inJoy Montessori
Education Consortium
Certification Courses For Elementary I and Elementary I/II
We believe educational change starts with your training.
That’s why inJoy Montessori Training is different.
The Adult Comes First
At inJoy Montessori Education Consortium, we center our work on the teacher. The demands on teachers and families have grown exponentially, and our training is designed to meet these new challenges. We believe the change needed in the classroom starts with your training , and our program focuses on you: the adult who will guide the child.
A Deeper Kind of Training
We don’t just teach you the methods; we prepare you to bring holistic healing to the world, one child at a time. We’ll help you cultivate inner peace and learn how to care for your own psyche so you can inspire the same in your students.
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
You will develop a growth mindset so you may inspire a growth mindset in your students. We prepare you for a new reality in the classroom: a reality of peace and JOY for all the world!.
Embracing Transformation
Maria Montessori emphasized that teacher transformation is the first priority. In our training, you will learn practical skills that foster personal transformation, resourcing the inner peace necessary to cultivate the humility and patience required to guide children effectively in today’s fast-paced world
About inJoy Montessori Consortium
Our Mission
We empower Montessori professionals to change the world through joyful, innovative Montessori education rooted in nature, curiosity, and love.
We believe education needs a change: for children, for families, for communities, and for the world. We believe this change starts with YOU and your Montessori training.
At inJoy Montessori, our training design is unique. We focus on preparing you emotionally, academically, technically, and spiritually to not only meet and manage the changes, but to be the change. Our training follows the rhythm and structure of the school day and the school year, preparing you for the reality of the classroom and all its inhabitants. We prepare you to guide your students and your own life In Joy that leads to Peace in the World for all.
“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are a part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”
– Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential
Frequently Asked Questions
We have planned our training using a spiral design approach that models the spiral you will use to design and prepare your classroom and the curriculum you share with children.
We took care to study the unique ways that adults learn, following the Principles of Androgogy so our course will be meaningful and inspirational for you, our adult students.
Dr. Montessori’s writing reflects her philosophy that the Universe is built upon attraction and love among all the elements. With this in mind, we have prepared to share the Montessori approach in a way that recognizes the beauty and importance of diversity, inclusion, acceptance and love.
To accomplish this spiral, we have identified Five Pillars of Montessori Education:
- Montessori Philosophy
- The Prepared Adult
- Understanding the Children We Teach
- The Practical Life of a Montessori Class
- Guidance for Peace
Each 7-week Module uses the Pillars to scaffold your learning through a consistent cycle. In this way, we believe you will be prepared to deeply understand all the elements of a Montessori education. Most importantly, you will have developed a deeper understanding of yourself, so you will be ready to face the challenges and delights that go into teaching inJoy!
Preparing yourself for the Montessori classroom is a 2-year process with a single tuition designed to cover the costs of training and support that will serve you every step of the way. We strive to make this program affordable by offering tuition assistance and payment plans to meet your needs. Click here for the list of FEES associated with the 2-year program for Elementary I and/or Elementary I/II.
Low residency programs are designed with the working professional in mind. Most of the training takes place in online classes that you can schedule to fit your day.
Quality, high-fidelity Montessori training requires personal attention and guidance, too. Your residency portions take place in several short stays at a school where you can have access to the personal guidance that is a hallmark of Montessori education.
The Elementary I and Elementary I/II programs are both accomplished over the course of two full years. The first year of the training is the Academic Phase. Students in the Elementary I course will complete five (5) seven-week modules of classes for the Elementary I program. Students in the Elementary I/II program will complete eight (8) 7-week modules over the two-year program. During the Academic Phase Students attend several on-site Residencies.
The Practicum Phase is a 10-month full-time internship that takes place in an approved classroom either under supervision of a certified Montessori guide or can be self-directed.
Each cohort follows its own unique schedule. You can find a projected calendar for our first cohort here.
Maria Montessori recognized that to fully embrace her philosophy and provide an optimal environment for the development of the child one must become a new kind of teacher. She saw the role as a guide who gently provided the unique support needed by each individual. inJoy Montessori training addresses this growth with care, intention and attention to the needs of the adult so they may meet the needs of the child.
The application for either Elementary I or Elementary I/II is the same. You will find it here. Be prepared to provide official transcripts of your post high school education. A bachelors’ degree or equivalent is required to become certified at the Elementary level. If you have not yet completed your post secondary education, let us know and we can help you work through that process. Prior to submitting your completed application, you must pay the application fee. You will find the Application for Tuition Assistance here.
Our Faculty
Dana Anderson
Dana Anderson, MS, is an award-winning educator, author and speaker who has taught Montessori at the Primary, Elementary, and Adolescent levels. Dana formerly worked for tech companies and nonprofits as a kids’ and teens’ digital content expert. Combining these experiences in Montessori and Tech, Dana incorporates both hands-on Montessori lessons and tech tools to support each child’s unique learning style and to prepare them with the wide-ranging skills they need to be head-, hands- and heart-centered humans. Dana is especially passionate about developing Language Arts curriculum to meet the needs of students in the Age of GenAI, supporting neurodiverse students, and weaving metacognition skills into Social-Emotional Learning. She is the mom of three grown children and lives in California.
Claudia Mann
Director
Claudia Mann, MEd has been enchanted with Montessori education since 1976. Certified Elementary I, II and Secondary I, she has guided children and adults in classrooms and schools to be passionate learners, sustaining Cosmic Education as the heart of the Montessori vision. After more than 25 years in the classroom, Ms. Mann founded the Chaffee County Montessori School in Salida, Colorado before moving with her husband Doug to their current home in Valley Center, California. where they manage their businesses: www.fossilicious.com, www.inspired-learningMontessori-education.com, www.claudiamann.org, a Montessori consulting service for teachers and school leaders. and Strategy-Wise Consulting, consulting for organizational change using Creatively Conscious Leadership.
Samantha Gleisten
Samantha Gleisten has spent over two decades immersed in Montessori education and the thoughtful integration of technology. An AMS-credentialed Elementary I–II educator, she taught Upper Elementary for more than 10 years and now serves as the Innovation and Technology Coordinator at Rogers Park Montessori School.
Samantha is passionate about supporting Montessori educators in navigating the evolving role of technology and AI while staying grounded in the principles of hands-on, child-centered learning. Her work focuses on aligning emerging tools with Montessori’s constructivist approach—ensuring technology enhances rather than replaces deep, experiential learning.
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