"Montessori" is not a trademark, patented, or a franchise: any school, daycare, or childcare service can hang a sign over its door and claim to offer a Montessori education. This name Montessori does not guarantee authenticity or quality. Many of the teachers at Wheaton Montessori have worked in schools that were not AMI in the past. Personally, I’ve worked in two and when I did, I was missing most of the hallmarks of Montessori that children deserve:
The classrooms had the wrong mix of ages. High fidelity Montessori schools group students together based on developmental milestones to ensure that each student’s individual needs will be met. Each classroom at Wheaton Montessori School is designed to respond to how children learn best, what each child needs to be surrounded by, and how instruction is ideally provided.
The classrooms were only partially equipped with Montessori materials to fulfill the curriculum. There would have been home toys but I removed those. Each classroom at Wheaton Montessori School has a complete set of classroom materials in great working condition. This is important to develop an early foundation to build upon in later years. For example, young preschoolers build the Pink Tower as though they are stacking blocks AND there is information within this exploration that is laying the groundwork for learning to cube and find cube roots.
Freedom and Limits were not balanced. To be fair, ideally that was within my circle of control, but I needed colleagues and administrative support to be able to create that equilibrium.
So how can parents tell whether a Montessori school is authentic?
Doctors have the AMA; architects the AIA; engineers the IEEE. Association Montessori International combines a doctor's awareness of neural development, an architect's careful artistry in (self)construction, and an engineer's keen, logical approach to problem-solving.
AMI was founded by Dr. Montessori herself in 1929, AMI is the most diligent of the various Montessorian organizations in rigidly ensuring that Montessori schools and teachers are both well-grounded in the basic principles of the method and ready to carry those principles forward in the modern educational world. AMI offers teacher training and through their AMI-USA branch office provides school consultations.
To receive AMI Recognition, each classroom in the school must have:
- A fully-trained teacher who has completed both a college undergraduate degree and AMI's year-long graduate level training program and only one assistant within each classroom:
- A complete set of authorized Montessori classroom materials;
- A multi-year range of ages within the single classroom;
- An uninterrupted three-hour work cycle five mornings a week and two-hour afternoon work cycle for older students;
- Large numbers of children within each age grouping.
The training of our teachers is extensive. All Wheaton Montessori employees are CPR and first aid certified and highly trained to work with children. In addition, Wheaton Montessori has at least one internationally certified teacher in each classroom who also holds a Master’s Degrees. They have completed rigorous Montessori graduate level credential training, which includes comprehensive instruction on child development, intensive lessons to help them present Montessori materials correctly, research in Montessori philosophy, assessment training to evaluate student progress, and so much more.
It is important to me that you connect with AMI recognized schools like Wheaton Montessori and connect with AMI trained teachers who feel supported within their institution to maintain and uphold what they were trained to do. The AMI recognition guarantees you a true Montessori experience in its purest form and ensures that your children’s education will be evidence and research proven methods.
It should be easy to determine if a school holds an AMI. Explore school websites and search for the accreditation seal or contact the school and ask them about their accreditation.
There are other known accreditations besides AMI which stands for Association Montessori International. You may have come across them, toured them, have neighbors who attend them, or even been enrolled with them before coming to Wheaton Montessori School. Within the far western suburbs, we are the only AMI school. Please come and visit Wheaton Montessori to see the difference that AMI means for your family.
Current parents please follow your links to observe in your children’s classrooms. Interested parents of 2-4 year old children, please use this link to schedule an in-person private tour of classrooms in action. Unfortunately, we are not currently giving tours for new families with students Kindergarten though 9th grade because of our waitlist.
Already a parent here, schedule your observations:
