For more than 30 years, NAMC has been the leading name in world-class Montessori diploma programs and Montessori curriculum. Our students remain our priority, and they continue to thrive as Montessori educators in over 160 countries.
Designed by experienced educators, NAMC’s Montessori manuals give schools, teachers, and homeschoolers the clarity, consistency, and confidence they need to deliver inspired, authentic Montessori education.
Morgan – NAMC 0-3 & 3-6 Grad, California, USA
NAMC has invested decades and countless resources into researching and writing about every aspect of Montessori theory and practice for teaching children from birth to 12 years of age. The result of this hard work can be found in our four well-respected Montessori teacher training programs and our 35+ full-color, professionally developed and designed curriculum manuals and resources.
We’ve also cultivated a dedicated and experienced team to support you during your program. From our advisors, to our administrative staff, to our tutors, everyone at NAMC is focused on helping you successfully meet your educational goals.
NAMC’s industry-leading resources together with our knowledgeable, experienced, and committed support network set us apart from other Montessori training centers and prepare our students to be sensitive, effective, and informed guides of the Montessori method.
Our flexible, affordable program fees are unparalleled in the Montessori teacher training market, and no other Montessori Diploma Program includes anything close to NAMC’s lifetime teacher training resources.
NAMC has been training Montessori teachers since 1996, and we’re considered the world leader in Montessori distance education and curriculum resources. Our community of students and graduates includes educators, administrators, school owners, homeschoolers, nannies, and parents in over 160 countries.
From our friendly, experienced Montessori tutors to our contemporary, world-class Montessori curriculum manuals, NAMC’s top-quality teacher training programs equip our students with a solid Montessori foundation.
Our Montessori teacher training programs are specifically designed for people with busy lives. There’s no preset class time or “busy work,” just efficient and effective independent study that works with your schedule.
Whether you need academic advice, tutoring guidance, administrative assistance, or other Montessori information, we’ll take the time to listen and provide outstanding service through every step of your Montessori journey.
Enroll now, begin soon! Your program materials will be shipped directly to you or your school. You can study and connect with your personal tutor any time, anywhere.
NAMC’s Montessori Diploma Programs make it easy for students to successfully complete their training and find employment in some of the best Montessori schools around the globe (160 countries and counting).
Teachers are always in high demand, especially in the field of early childhood education, and Montessori teachers are at the forefront of this growth. With thousands of Montessori schools around the world (many founded by our own alumni), it’s safe to say that Montessori teachers will continue to be in high demand for a long time.
Don’t just take our word for it. Read some of the amazing testimonials that are sent to us every day from our proud, successful Montessori Diploma Program graduates!
Read Testimonials
NAMC is proud to offer four levels of Montessori teacher training. All of our programs are summarized on our Diploma Programs page.
Pricing for NAMC’s Diploma Programs can be found on each of the Diploma Program pages.
NAMC’s Montessori training programs are 100% distance education, which means you can complete the entire program from wherever life takes you. Your classroom is wherever you are! NAMC does not have prescheduled program start dates, which means you can enroll any time and begin your program within days of enrolling. Your training program begins as soon as you receive your program materials and your access to the MyNAMC Learning Environment.
Length of Program: NAMC’s Montessori Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood Diploma Programs are 7-month part-time programs. NAMC’s Montessori Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary Diploma Programs are 9-month part-time programs.
Program Assignments: You have three sets of written assignments to complete during your program, and you are given scheduled due dates for submitting your work. Your learning is evaluated solely on your assignment work. There are no exams or practicums during the program.
Your written assignments focus on the curriculum manuals, curriculum support material, videos (where applicable), and other learning tools we give you, ensuring that you gain a full understanding of the activities that you will be presenting in the Montessori environment. The assignment questions are primarily objective, building your comprehension, but they also give you the opportunity for some critical thinking and practical application.
Focused Guidance: Your program includes a dedicated support team committed to guiding you every step of the way during your program. You will have an experienced NAMC Montessori tutor and a responsive administrative team to ensure that you have a smooth and supported experience.
Your NAMC Montessori Diploma: Upon the successful completion of all your assignments, you receive a NAMC Montessori diploma for your program level!
Learn more about the format of NAMC’s Montessori Diploma Programs:
To enroll in NAMC’s Montessori Diploma Programs, we require that you meet one of the following criteria:
Simply complete our secure online enrollment form. We then review and process your enrollment and send your program materials to you. You begin your Montessori training within days of enrolling!
Learn more on our Diploma Programs page!
Yes! NAMC’s professionally written curriculum and resources are available for purchase, separate from our diploma programs. From teachers and homeschoolers to schools and organizations, NAMC’s curriculum offers a proven, adaptable framework for child-centered learning and complete development.
Learn more on our Montessori Curriculum page.
NAMC has dedicated more than 30 years to developing and continually improving our copyrighted Montessori Teacher Training Diploma Programs, Curriculum Manuals, and Resources. They are the heart of our business.
NAMC’s proprietary Curriculum Manuals and Resources are used by our diploma program students to study and learn NAMC’s Montessori Diploma Programs. Once the diploma program is complete, the Curriculum and Resources can be used as a personal reference to teach and guide children in a classroom setting. The following usage and copyright policies strictly apply.
NAMC’s Curriculum and Resources can be purchased separately from our diploma programs for the following purposes: To be used as a personal resource in a Montessori classroom while you are working with children; to be used as a personal resource in a homeschool environment while you are working with children; to be used as a personal resource for a school administrator. The following usage and copyright policies strictly apply.
Usage Policies
NAMC’s copyrighted Montessori Curriculum Manuals and Resources may not be used for any training, courses, seminars, or instructional purposes, nor can they be used to teach or demonstrate the Montessori method to others, including using the copyrighted materials to demonstrate or guide another adult in learning the Montessori method (e.g., presenting activities or using Montessori materials).
NAMC does not authorize the use of our Curriculum Manuals and Resources for any commercial purposes, whether for profit or not-for-profit.
Copyright Policies
Photocopying or scanning of NAMC’s Montessori Curriculum Manuals and Resources is prohibited under international copyright law.
NAMC’s Curriculum Manuals and Resources are not licensed for reproduction, distribution, or digital sharing.
No portion of NAMC’s Curriculum Manuals and Resources may be copied, adapted, or translated.
NAMC’s Montessori manuals are available for individual use only and we do not currently offer licensing options for shared or multi-user access. Each teacher/classroom must purchase an individual copy. Copying this work for use by multiple teachers or classrooms or training classes/programs is a copyright violation.
Thank you for understanding and respecting our usage and copyright policies.
Yes! NAMC grads love our training programs. We have been training Montessori teachers for over 30 years and we have graduates living and working in over 160 countries worldwide.
Read what our grads have to say about their NAMC training on our Testimonials page.
NAMC’s Montessori Diploma Programs provide you with a credential for teaching in a Montessori classroom, and depending on where you live, that may be all you need.
Local Licensing Requirements: In addition to having your Montessori certification, qualifying for a teaching position often depends on a variety of factors, such as local licensing requirements, the age group you want to work with, the class size, whether you want to be a lead teacher in a classroom or work in your home, your educational background and prior experience, and so on.
We recommend talking with your local licensing agency or school district as well as Montessori schools in your area to learn more.
The Montessori Name Is Free for Everyone to Use: Keep in mind that no one owns the rights to Montessori, so schools have the freedom to determine which Montessori teaching credentials they choose to accept. Many schools around the world proudly accept NAMC trained Montessori teachers, but others do not. The same may be said about teachers who receive their training elsewhere. Nobody can grant you a diploma and assure you that it will be accepted at all Montessori schools.
Having said that, Montessori teachers are in demand around the world and NAMC has graduates working in over 160 countries. As we are fond of saying, most Montessori schools are more concerned with the quality of the teacher behind the diploma than the diploma itself.
NAMC is an independent, respected, and internationally recognized Montessori training center. We are not accredited by other organizations, such as the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).
MACTE: MACTE is an accreditation organization to which Montessori training programs with classroom training can choose to belong. To qualify for MACTE accreditation, training centers must require students to complete 3 weeks of classroom instruction and a minimum of 400 hours as an intern in a MACTE-accredited school. Currently, MACTE does not accredit programs that train solely through distance education.
NAMC feels strongly that there is a need for high-quality Montessori distance education as an alternative to classroom training. Distance learning makes Montessori training accessible for students who are working, have life commitments, or don’t have an in-class training option close by. Our many successful graduates and the Montessori schools that choose us for their teacher training fully agree.
What Is Most Important? Without question, the most important predictors of Montessori career success are the inherent personal qualities that you bring to the profession – not the type of training you complete. Administrators hire candidates who present themselves as child-oriented, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. Most administrators also agree that although parents expect teachers to have Montessori training, few are interested in where they took their training. Parents are only truly interested in the quality of the individual teacher, classroom, and school. Montessori owners and administrators realize this, and they hire accordingly.
NAMC is an independent Montessori training center, like most in the world, and we, along with our students and graduates, have been very successful with this status for more than 30 years.
