Considering Montessori? Here’s What to Look For
July 26, 2024

If you find yourself considering Montessori education as an option for your family, you undoubtedly have plenty of questions. If you take one thought away from this article let it be this: anyone can call their school “Montessori”. There is no regulation on use of the name. If you have read articles and heard stories from other families about the incredible benefits of this method of education, they are absolutely the result of a high fidelity Montessori program. Read on to learn more about what to look for.


What’s in a name?

Throughout her life, Dr. Maria Montessori strove to retain a certain level of control over the course the Montessori movement took. It was, after all, her life’s work and bore her name. She wanted to be sure that guides were trained correctly, methods were applied as she intended, and a complete set of authentic materials graced the shelves of classrooms. Today, there are two major organizations that carry on her work and are generally regarded as the standard for Montessori education. They are AMI (Association Montessori International), which was created by Dr. Montessori herself, and AMS (American Montessori Society), which branched off from AMI in 1960. Today the two organizations maintain a positive working relationship and mutual respect for the work they both do, which is to carry on the legacy of Dr. Montessori and ensure visionary, high-quality education for children.


Recognition, Affiliation, and Accreditation

If you are looking for a high fidelity Montessori program (which is critical if you want your child to reap the benefits!), it’s important to find a school that is connected to either AMI or AMS. There are different levels of connection, depending on how closely a school aligns their work with what is considered ideal.


To become accredited through AMS a school must undertake a rigorous multi-year process that begins with a self-study and culminates with a three day in-person site visit by AMS representatives. Schools must go through the accreditation process at least once every seven years. Accredited AMS schools must have teachers that are fully trained by AMS or AMI for the level they teach. 


To obtain Recognition Status through AMI, a similar process is followed including an in-person visit by an AMI consultant. A specific set of criteria must be met, including having 100% of lead teachers being trained through an AMI sponsored teacher training program. If a school meets all criteria, but has a lower percentage of AMI trained teachers, the school may be considered AMI Affiliated or AMI Associated. Schools must reapply for recognition status on an annual basis with an AMI consultant visit every three years.


Specifically Trained Educators

Montessori guides (the term we often use for our teachers) are specially trained. In addition to college degrees they have obtained, they have also earned special Montessori credentials from recognized training programs. Many of these programs run for several years, include many hours of lectures and reading, practical examinations, written papers, material making assignments, and multiple observations in classroom settings. Many people consider the level of work required for obtaining such a credential to be similar to that required for earning a master’s degree.


Multi-Age Groupings

One of the most important elements of a Montessori school is that the classes are organized not by single chronological year classes, but into multi-age mixed groups. This approach is intentional and critical to higher levels of learning. Children ages three to five (preschool and kindergarten) are grouped together, as are elementary-aged children. Some schools break the elementary years up into lower (grades 1-3) and upper (grades 4-6) while others keep them all together. Infants, toddlers, and adolescents are also placed into similarly mixed groups.


Why do we do this? There are many reasons. For one, younger children have no shortage of models to surround themselves with. They can see what is expected of them as they grow, both socially and academically, and they work to emulate what they see older children doing. As for the older children, they are given the unique opportunity to practice leadership skills and cultivate empathy for younger children. In addition, they often help teach, which reinforces their own mastery of subjects.


The Classroom Environment

There is much to be said for the Montessori classroom environment - more than we could possibly summarize in a paragraph or two here. That said, we can certainly highlight the most critical features you should look for in a well-run program.


  • Classrooms will feature ample natural light and children will have access to the outdoors.
  • Furniture will be sized for the children who are meant to use it, and there will be a variety of different furniture options. This means in lieu of desks in rows, you should see group work areas, independent work areas, and space to work comfortably on the floor.
  • Natural materials like wood, glass, and woven baskets should take the place of plastics.
  • Specialized Montessori materials should be well organized and adorn shelves at the children’s height.
  • The room may be decorated with living plants and carefully hung works of art. You should not see walls covered with posters or busy color schemes.
  • It should be apparent that the guide is not the center of the room, but rather serves as an element of support for the children who work there.
  • Children should have free access to take care of their own personal needs, such as using the restroom, serving themselves snacks, having drinks of water, and retrieving all materials necessary to explore and work.

We hope this article has been a helpful guide as you embark on your journey into Montessori education. If you have any questions or would like any guidance, please feel free to contact us.

