Accreditation
Mountain Shadows Montessori School is an
Association Montessori International (AMI) recognized school.
We are the only fully accredited AMI school in the state of Colorado.
The AMI affiliation gives credibility to our school's status
within the educational community as a whole, as well as the
global Montessori community, and it confirms a staunch support
of the Montessori principles that are put into practice here.
There are several organizations offering
Montessori accreditation and the term "Montessori" is in the
public domain. So, how can you, as a parent, decide which
Montessori school to choose?
In 1929 Maria Montessori established the
Association Montessori International to ensure that her pedagogy
would be maintained and propagated as she developed it.
AMI is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and is the
oldest recognized authority on Montessori education worldwide.
Our school must meet the following
requirements to be AMI recognized:
-
There is one AMI trained teacher for the
appropriate age level in every class.
-
A consultation by an AMI trained consultant
is conducted every three years.
-
Each classroom must have a complete set of
materials from an AMI authorized manufacturer.
-
Assistants are non-teaching aides.
-
Classes are made up of children
representing a three-year age range, balanced within each age
group, and have an appropriate number of children to ensure
social development.
-
Classes are held five days a week, with a
daily three hour uninterrupted work cycle in the morning and a
two to three hour uninterrupted work cycle in the afternoon.
-
An extended work day is offered to Primary
children.
Because our school is AMI accredited, we hire
AMI trained teachers for our classrooms. AMI teachers must
complete their training at a recognized AMI training center.
A bachelor's degree is a prerequisite to the year-long training
program that involves both theory and practice.
Although no two AMI Montessori schools are
the same, they must adhere to the same philosophical and
operational characteristics as outlined above. Of course,
accreditation alone is not a sufficient guarantee of a school's
quality. There is no substitute for visiting the schools
you are considering, observing the classrooms, and meeting the
people who will be educating your children.
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