NAMC is a member of the following organizations:
Canadian Association of Young Children (CAYC)
Named for its founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, the Montessori method is based on two simple truths: That children must be respected and that children spontaneously love learning.
These principles and careful observation form a child-centered method that Montessori called an “education for life.” Its goal is the finest development of the whole human being – emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually – toward the nurturing of peaceful, caring citizens.
The Montessori prepared environment honors the child and the beauty and order essential for them to work at their natural, individual and optimal level. Carefully designed Montessori materials attract the interest of the child, while at the same time teaching an important, isolated concept for the child’s discovery. The child constructs their own reality and awareness, at first concretely through hands-on manipulation, until patterns are internalized and they discover the next level of abstraction.
The integrated Montessori curriculum shows the child how every aspect of learning is connected and intertwined. The Montessori educator understands and guides the child without interfering in their natural ability to teach themself and become an independent, contributing member in the “cosmic plan.”
Dale Gausman, NAMC Founder and Program Director
Leading NAMC with experience, knowledge, grace, and courtesy.
NAMC Founder and Program Director, Dale Gausman has a career in education that spans over 40 years. He has taught preschool to grade 12 in Canada and the USA and has established several successful schools in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia. Dale earned his degree in education, and is a graduate of both the University of British Columbia and Portland State University. He also holds his AMI Montessori teaching diploma and his Early Childhood Education diploma. Dale founded Cornerstone Montessori School (Preschool to Grade 7), which operates under Class 1 designation — the highest rating awarded by the provincial Ministry of Education.
Recognizing the need for quality, affordable, and flexible Montessori teacher training, Dale founded North American Montessori Center (NAMC) in 1996. He realized that Montessori educators need training that fits their schedule and their location, no matter where they are in the world, and he filled that niche with an accessible, superior Montessori distance program. Dale also recognized that the success of NAMC students would depend greatly on having quality instruction and guidance provided by knowledgeable, experienced Montessori teachers. To that end, Dale works directly with our tutors, mentoring and guiding to help develop them into the strong resources they are today.
As Program Director, Dale has been instrumental in every aspect of NAMC’s growth for more than 30 years. In that time, he has developed and provided Montessori teacher education that is recognized in schools throughout North America and around the world, published almost 50 curriculum manuals and an extensive range of curriculum support material, and led NAMC to become the world leader in Montessori distance-learning teacher training and curriculum resources.
To deliver high-quality Montessori teacher education programs that equip our students with a solid foundation in the Montessori philosophy, methods, materials, and interactions needed to create an environment that leads to enriched learning opportunities for every child.
We achieve this goal by including comprehensive, innovative lifetime teaching resources with our programs, by engaging our students in productive, active learning, and by effectively supporting each student’s success with their educational journey.
NAMC’s tutors are highly experienced Montessori educators and trainers, well versed in every aspect of Montessori education —including its philosophy, methods, materials, and the interactions that foster enriched learning experiences for every child.
For the duration of every NAMC Montessori Diploma Program, you’ll benefit from the support of a personal tutor who will work directly with you, helping to guide your education, providing feedback, and answering any questions you have. A core part of NAMC’s professional and caring team, our dedicated tutors are here to encourage and guide you in earning your Montessori diploma.
NAMCʼs administrative team puts our students first in all we do, providing the information you need in a timely and courteous fashion. Whatever your question, we are here to help. Whether you need to know about enrollments, curriculum manuals, shipments, or payments, a member of our team is here to answer your call or email. Even if you arenʼt a student yet, we would love to hear from you!
We recognize that choosing the Montessori training that best suits your needs is a big decision and that you may have questions. We are happy to talk with you, answer your questions, and help you make an informed choice — the choice that is right for you.
We’re proud to have an alumni community of passionate Montessori educators from over 160 countries — a number that keeps growing! After graduating from NAMCʼs Montessori Diploma Programs, our students have found wonderful employment opportunities as Montessori teachers and assistant teachers in all levels of Montessori programs. Many have also become school directors, and a significant number have successfully opened their own Montessori schools, daycare centers, and early childhood environments.
Our graduates also include homeschoolers — parents, grandparents, and other care providers who understand the value of Montessori education for their children.
Just like you, NAMCʼs alumni are people who share an enthusiasm for enriching the lives of children through Montessori teaching!
No waiting! Your program begins soon after enrolling.
Study on your own time, when and where you want.
Guided by NAMC’s experienced, friendly tutors and expertly crafted curriculum, you’ll be ready to make a difference in a child’s education in as little as 7 months.
