Montessori Early Childhood Education

• The Center for Montessori Education application for enrollment for the summer 2024 cohort.
  • Applications are accepted starting January 10, 2024. Application deadline is April 1, 2024.
  • Application materials include resumé, official transcripts, copy of Government ID, copies of previous degrees and Montessori credentials, TOEFL scores (if applicable), references, and a personal interview.
  • Admissions announcements are made on or before May 1, 2024.
• A background check will be required to enter the practicum phase.
• For more information, contact The Center for Montessori Education director at montessori@trine.edu.

  2023-2024 (*Rates subject to review in fall of 2023)

Graduate program tuition: $525 – per credit hour *

Program Fees: $1200*

The mission of The Center for Montessori Education at Trine University is to advance equitable access to Montessori teacher preparation that elevates the child to the center of learning and the prepared environment to the center of engagement.

Program Goals:

• Prepare adult learners to teach children ages 2 ½-6 years in a Montessori setting.
• Guide adult learners to recognize and value needs and tendencies of early childhood and the characteristics of child development that will ultimately contribute to their support of each child’s quest to reach full potential.
• Increase awareness of Montessori education and support the development of current and future Montessori early childhood education programs.
• Be a resource for school leaders and parents in the area of Montessori education.

The Center for Montessori Education at Trine University partners with The June Shelton School and Evaluative Center to provide substantial education in Montessori Applied to Children at Risk (MACAR), a program geared to support learning exceptionalities.

CMETU also partners with Oak Farm Montessori School in Avilla, IN, to provide connection to high-fidelity Montessori education as a model, expert instructors for the courses, and to support adult learners through their clinical experience in some cases.

We also offer six contact hours of Positive Discipline Training and six contact hours of Special Education instruction to further support adult learners in their work as Montessori teachers.

CMETU also has served numerous public and private schools in the area including Bunche and Towles Montessori public schools in Fort Wayne, Whitley County Public Schools in Columbia City, MSD Steuben County Public Schools in Angola, among others.

• To provide adult learners with a historical perspective, the foundational understanding, and the theoretical basis of Dr. Maria Montessori’s work with children and adults.
• To provide theoretical basis for and concrete hands-on experience with a curriculum that includes a wide variety of domestic tasks that serve to assist in children’s development.
• To provide adult learners with curriculum and strategies for assisting children in the exploration of the senses and with sensorial application for acquiring knowledge.
• To provide adult learners with a systematic and comprehensive approach to guiding children toward literacy.
• To provide adult learners with a methodology for introducing basic principles and origins of counting, mathematical operations, the decimal system, and basic fractions to assist with human development, keys to brain development, and acquisition of culture.
• To provide adult learners with a strong background in child development as the foundation for supporting work with children.
• To support adult learners through the practicum phase of learning with consultations, practice opportunities, additional curricular content including parent partnership and education, year-long personal research project, practice practical examinations, and increase cohort collaboration in an effort to increase the likelihood of success during the clinical experience.
• To provide adult learners with the perspective that the body of cultural studies includes physical and life sciences, geography, history, and the study of the world from the universe to human needs and culture—presented in an integrated holistic manner, aligned with the children’s stage of development and their ability to absorb and relate to the concepts.
• To provide the adult learner with developmentally appropriate theory and practice in the areas of visual arts, music, and movement, with the intent that these subjects be addressed as distinct skill-building opportunities as well as to be integrated into all aspects of the classroom and outdoor experience for children.
• To provide the adult learner with the theory, strategies, skills, and support to be proficient guides in the classroom, to be capable observers of children, to learn how to respond and adjust, to retain records and manage reporting, to develop positive interactions with parents, and to be accomplished at addressing the needs of children.
• To provide adult learners the opportunity to put into practice the content learned during the academic phase while gaining concrete experience teaching, observing, managing, record-keeping, and leading in the classroom and learning first hand about working with colleagues, administration, and parents.

• “I knew this was the right path for me and even though I know I still have a long way to go on my journey at Trine, I feel like I am armed with the right toolbox and resources to become a successful Montessori teacher and a Montessorian for life, thanks to this program!”
• “Upon reflection, I can see the spiritual transformation has begun, and my life will never be the same.”
• “Now I know, through the MACAR training, how to strategically address the particular needs of the at-risk child, how to support them in my classroom.”
• “I also want to make note of how supportive ALL our instructors have been!”
• “I have learned so much more as to what it means to take a step back and let each child be in control of their own learning.”
• “Through the MACAR training, the vital point of meeting the needs of all learners was reiterated in a way that strengthened what I have already learned through undergrad and personal experiences in the classroom.”
• “Thank you for providing us with professors that care and glow with passion of Montessori.”
• “MACAR training has opened my eyes given me resources for continued learning and strategies I can use now to empower my students to be independent learners. This was a great addition to my Montessori training.”
•  “The training that we received from MACAR allowed me to see that learners with all kinds of differences belong in a Montessori classroom.”

Trine University has been approved by the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children to accept students in the TEACH Early Childhood Indiana Scholarship program. This program will cover 90% of your tuition and book costs, provide a travel stipend and a bonus upon completion.

For more information on the TEACH Early Childhood Indiana Scholarship, visit the Indiana AEYC website or contact:

Michael Wiegmann
Indiana AEYC | T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ® INDIANA
T.E.A.C.H. Advisor for Graduate Degrees and Special Projects
2955 N. Meridian St. Suite 120
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: 317-701-4074
mwiegmann@inaeyc.org