What AMI Accreditation Means

The word or name "Montessori" is not a trademark or a franchise: any institution can call itself a Montessori school with impunity. Therefore, we have a method of standardization and authenticity, the equivalent of a board certification: AMI Accreditation.

AMI, the Association Montessori Internationale, was founded by Dr. Montessori in 1929. An AMI Accredited school signifies that that school employs teachers who have received the AMI training and are equipped to carry out the educational principles of Maria Montessori’s pedagogy. To receive AMI recognition, each classroom in the school must have:

A fully-trained teacher who has completed both a college undergraduate degree and AMI's year-long training program;
A complete set of authorized Montessori classroom materials;
A three-year range of ages within the single classroom;
An uninterrupted three-hour work cycle each morning.

To verify that these requirements are met, trained consultants evaluate AMI schools every three years, at each level (primary and elementary).