MACTE accredited program

Elementary I
Montessori Certification

Flexible, online or in-person, MACTE accredited. aim offers it all.
Encounter moments of joy and discovery in the elementary environment!

course overview

It is a grand adventure to become an elementary level Montessori guide! During this course you will delve deeply into the philosophy and psychology of Montessori education for 6- to 9-year-old child. Children in this age group have moved from the absorbent mind to the reasoning mind, and the Montessori elementary curriculum focused on capturing their imagination and building a genuine interest in learning!

Which Program Is Right For You?

Career Starter

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Online Career Pro

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Career Pro

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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 elementary faculty

Suzanne Tipton

elementary professional development coordinator
Suzanne Tipton found Montessori while working as a high school Math & Science teacher in Thailand. She completed the Lower Elementary course with Age of Montessori and led her own Lower Elementary classroom at Montessori School of Louisville for four years. She made the difficult decision to leave the classroom in pursuit of her passion for training teachers.

Montessori education changed her life and she is eager to help others realize the beauty of this style of teaching. She lives in Tennessee near her niece, Kathryn, and nephew, David Michael, whom she adores wholeheartedly. (They think Auntie Q is a party!)

She also loves to draw, travel, read, scuba dive, hike, camp, and especially cooking. She has been working on writing her own cookbook for a few years now so if you are interested in vegetarian recipes, look no further!  

Fana Takahashi

elementary I level coordinator
After completing college, Fana discovered Montessori as a teacher in an early childhood classroom. She was immediately convinced by the method and trained with Authentic Institute of Montessori in Early Childhood and Elementary I.

She also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and a B.S. in Education K-8 from Montana State University. Fana has always had a passion for teaching and has been in a Montessori classroom since 2015. Currently, she co-teaches in a Lower Elementary Classroom in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In her free time, Fana enjoys traveling the world, surfing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Alison Zeglen

elementary II Level Coordinator
Alison discovered Montessori in 2012 during a student teaching placement and was immediately inspired by the method. Upon graduating from Montana State University with a B.S. in Education K-8, she pursued Montessori credentials in Elementary I and Elementary II from the Houston Montessori Center. Alison also holds a M.Ed. in Montessori Integrated Learning from Endicott College, focusing on Montessori students and environmental education.

With a passion for teaching, Alison has been a Montessori teacher for the past ten years, working in diverse locations including Bozeman, Montana, the Cayman Islands, and Wellington, New Zealand. While she loves Montessori education for all age ranges, her true passion lies with Elementary II (ages 9-12) students.

In her free time, Alison enjoys traveling to new places, snowboarding, surfing, hiking, trying new foods, drinking coffee, and spending time with her friends and family.

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elementary I course content

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elementary II (ages 9-12) certification

We are excited to share that we are offering a stand alone Elementary II Course!
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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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