessori school.  Montessori can mean different things to different people, and it can be helpful for parents to understand the differences.  Montessori schools can be public, private, or charter schools.  They may be affiliated with a church, but most are non-denominational.  Beyond those basic definitions, the delivery of a Montessori program can vary widely.  Some of the many possibilities include:

• Montessori Inspired Schools

Educators around the world have learned from the important work of Maria Montessori.  Her texts and lectures are often regarded as some of the most respected guides to non-traditional education.  The strong emphasis on child development, individualized education, and a beautiful environment appeal to educational facilities across the nation.  Montessori materials are now much more readily available than they were even a decade ago, so preschools or even homeschool families implement them in various ways.  The creation of online programs has increased access to basic teacher preparation.  

• Montessori Member/Affiliated/Associated Schools

For a school to become an AMS full member school, the school must meet specific requirements.  Most importantly, every lead teacher at the school must be certified through an approved teacher education program (including those affiliated with AMS, AMI, and several other well-respected organizations).  Starting in 2020 there will be additional requirements for heads of school as well.

AMI requires specific standards to be met in all its schools including AMI trained teachers, a full complement of AMI approved materials, and specific requirements concerning class sizes, ratios, and organization of the work period.  Schools that meet a certain percentage of these requirements or are committed to meeting all requirements within three years may be considered affiliated or associated schools.

• Montessori Recognized/Accredited Schools

Schools who wish to be formally recognized at the highest level by either AMI or AMS must adhere to the strictest of standards.  

If a school meets all the requirements of an AMI school, they may receive an AMI Certificate of Recognition.  Schools must reapply annually.  Details on those requirements can be found here: https://amiusa.org/school-standards/

For those wishing to be accredited by AMS, the process is typically about eighteen months long and includes the writing of a self-study report, a site visit by a specially trained team of evaluators, and a commitment to ongoing evaluation and improvement.  After initial accreditation, schools must apply for reaccreditation every four years.  More information on the process can be found here: http://amshq.org/School-Resources/AMS-Member-Schools/AMS-Accredited-Schools

Still have questions about what it means to be a Montessori school?  We would be happy to chat with you.  Contact us today!