MACTE accredited program

Early Childhood
Montessori Certification

Flexible, online or in-person, MACTE accredited. aim offers it all.
Embrace the wonder that children ages 3-6 have to offer!

course overview

During this course you will delve deeply into the philosophy and psychology of Montessori education for the 2 and a half to 6-year-old child.  You will also gain the foundational knowledge of the 4 great Montessori avenues of learning, practical life, sensorial, language and math.   Montessori classified children in this age group in the absorbent mind stage – ready and excited to engage in learning and exploration!  This course will teach you how to capitalize on that excitement by preparing an environment in which children will thrive. 
what sets us apart

aim for a meaningful future in Montessori education

Authentic Montessori Training 

Our programs are developed and led by aim founder and program director Mary Ellen Maunz.  Mary Ellen has been active in the Montessori community since 1971.  In addition to teaching and leading Montessori schools, she has served as the Commissioner for Accreditation and Member of the Board of Directors for MACTE and held the position of Vice-President of the International Association of Montessori Educators (IAME) She has also been honored as the recipient of the esteemed MACTE Wisdom of the Elders award.

Superior Online and
In-Person Instruction

Our highly qualified faculty members present course materials with the help of our amazing AIM video production team.  Every lesson is produced, edited and perfected before it reaches our students.  Our faculty members travel far and wide to observe and interact with our interns, connecting on a professional and personal level.  AIM residencies are broadcast live with the help of a film crew and in-person residencies are hosted in Montessori schools across the nation.  We spare no effort in delivering the authentic Montessori experience to each of our students.

Innovative Montessori
Resources

We are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive and creative resources available to our AIM students and alumni.  aim offers 380 video lesson demonstrations, hundreds of lectures, detailed digital manuals, over 75 webinars and 20 professional development courses – all presented with the utmost care and high-quality video production.  We aim to provide the most innovative tools for modern Montessorians. 

Multi-tiered Levels of Training & Certification

Intent on sharing the authentic Montessori message with as many people as possible, we have expanded our slate of online and onsite programs. We offer four levels of training and certification - meeting the unique needs of our students across the globe.  We are sure to have a program that can fulfill your Montessori goals.

meet our early childhood faculty

Karen Walton

early childhood level coordinator & assistant program director
Karen in the Level Coordinator for Early Childhood, Internship Coordinator and Residency Instructor. She has been working at Age of Montessori since 2018. Before that, she owned & taught at her own Montessori school in rural Montana. She has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, an Early Childhood certificate and a Master's of Education in Advanced Montessori.  Karen is newly certified in American Sign Language. 

She has taught music in the public-school sector in addition to teaching in Montessori classrooms since 2007 both in Rhode Island and Montana. At Age of Montessori, she works with interns, observes Montessori classrooms, and participates in webinars. 

When she is not working, she can be found gardening, trail running and cooking. She enjoys long walks with her dog, Jax and camping trips with her husband. 

Diana Palmares

early childhood level coordinator
Diana lives in North Carolina where she has continued to work for AIM since 2012. 

From 1975, after reading her first Montessori book --“Her Life and Works” while pregnant with her first child, Diana has taught in many Montessori classrooms across the country, in both private schools and public Montessori. 

The opportunity to continue sharing the Montessori message and help with the training of Montessori certified teachers came after her retirement from public Montessori—what a blessing that was! 

She loves to be outdoors in nature, and to spend time with her two adult children and grandchild. 

Bethany Fuqua

early childhood instructor
Bethany currently resides in Billings, MT.  She and her amazing husband, Jon, have twin daughters, a son, and a chocolate Labrador retriever.   She has bachelor degrees in Elementary Education and Child Development Family Science from North Dakota State University.  She has been in Early Childhood classrooms since 2007 and completed her Early Childhood Montessori training through Caspari Montessori Institute in 2008. 

In her very little free time, Bethany enjoys visiting hot springs, reading about Montana history, and going on outdoor adventures with her family.  

Liz Goodman

early childhood instructor
Liz currently teaches in a primary classroom at King’s Wood Montessori School in Foxboro, Massachusetts. She lives in Sharon, Massachusetts with her husband where they raised two children, a recent college graduate and rising college junior. Liz holds a M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Xavier University, a Montessori Early Childhood Certification from aim, and a B.A. in U.S. History from Central Connecticut State University. Her experience as an educator spans over 20 years both as a high school teacher, and for the past 11 years in an early childhood Montessori classroom.  
 
In her free time, Liz loves to read, hike, practice yoga, travel, cook, and spend time with family and friends. She is also a huge Boston Celtics fan!

Maleah McPherson

early childhood instructor
Maleah has been teaching at the Montessori School of Yakima in Yakima, WA since 2016. She holds a Montessori Early Childhood Certification from aim., a M.A. in Environmental Education from California State University of San Bernardino, and a B.S. in Recreation Management from Central Washington University. She has worked at a variety of summer and environmental education camps and transitioned into teaching after her daughter began her Montessori education at age 5. 

Maleah lives in Yakima with her husband and their daughter. They spend most of their summer and many weekends in the woods at camp. In addition to sewing things for her classroom, Maleah loves hiking with her family, skiing, playing music, and reading.  

Christine Shepherd

early childhood instructor
Christine has been teaching at the Montessori School in Davenport, Iowa for the past ten years. She holds a Montessori Early Childhood Certification from AIM. She so greatly enjoyed her certification experience with the AIM organization that she now works as an online advisor for them.

Christine lives in Davenport with her daughter and husband. She loves creating new materials and activities for her classroom. She also spends time tutoring children in reading. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, traveling and learning. She believes you can never stop learning because life never stops teaching.

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early childhood course content

aim training and certification programs

which program is right for you?

Essentials

Fully online, self paced, great for independent learners

Career Starter

Fully online, faculty guided, upgradable to Online Career Pro or Career Pro

Online Career Pro

Fully online, faculty guided, virtual residency, independent internship

Career Pro

MACTE Accredited Program, Online courses, faculty guided, 3 week in-person residency, supervised internship

#authenticmontessori | #innovativemontessori | #aimfamily

what our aim alumni have to say

"I mean, how cool is it that you not only get these manuals describing each step of what each lesson entails, but you're able to watch and experience spot as a teacher, go through each step of those lessons and you can watch it as many times as you need.

You can look at that video and it's going to give you the confidence you need to go in there and just nail it. I love the video library. It's amazing."

"What I love about aim is that you're getting a super comprehensive understanding of the philosophy and teachings of Maria Montessori, and then you're going into the classroom and you are figuring out how to do it yourself, and you are getting the tools both through faculty observation and mentoring, how to really make it your own. I loved the in-depth understanding that I received in the academic program."

"The online course was so thorough and thoughtfully done that I knew during the course that I was going to be very well prepared and good at what I was doing. As somebody who is very invested in what it means to be a teacher, not just to deliver content, but to affect a child's life, the online course created space for me to explore and refine those parts of myself in preparation to be a better guide for the children in my care."

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