Whether you are a working teacher, a parent, a classroom assistant, or someone training to become a Montessori guide, there is a path here you can begin online. The AMI Assistant courses run fully online, and the AMI Diploma keeps its coursework online through the year before you join two summers in San Diego.
The Complete AMI Diploma For Aspiring Montessori Guides
Fully Online AMI Assistant Courses For Parents And Classroom Assistants
Montessori Workshops You Can Join From Anywhere
Look over the programs, formats, pricing, and start dates, and message our team with anything you are unsure about. We will help you figure out which online or blended path suits where you are headed.
The application is short and entirely online, whether you are applying for a diploma course, an online assistant program, or a workshop. Our admissions team takes it from there.
Begin your training in the format that works for your life, from fully online assistant courses to blended diploma study anchored by two summers in San Diego.
This is authentic AMI training, not AMS or a generic online certificate. Your credential is AMI recognized, with MACTE accreditation on the diploma, and respected by Montessori schools everywhere in the world, with master's degree pathway opportunities available through Loyola.
Most authentic AMI training happens only in person. We open a real online path instead. The AMI Assistant courses are fully online, and while the Diploma is a hybrid program, most of its work happens from home, with the hands-on training completed over two summers in San Diego.
Learn from AMI diploma holders and examiners with decades of international classroom experience, through bilingual program options built for different schedules, backgrounds, and goals.
For educators who want the real thing, Montessori Stoppani is an AMI training center whose diploma is accredited by AMI and MACTE. The programs are built for the range of people who come to Montessori, from parents and classroom assistants taking a first course to career teachers preparing to lead a classroom, and they are taught by AMI trainers with long records in real classrooms.
Because we are MACTE accredited, diploma graduates can go on toward a master’s degree through Loyola, an option not many AMI centers offer. Whether you finish with an assistant certificate or the full diploma, you leave with an AMI credential that Montessori schools recognize wherever you decide to teach.
Our team of internationally recognized AMI trainers leads every stage of your Montessori training, online and in person.
Alejandra Rosas is an AMI Infant and Nest Community Trainer and the Training Director at Montessori Stoppani Institute, with more than 25 years of Montessori experience. She earned her AMI 3 to 6 diploma in Italy and her 0 to 3 diploma in San Diego under the direction of renowned Montessori educator Dr. Silvana Montanaro. Alejandra has dedicated her career to supporting young children, families, and future Montessori guides through internationally respected AMI training, workshops, consulting, and classroom leadership.
Cristina A. De León holds advanced degrees in clinical psychology, pedagogy, and education, with more than 25 years of experience working with children in Montessori and traditional educational environments. She serves as a Casa dei Bambini (3 to 6) AMI trainer and examiner and has guided Montessori educators internationally across the United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Spain, bringing deep educational experience and a global Montessori perspective to her training work.
Gabriela Velázquez began her Montessori journey at an early age, first as a Montessori student and later as an assistant in the same school where her mother worked as a Montessori guide. She earned a degree in early childhood education, her AMI Nido and Infant Community diploma, and a master’s degree in education before spending more than 20 years working in Montessori schools throughout Mexico and the United States. Today Gabriela serves internationally as an AMI 0 to 3 trainer, examiner, consultant, and speaker, helping future Montessori guides deepen their understanding of early childhood development.
Emily Hansen is an AMI 0 to 3 trainer with more than 21 years of Montessori classroom experience across toddler and primary communities. She holds degrees in psychology, sociology, and Montessori education, along with AMI diplomas at both the 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 levels. Emily combines deep Montessori expertise with a warm and practical approach, supporting children, families, and future Montessori educators through her training work.
Dr. Mario Salguero is a physician, researcher, and educator specializing in personalized medicine, psychiatry, nutrition, and integrative health. After graduating from the University of Guadalajara School of Medicine, he completed advanced studies in clinical nutrition and earned a PhD in molecular biology in medicine before completing his psychiatry residency at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Salguero brings scientific research, medical education, and a compassionate approach to child and human development to the Montessori Stoppani training team.
A few of the questions we hear most from people weighing an online Montessori training path, covering what is actually online, how the credential is recognized, and what it costs.
