A Montessori guide is the trained adult who leads a Montessori classroom, and becoming one takes real preparation, not a weekend certificate. At Montessori Stoppani, your path to guiding is the full AMI diploma: you study Montessori theory and child development in depth, work hands-on with the Montessori materials, and complete supervised practice, so you finish ready to prepare and lead a classroom of your own. Diploma training covers the Infant (0 to 3) and Primary (3 to 6) levels, and shorter assistant courses and workshops are here for when leading a full classroom is not your goal yet.
The full path to becoming a certified Montessori guide.
Montessori foundations for parents, assistants, and educators, on a schedule that flexes around real life.
Short, practical Montessori sessions for families, schools, and teaching teams.
Explore the guide training format, schedule, pricing, and start dates, and talk with our team about whether the diploma path fits where you want to teach.
Our short online application takes just a few minutes, and our admissions team guides you from there.
Begin your coursework online, then complete your in-person training over two summers in San Diego alongside future guides from across the country and around the world.
This is a real AMI diploma, not an AMS or generic certificate. Your credential is AMI and MACTE accredited and recognized by Montessori schools worldwide, with a master’s degree pathway available through Loyola.
You learn from AMI diploma holders and examiners with decades of international classroom and training experience, not part-time instructors reading from a manual.
Study online through the year, then complete two focused summers of in-person training in San Diego. Future guides fly in from across the country and internationally to train with us.
Montessori Stoppani prepares educators to become fully certified AMI guides through internationally respected, AMI and MACTE accredited training. Your diploma combines deep Montessori theory and child development study, real work with the materials, and supervised classroom practice, so you graduate ready to lead a classroom rather than simply pass an exam.
What makes the training stand apart is the depth behind it: a faculty of experienced AMI trainers and examiners, a diploma recognized everywhere in the world, English and Spanish programs, and a genuine master’s degree pathway through Loyola that few training centers can offer. We are also proud to make authentic AMI guide training more accessible than most programs of this caliber, so a world-class credential stays within reach.
Our team of internationally recognized AMI trainers leads every stage of your guide training.
Ale is an AMI trainer and the Training Director at Montessori Stoppani, with more than 25 years in Montessori education. She earned her AMI 3 to 6 diploma in Italy and her 0 to 3 diploma in San Diego under the renowned Dr. Silvana Montanaro. Her career has been devoted to supporting children, families, and future guides through AMI training, workshops, and consulting.
Cristina holds advanced degrees in clinical psychology, pedagogy, and education, with more than 25 years working with children in Montessori and traditional classrooms. An AMI trainer and examiner at the Children’s House (3 to 6) level, she has guided Montessori educators across the United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Spain, bringing a global perspective to the training.
Gabriela began her Montessori journey as a child, first as a student and later as an assistant. She holds a degree in early childhood education, her AMI diploma, and a master’s in education, with more than 20 years in Montessori schools across Mexico and the United States. She now serves internationally as an AMI trainer, examiner, consultant, and speaker.
Emily is an AMI 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 the 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 levels, and pairs deep expertise with a warm, practical approach to supporting children, families, and future guides.
Dr. Salguero is a physician, researcher, and educator specializing in personalized medicine, psychiatry, nutrition, and integrative health. He completed his medical degree at the University of Guadalajara, advanced study in clinical nutrition, a PhD in molecular biology in medicine, and his psychiatry residency at UC San Diego, and brings a scientific view of child and human development to the team.
We understand that choosing the right Montessori training program comes with important questions. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about our AMI diploma courses, assistant training, workshops, schedules, and learning formats.
Yes. An AMI diploma is recognized by Montessori schools and educators everywhere in the world, so your credential travels with you wherever you decide to teach. It is genuine AMI training, accredited by AMI and MACTE, not an AMS or generic certificate.
The diploma is hybrid. You study online through the year and complete the in-person portion over two summers in San Diego. If you want a fully online option, our assistant courses are online and blended.
Tuition depends on your program and payment plan. Request our program details and pricing guide and you will see pricing right away, along with schedules, formats, and payment options.
No, and it helps to know why. What you earn here is a full professional AMI teaching credential, not a stack of transferable course credits. If a graduate degree is your aim, the honest route is our Loyola master’s pathway: pathway opportunities are available, and you can request our full program details to see how it would work for you.
It comes down to the role you want in the classroom. Guides carry the full responsibility for running a Montessori environment, planning it, leading it, and observing each child, which is why the guide path is the complete AMI diploma. Assistants work alongside the guide to keep the environment calm and ready, and their course is shorter and lighter by design. This page is about the guide credential, the full diploma.
AMI, the Association Montessori Internationale, was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori and is one of the most respected Montessori organizations in the world. Training with an AMI center means you learn the method at its source, and schools everywhere recognize what an AMI diploma stands for.
Yes. Our diploma is accredited by both AMI and MACTE. That accreditation is what makes the master’s degree pathway through Loyola possible and what tells schools your training meets a genuine international standard.
Yes. Because we are MACTE accredited, diploma graduates can pursue a master’s degree pathway through Loyola by completing an additional summer. Pathway opportunities vary, so request our full program details for the specifics.
Start by requesting our program details and pricing or sending us a text with your questions. When you are ready, our short online application takes just a few minutes, and our admissions team guides you from there.
Becoming a Montessori guide means completing the full AMI diploma, the professional credential that qualifies you to prepare and lead a Montessori classroom. At Montessori Stoppani, that training covers the Infant (0 to 3) and Primary (3 to 6) levels and combines deep study of Montessori theory and child development, hands-on work with the Montessori materials, and supervised practice with children. A guide is not the same as an assistant: the assistant supports the prepared environment through a shorter course, while the guide is fully trained to run it. When you finish, you hold an AMI diploma recognized by Montessori schools worldwide, and, through our Loyola pathway, the option to continue toward a master’s degree.
The families and schools looking for a Montessori guide look for AMI training specifically, and that is exactly what Montessori Stoppani provides. AMI, the Association Montessori Internationale, was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori, and our diploma is accredited by both AMI and MACTE from start to finish, not an AMS or generic Montessori certificate. You train with AMI diploma holders and examiners who have taught in classrooms and trained guides internationally for decades. That accreditation carries real weight, because it is what makes our master’s degree pathway through Loyola possible and what tells any school that your credential meets a genuine international standard.
Montessori guide training in San Diego at Montessori Stoppani is built around your life rather than asking you to put it on hold. Most of your studying happens online through the year, and the in-person part of your diploma is focused into two summers here in San Diego, so you can keep working while you train and travel in only for the summers. Guides join us from across California and well beyond, and that blended format is what makes an authentic AMI diploma workable for working teachers and career changers. When you request our program details, you also see pricing right away, along with schedules, formats, and payment options, so you can plan the commitment with real numbers in front of you.
Montessori Stoppani trains future guides throughout the San Diego region and beyond. Students come from San Diego proper, from the North County communities of Carlsbad and Encinitas, and from the San Diego and Tijuana cross-border community, and others fly in from across the country and internationally for the summer intensives. Because much of the diploma is online, guides almost anywhere can begin without moving first. We also train in both English and Spanish, which matters for the bilingual schools across California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico that are actively looking for Spanish-speaking AMI guides. Authentic AMI training is often out of reach on price, and we are proud to keep ours among the most accessible programs of its caliber. Explore the format and see pricing the moment you request our program details.
