The Institute started years ago with 22 student teachers in the Vaughan area and the following year two more training locations were added in Markham and Downtown Toronto to accommodate motivated individuals. As Toronto is a large metropolitan city, we developed this philosophy: preferably going towards people than people coming at us in a concentrated setting. The East-York and the Mississauga training locations were added and today the four locations constitute 4 locations registered as a Private Career College under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 awarding the MACTE accredited Montessori Diploma. The Institute is a robust network of satellite locations alike an archipelago. An extensive team of competent and experienced Master teachers and Instructors in Montessori teacher and educator training are at your service. MACTE (www.macte.org) has awarded full accreditation to the programs offered in the GTA  after a thorough demonstration of  rigorous application of standards portraying to the program, its administration, its registration as a Private Career College , its finances, a range of services to the community and  the competence of trainers at the service of its student teachers.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Daniel Jutras has trained motivated people who wanted to become certified Montessori teachers; his philosophy was not to choke people financially but to give a service to those interested by the Montessori approach.  As Dr. Daniel Jutras was trained in Italy by a follower of Maria Montessori, he feels responsible to provide an authentic expression of the heritage he received to a broad audience at an affordable fee. We think that our fees are reasonable covering the expenses of renting premises, insurance requirements, remunerating our Instructors, buying materials, disbursements for membership to Montessori organizations and Ministry, providing professional growth for our staff, maintenance and improvements.

Everybody is responsible to pay for his/her tuition fees; however, the Institute can customize extended installments upon request.  Exceptionally, a student-teacher can pay his/her tuition fees in more than 10 installments reflecting his/her budget paying less than $630.00 each month. The Institute doesn’t charge any interest upon extended installments to faithful individuals paying their tuition fees in a consistent way.   Understandably, the privilege of appearing to final examination  as well as the award of the Montessori Diploma and Official Transcript will take place only when all of the tuition fees have been paid.

For the last 15 years, our collected data indicate a remarkable record of 94% of our graduates who find employment before the Graduation or just after. The Greater Toronto Area counts almost 300 Montessori schools on its territory. Because of the reputation of the Institute, many school principals are in contact us directly requesting  certified Montessori teachers.

Some graduates work outside of Ontario throughout Canada and USA as the MACTE accredited Montessori Diploma is recognized internationally.

A small percentage of graduates start their own Montessori school in their residence or outside complying with the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA).

Upon the contact hours with your Master teacher at your training location, you must accomplish a teaching practice experience, fundamental component of our Montessori teacher training program. The Teaching Practice Coordinator is responsible to arrange an Intenship in a  Montessori host school that meets the criteria set by the Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (MACTE), preferably in your neighbourhood.

 In the host school, you learn the Montessori way under supervision of a certified Montessori teacher, a mentor.  You are committed in an Internship with specific tasks to perform in contact with children; you are the manager of your hours of teaching practice.

You have two years to complete your Internship prior to graduation but a high percentage of student-teachers prefer to complete their placement during the current academic year. You are visited a minimum of 3 times by the Teaching Practice Coordinator who evaluates the content of your performed tasks, discusses your performance with you and your Supervising Montessori teacher.

As you are in training, you shouldn’t expect to be paid; only the student-teachers already involved in a Montessori school as assistants are remunerated. However, many schools hire the person in training if he/she is found to be a positive asset.

Love and respect for children is the basic requirement.

As a historical paradox, Maria Montessori chose in 1907 as the first “Montessori” teacher at the Casa dei Bambini in Rome to hire the school building janitor's young daughter even if Dr. Montessori was herself a Professor at the University of Rome at the Faculty of Education. Maria Montessori could have easily chosen one of her own University students!  She chose a person with heart. We request that our student teachers have completed an OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma) as a requirement to enter into a post-secondary program. The Institute would preferably welcome you holding a University degree but we do not insist upon this.  Just remember: “Love and respect for children” is where we put vital emphasis. If you have a credential, degree, diploma awarded from a College or University outside Canada and do not have any credential, degree or diploma from Canada, you will be required by the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 to have it assessed by an equivalency agency such as WES (www.wes.org) or ICAS (www.icascanada.ca) or the Superintendent approved Admissions Test to ensure OSSD equivalency as per Section 19 (1) of Ontario Regulation 415/06". If it is the case, prior to start the Diploma Course, and signing your student contract, you have to produce such document confirming the equivalence of your last credential obtained from a foreign country's educational institution.

After completing each classic avenue of the Montessori curriculum, there is a oral performance evaluation in preparation for the final practical evaluation where 60% is considered as the passing mark.

At the end of the academic year, there is a final written examination in two segments:

1) on the journey you had in regards to your Impressions of Readings throughout the year and

2) on the Montessori intuitions and theory in regards to the topics we explore weekly. 

Student teachers at the Elementary level elaborate a Cosmic Plan in lieu of the final written exam.

From the second week of your program till almost the end, you write 5 Impressions of Readings from 5 quotes you select from about 50 pages a week of Montessori books; your time in reading depends of your reading speed.

You have (3) short essays to write during the academic year as well as tasks to perform in your Albums (reference books in the classic avenues of the Montessori curriculum) and a couple of assignments in making materials in arts, sciences and culture.

Upon successful completion of the Early Childhood or the Elementary program which encompasses your tuition, your Internship and your final examinations, the Institute awards you a MACTE accredited Montessori Diploma for the age level you studied in.

At the ECE level, individuals who hold a Montessori Diploma granted by a program accredited by the MACTE Commission are recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Education as qualified to work with children in a Montessori program for children ages 2 ½ to 5 years of age in compliance with staffing requirements of the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA).

MACTE Accredited Montessori Diplomas are recognized all over the world; you may serve as a Montessori certified teacher-guide anywhere upon this planet.

Candidates who fully attend (80 hours) the Summer Montessori Assistant Teacher Workshop receive a Certificate of Achievement stating their accomplishments.

Each of our training locations are staffed with Master teachers that Dr. Jutras personally “hand picked” and trained to become trainers of student-teachers. The rigorous training and shadowing of these experienced certified Montessori teachers requires a minimum of 5 years prior to officially becoming a Master teacher and assessor of Final Examinations.  The range of experience in adult training for your Faculty is from 5 to 11 years.  Dr. Jutras has more than 28 years of experience in training certified Montessori teachers and more than 15 years in training Master teachers.

As the Montessori Teacher education program encompasses the component of an Internship, certified Montessori teachers supervise you during your teaching practice experience in a Montessori host school and Teaching Practice Coordinator constantly supports you.

At performance evaluations for each avenue of the Montessori curriculum at the Early Childhood Education, it is a tradition that Master teachers serve as examiners in various training location to provide you a chance to better know other trainers; also, you will have a chance to meet with all Master teachers during special gathering days such as Music with the Montessori Bells, Music and Movement or Classroom Management Workshops.

As Director of the Institute, Dr. Daniel Jutras is frequently present in each training location alongside the Master teachers at the Early Childhood and Elementary levels.

It will be a pleasure for each of us at the Faculty to meet with you, to get to know you, to guide and serve you throughout the upcoming academic year.