Teacher reading to seated children in a bright classroom circle time

From Wonder to Wisdom: How Montessori Builds the Imagination That Lasts a Lifetime (Part 1)

By Gabriela León • June 23, 2026
Of all the aspects of Montessori philosophy that raise eyebrows, the topic of fantasy and imagination might be the most misunderstood. Parents sometimes hear that Montessori discourages imaginative play, or that it takes a dim view of fairy tales and make-believe. The reality is both more nuanced and more fascinating than that. Dr. Maria Montessori didn't distrust imagination. Actually, she revered it! She was deeply interested in understanding how imagination develops and what kinds of experiences feed it most richly. Imagination Is a Force for Truth Dr. Montessori believed that imagination is one of humanity's greatest powers. It allows us to reach beyond what is directly in front of us, to envision what we cannot see, to understand what we cannot touch, and to create what does not yet exist. It is imagination, Dr. Montessori argued, that drives scientific discovery, artistic expression, and human progress. But here is the key insight: imagination doesn't grow in a vacuum. It grows from reality. The richer and more precise children's experience of the real world, the more powerful and genuine their imaginative capacity becomes. As Dr. Montessori wrote in The Absorbent Mind, "imagination is a force for the discovery of truth," not an escape from it. For this very reason, we fill Montessori classrooms with real objects, real experiences, and real information about the world. Wonder, to be truly nourishing, needs real and wonderful things from which to emerge. The Difference Between Child-Led and Adult-Imposed Fantasy One of the most important distinctions Dr. Montessori made is the difference between fantasy that children create themselves and fantasy that adults impose on them. When young children pick up a stick and pretend it is a horse or transform a cardboard box into a spaceship, they are using their accumulated knowledge of the real world to construct a creative, imaginary one. This kind of pretend play is entirely natural and valuable. The children are in control of the fantasy, and they know, on some level, that it is fantasy. What is more complicated is when adults introduce elaborate fictions as though they were real. When we encourage children to believe things that aren’t true, we are essentially presenting misinformation to minds that are actively trying to make sense of reality. Young children in the first years of life are working hard to understand what is real and what is not. And when they are uncertain, they look to trusted adults for guidance. When those adults confirm a fantasy as reality, children's natural process of distinguishing truth from fiction is interrupted. Dr. Montessori called this state credulity: a characteristic of the immature mind that hasn't yet developed the tools to distinguish the true from the false, or the possible from the impossible. The adult's role, she believed, is not to extend credulity but to gently support children in building accurate, grounded knowledge of the world. What This Looks Like in Practice It's worth pausing here, because this aspect of Montessori philosophy can feel startling at first, especially in a culture that places enormous value on the magic of childhood and the traditions that come with it. Families navigate this in different ways, and Montessori doesn't prescribe a single approach to handling holidays or family traditions at home. What Montessori does suggest is that children are far more capable of genuine wonder than we sometimes give them credit for, and that the real world, offered to them with beauty and depth, provides more than enough magic to satisfy even the most imaginative child. Dr. Montessori gave striking examples of this. She noticed how a simple chart showing the relative sizes of the sun and the earth left young children full of astonishment, and more astonished, she observed, than any fairy tale had managed to make them. The actual scale of the universe, presented clearly and beautifully, opened something in their minds that no invented story could have reached. As she wrote in To Educate the Human Potential, by offering the story of the universe, "we give him something a thousand times more infinite and mysterious to reconstruct with his imagination, a drama no fable can reveal." Similarly, Dr. Montessori noted that children are often far more satisfied when they can engage with the real version of something rather than a pretend substitute. Washing real dishes rather than toy ones. Riding a real horse rather than a stick. Using a globe to find America rather than hearing it mentioned vaguely in conversation. The real thing, it turns out, is often more engaging, not less, than the pretend version. Reality as the Launchpad This is perhaps the most beautiful way to understand the Montessori approach to imagination. Reality is not the opposite of imagination. It is its launchpad. When children have rich, precise, hands-on experience of the world — through sensorial materials, through nature, through meaningful work, through real information about science, history, and the cosmos — their imagination has something extraordinary to work with. They can envision what they cannot see because they understand what they can. They can reach toward the abstract because they are grounded in the concrete. As Montessorian Sarah Werner Andrews described it, the development of imagination begins with children's understanding of how the real world works. And far from being an immature stage that children grow out of, this grounded imagination is "the entry into the uniquely human, lifelong capacity to imagine alternatives to reality." In other words, Montessori isn't asking children to imagine less. It is giving them everything they need to imagine more — more vividly, more truthfully, and more powerfully — for the rest of their lives. In Part Two of this series, we'll explore exactly how the early childhood materials build that foundation, and what happens to imagination when children carry it into the elementary years. 
Child painting at a table in a cozy home, focused on colorful artwork.

