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Admission Requirements

General Admission Requirements

The program is open to qualified applicants regardless of ethnicity, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or handicapping condition.

  1. A sincere desire to work with children and the necessary interest, maturity, responsibility, and academic competence to master the Montessori method.
  2. A typed statement (300 to 500 words) describing why you are interested in Montessori education, why you have decided to become a Montessori professional and why you have selected this training.
  3. Two observation reports, consisting of one to two pages typed descriptions per site, of your observations regarding students, environment, teachers in two Montessori classrooms at the level you are applying to study. If currently working in a Montessori school at least one of the observations must be at a different school.
  4. Completion of a 3 to 5 credit college level course in Child Development within the past five years verified by college transcript. For further details on this requirement see “Child Development” under Course Descriptions.
  5. Three letters of recommendation from persons who can attest to the qualities in item 1 as well as other personal strengths.

Infant and Toddler Admission requirements for students holding a B.A.

An official college transcript must be submitted with application in order to be eligible to receive the full Infant and Toddler credential. Students whose bachelor’s degree was awarded in a foreign country will need to have their degree evaluated for equivalency to a US degree. Please contact MEIPN for more information on this process.

Infant and Toddler Admission requirements for students without a B.A.

Students may also be admitted without a four-year degree if they meet the other qualifications. They must submit a copy of their high school transcript (or GED) and diploma. When they complete the course, they will be offered an Associate Infant and Toddler credential. Should they later complete a bachelor’s degree they may obtain a full credential by submitting an official transcript to AMS with the required fee.

Early Childhood Admission requirements for those holding a B.A.

An official college transcript must be submitted with application in order to be eligible to receive the full Early Childhood credential. Students whose bachelor’s degree was awarded in a foreign country will need to have their degree evaluated for equivalency to a US degree. Please contact MEIPN for more information on this process.

Early Childhood Admission requirements for those without a B.A.

Students may also be admitted without a four year degree if they meet the other qualifications. They must submit a copy of their high school transcript and diploma. When they complete the course, they will be offered an Associate Early Childhood credential. Should they later complete a bachelor’s degree they may obtain a full credential by submitting an official transcript to AMS with the required fee.

Elementary - Additional Admission Requirements

  1. Possession of a four year college degree (baccalaureate) from an accredited college or university.
  2. Completion of the Early Childhood credential, from our program or a comparable one, or attendance at an introductory course for the Early Childhood level. If you have a credential from any MACTE accredited Early Childhood course, you will have satisfied this requirement. If you have had a non-MACTE accredited course, an assessment of your background will be made by the director. If you do not have this training you must attend the Early Childhood Overview Course at a cost of $500.00 prior to taking the Elementary I training.
  3. Students applying for Elementary II must have completed Elementary I training.

Washington State Teaching Certification

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT AN ADMISSION REQUIREMENT, WASHINGTON STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT TEACHERS OF ELEMENTARY AGE CHILDREN IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS HOLD A VALID TEACHING CREDENTIAL FOR THE AGE LEVEL AND SUBJECT THEY TEACH. MEIPN DOES NOT OFFER A PROGRAM LEADING TO WASHINGTON STATE TEACHING CERTIFICATION.

This has consequences for you both in looking for legal internship sites, and in your job search. If you plan to teach in Washington state public schools and are not a state-certified teacher, you will either need to get that additional schooling, or limit yourself to co-teaching with a certified teacher or teaching in a private school that does not require a state credential. In the state of Washington the Montessori elementary credential is accepted in lieu of a state credential in determining approved student teacher ratios. Nonetheless, some private schools will require that you have a state credential in addition to your Montessori credential.

Transfer of Credits from MACTE Accredited Programs.

Students who started their training at other AMS affiliated/MACTE accredited institutions and wish to complete it with MEIPN will need to submit transcripts and syllabi that demonstrate the hours and content of courses previously completed for evaluation of transferability.

Ability to Benefit Policy

Student ability to benefit from this training is evaluated by reviewing references, letters of recommendation, academic transcript, observation reports, written statement of purpose and finally by interview. We attempt to fully inform students about the intense nature and significant work load of the course, and the high demands and low pay of the teaching profession. Students are required to observe in classrooms and are encouraged to talk to other teachers and school directors before entering the training. They are also counseled against incurring excessive debt.