Whether you are starting as an assistant, working toward the full teaching credential, or deepening your practice, there is a path here for you. Explore the assistant courses first, then the diploma and workshops that grow alongside your goals.
The diploma is the full teaching credential for guides who will lead their own Montessori environment. It combines online coursework with two in-person summers in San Diego, so you learn the theory deeply and practice it in a real classroom setting.
The assistant courses prepare you to support a Montessori classroom and the lead guide with genuine understanding. They are shorter and more flexible than the diploma, grounded in authentic AMI Montessori principles, and open to anyone who wants to work with children the Montessori way.
Workshops are shorter, focused sessions for parents, schools, and educators who want practical Montessori insight without committing to a full course. They cover philosophy, child development, and specialized topics in flexible formats.
Look through the assistant courses and the age levels that fit you, then request the full details or send us a quick text. Our team is glad to talk options with you.
When you are ready, our short online application takes only a few minutes, and our admissions team guides you from there.
Assistant courses run online and blended, so you can begin from home on a schedule that works around your week.
AMI is the Montessori standard people ask for by name, and it is not the same as AMS. Every course here is grounded in genuine AMI Montessori training, and the diploma carries full AMI and MACTE accreditation recognized everywhere in the world.
You learn from AMI trainers with decades of international classroom experience, working through a curriculum built for classroom use. This is the depth that tells you the training is truly AMI.
Assistant courses and workshops are offered online and blended so you can train from anywhere. Bilingual demand runs high in Montessori schools, and Spanish-first students can enroll through montessoristoppani.com.
Montessori Stoppani Institute exists to prepare the next generation of Montessori educators through authentic AMI training that holds up anywhere in the world. AMI is the credential that matters most in Montessori education, and it leads everything we teach, from the assistant courses through the full diploma. Our assistant training gives parents, educators, and classroom assistants a genuine grounding in Montessori principles for the 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 years, delivered online and blended so real life still fits. Those ready to lead their own classroom continue into the AMI and MACTE accredited diploma, which pairs online study with two in-person summers in San Diego. Students fly in from across the country and internationally for those summers, and each year the institute trains roughly 220 students across the diploma and assistant courses, and closer to 500 counting workshops. Behind it all is a roster of AMI trainers with international experience and a job board that connects graduates with Montessori schools looking for exactly this preparation.
Our team of world-class AMI trainers are internationally recognized.
Alejandra Rosas is an AMI Infant and Nest Community Trainer and Training Director at Montessori Stoppani Institute with more than 25 years of Montessori experience. She received 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 and has more than 25 years of experience working with children in Montessori and traditional educational environments. She received her AMI diplomas in Early Childhood and Elementary Education through the Montessori Institute of San Diego and currently serves as a Casa de Niños AMI Trainer and Examiner. Cristina has guided Montessori educators internationally throughout 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 to education, bringing years of experience 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 combines scientific research, medical education, and a compassionate approach to child and human development as part of the Montessori Stoppani training team.
A few quick answers about becoming a Montessori assistant, from how the courses work to how you get started. If your question is not here, text us and we will answer it fast.
Yes. Our assistant courses are grounded in authentic AMI Montessori principles and prepare you to support a Montessori classroom with real understanding. AMI is respected by Montessori schools around the world, and the same institute also offers the fully AMI and MACTE accredited diploma when you are ready to lead a classroom of your own.
The assistant courses are offered online and blended, so you can train from home on a schedule that fits your work and family. Because the format bends around your week, you can build genuine Montessori skills without putting the rest of your life on hold.
It depends on which course and age level you land on. We work hard to keep assistant training within reach, and the actual numbers live in the details guide you can pull up in a click. That guide breaks down cost, start dates, and any payment options, so you can weigh it all before committing.
No. These are professional AMI credentials, not credit-bearing college courses, so nothing transfers to a university the way semester credits would. If a graduate degree is where you are headed, that runs through the Loyola master’s pathway once you finish the diploma. Ask for the details and we will walk you through how it works.
A guide holds the full AMI diploma and runs the classroom, preparing the space and leading the children’s work. An assistant stands alongside that guide, keeping the daily rhythm of the room steady with real Montessori grounding. The assistant path is quicker to finish and easier to fit around life, and plenty of people begin there before deciding whether to go on for the guide credential.
AMI stands for the Association Montessori Internationale, the body Dr. Maria Montessori founded herself to safeguard her method. Across the globe it is treated as the authentic benchmark for Montessori training, which is exactly why so many parents and future educators hold out for the AMI name before they enroll.
The assistant courses are organized by age, covering the 0 to 3 years and the 3 to 6 years. You can choose the level that matches the children you want to work with, or build toward both over time.
For some of the accredited diploma programs, yes. There are pathway opportunities that can carry you toward advanced study and a master’s degree. What is on the table shifts with the program and your own goals, so the honest move is to request the full details and let us map the options that fit you.
Pick the assistant course that matches the age group you want to work with, then use Get Program Details for schedules, formats, and how enrollment runs. If you would rather just ask a question first, text us and a real person will point you to the right starting place.
Montessori assistant training prepares you to support a Montessori classroom, helping children work independently while the lead guide keeps the environment calm and prepared. You learn how a Montessori space is set up, how children move through it, and how an assistant protects that concentration without taking over the teaching role. The courses cover practical observation, classroom routines, and the principles behind Montessori materials, all grounded in authentic AMI foundations. It is the right first step for anyone who wants to work with children the Montessori way and understand what is actually happening in the room.
A Montessori assistant course is built for parents, practicing educators, and classroom assistants who want real Montessori preparation rather than a quick overview. Parents take it to understand their child’s classroom and bring the same approach home. Educators moving into a Montessori setting take it to work confidently alongside a trained guide. School assistants take it to do their job better and open the door to a longer Montessori path. Because the courses are online and blended, they fit people who are already working or raising a family and cannot step away for full-time study.
You can train as a Montessori assistant online or through blended learning, with dedicated courses for the 0 to 3 years and the 3 to 6 years. The 0 to 3 course focuses on the youngest children, from the earliest stages of movement and language through the toddler years. The 3 to 6 course focuses on the primary years, when children are absorbing practical life, sensorial work, early literacy, and math. Both are grounded in authentic AMI Montessori principles, and the flexible format means you study around your own schedule while still building genuine, usable skills.
Becoming a Montessori assistant starts with choosing the course that matches the age group and setting you want to work in. From there you learn the principles, routines, and observation skills that make a Montessori classroom run, taught by AMI trainers with international experience. Many assistants use the course as a foundation and later continue into the full diploma to become a guide, while others stay in the assistant role and grow within it. Either way, you finish with Montessori understanding you can put to work with children right away.