Summer Is the Perfect Canvas: Why Process Matters More Than Product

By Gabriela León • June 16, 2026
With the slower pace of summer, more time at home and outdoors, and more unstructured hours to fill, it’s a perfect time to pull art supplies out fo the closet, cover tables with paper, and unleash some creative energy! What happens in these creative moments matters more than most of us realize. And how we respond to what children make matters just as much as the making itself. The Process Is the Point A foundational principle behind Montessori's approach to children's artmaking is that the process of making art is far more important than the product. This can be difficult for us to internalize, because the product is what we most often see. It’s not that we don’t care about our children’s experience. But the painting is what comes home. The drawing gets taped to the refrigerator. We get handed the collage at pickup. So it’s natural to focus on what is right in front of us. But it is the moments when children are deeply absorbed in moving paint across paper, pressing clay between their fingers, or scribbling long, looping lines with a crayon that something essential is happening. This is a deep form of creative expression and an outlet for feelings children may not yet have words for. Plus, children are developing visual-spatial skills, fine motor coordination, and the capacity for innovative thinking. During art-making, children are problem-solving in real time, making decisions about color, form, pressure, and space. And they are experiencing the deep satisfaction of following an internal creative impulse all the way through to its end. What Not to Say and What to Say Instead One of the most important things we can do to support young children's creative process is to be thoughtful in our comments. Even well-meaning responses can shift children's focus from their own inner experience to an adult's reaction. Once that shift happens, children begin making art for the audience rather than for themselves. Comments like, "That's beautiful!" or "What is it?" or "Can you make one for Grandma?" are all, in different ways, asking children to produce something for someone else or to explain and justify what they've made. Neither of these supports genuine creative development. Instead, focus on objective, process-focused observations. For example, "I can see you used a lot of green and purple today," or "Your lines extend all the way to the edge of the paper," or "It looks like you really enjoyed making that." These responses acknowledge children's work without judging it, and they communicate that what they made matters, and what they experienced while making it also matters. Young children often cannot (and should not have to) explain their art. The experience of making art is enough. A Summer Opportunity: Freedom to Explore Summer is an ideal time to offer children a real variety of creative materials and the freedom to choose what calls to them. Different children will be drawn to different media, and what each child gets from a new experience will be entirely their own. Variety is important precisely because it sparks different kinds of interest and expression in different children. Here are some starting points for summer art exploration, appropriate for toddlers and young children: Offer crayons and large paper for open-ended scribbling and mark-making. It’s best to begin by offering large spaces before moving to smaller ones. Large paper means that children's bodies have room to move freely. Easel painting or watercolors offer the joy of color mixing and the experience of a brush moving across a surface. Play-dough and clay can satisfy children's deep need to manipulate, press, and build with their hands. Collage materials (paper scraps, leaves, fabric, natural objects) invite children to arrange and compose in ways that feel both free and purposeful. Chalk on pavement (or dark paper, if the weather isn’t cooperating) is especially magical outdoors on a summer morning. From a practical standpoint, it’s helpful to protect clothing and surfaces before beginning, so children can work freely without worry (theirs or ours!). Choose non-toxic materials, particularly for the youngest children who may still explore things with their mouths. And resist the urge to direct the outcome. Children who cover their paper entirely in black paint are not doing it wrong. They are doing exactly what they need to do. What to Do With What They Make Not every piece of art needs to be saved or displayed. Saving a selection of artwork from across the summer (early pieces, middle-of-summer pieces, late-summer pieces) can serve as a timeline or record of your children's creative development and a meaningful way to look back together at the end of the season. If there isn’t room to display selected pieces, a simple folder or large envelope can also work perfectly for this. When you look through the artwork together, let your child lead the conversation or simply look at it together without words. The goal is never gallery-ready products. The goal is children who trust their own creative impulses, who feel free to experiment and make a mess and start over, and who carry the confidence of someone who has been allowed to make things in their own way. Summer is long, and the canvas is wide! Let children fill it however best suits their needs! We'd love to hear how your family is spending the summer months. And we always love to share how we support creative exploration in our prepared environments in our school. Contact us to learn more!