Yes. An AMI diploma is recognized by Montessori schools around the world, so the credential you earn here is not tied to California or even the United States. Graduates go on to teach wherever they choose.
The AMI Assistant courses, at the Infant (0-3) and Primary (3-6) levels, are fully online and blended. The AMI Diploma is a hybrid program: the coursework is online through the year, and the hands-on portion is done in person over two summers in San Diego. So a good deal of the training happens from home, with the Diploma’s practical work reserved for the summers.
It depends on which program and format you choose. Rather than a vague range, we put the actual pricing in the program guide, which you can pull up instantly, along with schedules and payment plans, so you can see a number without waiting on an email.
No. The Montessori Stoppani diploma is a professional AMI qualification, not a course that transfers college credit. If your goal is a graduate degree, the way to get there is the Loyola master’s pathway that opens up after the diploma. Ask us for the program details and we will explain how that route works.
A guide runs the classroom. The full AMI diploma trains you to prepare the environment, give the lessons, and lead the group. An assistant supports that work, and the assistant course is the shorter, fully online way in, which is why many parents and aspiring teachers start there before deciding whether to pursue the diploma.
AMI stands for the Association Montessori Internationale, the organization Dr. Maria Montessori founded to carry on her method. Because AMI training is held to that original standard, an AMI credential tells a school your training is the genuine Montessori preparation, which is why many schools look for AMI specifically.
Yes. The diploma is accredited by both AMI and MACTE, and the assistant courses are AMI recognized. That accreditation is what separates real Montessori training from a general online certificate, and it is what employers check.
Yes. After the diploma, MACTE accreditation opens a pathway to a master’s degree through Loyola. The details depend on your program and goals, so request the full program guide and we will lay out how the pathway works.
Pick the program that matches your goals, then request the program details and pricing guide to see schedules, formats, and enrollment steps. If you would rather just ask, text us and we will point you in the right direction.
Two of our programs can be completed online. The AMI Assistant courses, at the Infant (0 to 3) and Primary (3 to 6) levels, run fully online and blended, which works for parents, classroom assistants, and teachers who cannot leave a job to go back to school. The coursework moves through Montessori theory, child development, and the practical work of preparing and running a classroom, and it is led by AMI trainers, not a self-paced video library.
The AMI Diploma is the fuller credential, and it is not an online-only program. Its coursework is done online across the year, while the hands-on portion is completed in person over two summers in San Diego. If your goal is the guide credential, plan for both parts.
Not sure which one fits? The Assistant course is the usual starting point for parents and assistants, and the Diploma is the path for people preparing to lead their own classroom.
Montessori Stoppani is a recognized AMI training center, and its Diploma carries AMI and MACTE accreditation. Many Montessori schools look for AMI training specifically, and AMI is a separate organization from AMS, with its own standards and examiners. A general online certificate is a third thing again, and it does not carry the same weight in an AMI classroom.
An AMI diploma is recognized everywhere in the world, so a graduate is not tied to teaching near where they trained. Graduates who want a degree can also pursue a master’s through our Loyola pathway, which few AMI training centers offer. The particulars vary by program, so ask us about them when the time comes.
Our home base is San Diego, California, though the training reaches much further than the county line. The Assistant courses and workshops run entirely online, so a teacher in another state learns from the same AMI faculty as someone in Carlsbad or Encinitas, while Diploma students study from home and travel in only for the summer sessions.
Many of our students come from the San Diego and Tijuana cross-border area, where bilingual Montessori classrooms are short on trained teachers. We run programs in English and Spanish for that reason, so an educator building toward a bilingual role can train in the language they will actually teach in.
The in-person side of the Diploma happens over two summers in San Diego. Students spend those weeks working directly with the Montessori materials under trainers and examiners who have taught in classrooms around the world, then return home to continue their coursework online. People come in for these summers from across the United States and from other countries.
If travel is not realistic, it is not required for every program. The Assistant courses and the workshops are online from start to finish, so an educator anywhere can earn an AMI credential without a plane ticket. Wherever you end up training, the diploma or certificate you finish with is recognized in Montessori schools worldwide.
Text us your questions or ask for the program guide, and we will walk you through dates and formats.
