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Maria Montessori was a leading thinker in education whose ideas were, in many ways, ahead of their time. She was born in Chiaravalle, Italy, in 1870, and became one of that country’s first female physicians in 1886. In clinical observation through her medical practice, she studied how children learn, and she concluded that they teach themselves based on what they find in their environment. To further understand this phenomenom, she returned to university and studied psychology and philosophy. Shortly afterwards, she gave up her medical practice and university professorship to found the first Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Rome. In teaching these sixty children, she developed the philosophy, methods, and materials that would eventually become known as the Montessori approach.

In a typical Montessori classroom, the teacher  or guide blends in with the children. The children independently choose their own activities, which are designed to teach daily living skills, from cooking to carpentry, sensorial acuity, numeration and arithmetic, as well as writing skills and reading. The guide gives individual or group presentations of the material to those who need them. As the children reach elementary age, there more group presentations and subjects like history, geography, and the sciences, subjects already introduced in the preschool years, are now pursued in more depth.

Montessori classrooms are typically organized in three year age-spans (e.g. 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12). There are special Montessori groupings for infants (often with the parents) for the toddlers, and for adolescents.

Dr. Maria Montessori considered her method to be a help to the life of the child more than a system of education or cognitive development. When she first studied young children, Montessori observed that they went through sensitive periods during which they showed special aptitude for certain kinds of developmental activity. These periods are especially pronounced in the development of movement, order, language, music, fascination with small objects, and bonding or attachment. Modern neuroscience has validated these discoveries, which calls them “Windows of Opportunity.” Montessori taught that gross motor development is the foundation for fine motor movements (like writing or sewing), writing “If a child cannot hold a pencil, show him how to sweep the floor.”

Sensorial and motor development are the child’s means of exploration in the early years – here Montessori agreed with Jean Piaget, her contemporary – so she advocated giving the child room to explore. She believed that a child’s independence would grow from choosing his activities wisely and with the help of an adult guide. Furthermore, cooperation with others and responsibility for group tasks is emphasized, as it instills important values that are derived from working with others.

Children become self-regulated through concentration on stimulating self-chosen tasks that they can pursue individually or in groups. Montessori called this process “normalization.” This progression is encouraged through a variety of activities, including focused movement exercises, such as balanced walking on line on the floor, and concentration exercises, such as the “silence game,” in which children are invited to be still and to focus mentally on a sound (for example, soft music) or on an object in the classroom environment.

The Montessori approach encourages self-discipline, self-knowledge, independence, academic skills, problem solving ability, and an enthusiasm for learning.

FY2019 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

FY2020 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

FY2021 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

FY2022 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

FY2023 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

FY2024 - Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Disclosure

The charts below have been created to meet the requirements of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Private Business and Vocational School process.  Their required reporting cycle does not match with Seton’s expectation that it will take a year and a half to 2 years to complete the certification process.

Seton Montessori Institute requires that all students for any cohort must be admitted by the business day prior to the final Orientation date offered before the start of Beginning Academics each year.  We do not accept new students mid-cycle.  Any new applications received after that date would be processed for participation in the following cohort.  There is no separate state licensing exam or formal professional certification exam that must be completed for certification. Seton’s standards for graduation from one of our certification programs are defined by the AMS and MACTE competencies that students must successfully demonstrate through oral, written and practical examination by Seton Montessori Institute Faculty.

View the Infant Toddler/ Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Courses Chart

According to our surveys of recent graduates 95.6% of recent graduates have reported that they plan to continue working in a Montessori setting, 0.86% report that they do not plan to continue working in a Montessori setting, and 3.47% are unsure if they will or will not continue working in a Montessori setting.  Graduates are typically able to obtain placement in the field of Montessori education.  Seton Montessori Institute does not offer placement assistance, but is happy to provide information and contacts with the numerous Montessori schools we have visited and known over the years.

The average starting salary of graduates varies greatly according to their own personal background, the structure and size of the employing school, and regional trends of the area in which the school is located.  For example, generally speaking urban-based public schools tend to have higher starting salaries than do suburban or rural private schools.  Below are the results of the question “If you are employed in a Montessori setting select a yearly salary amount from the ranges below" from our survey of recent graduates (including 2013 - present):

Percentage of Graduate  - Salary Range

Respondents

4.34%                   $0 - $15,999

16.52%                 $16,000 - $25,999

27.82%                 $26,000 - $35,999

29.56%                 $36,000 - $45,999

11.3%                  $46,000 - $55,999

0%   Above $56,000

View the Administrator Course Chart

According to our surveys of recent graduates, 93.3% of recent graduates have reported that they plan to continue working in a Montessori setting and 6.6% are unsure if they will or will not continue working in a Montessori setting. Seton Montessori Institute does not offer placement assistance but is happy to provide information and contacts with the numerous Montessori schools we have visited and known over the years.

The average starting salary of graduates varies greatly according to their own personal background, the structure and size of the employing school, and regional trends of the area in which the school is located.  For example, generally speaking, urban-based public schools tend to have higher starting salaries than suburban or rural private schools.  Below are the results of the question “If you are employed in a Montessori setting select a yearly salary amount from the ranges below" from our survey of recent graduates:

Percentage of Graduate - Salary Range

Respondents

0%  $0 - $29,999

26.0% $30,000 - $55,999

26.6% $56,000 - $99,999

26.66% $100,000 - $149,999

6.6%. $150,000 - $199,999

0% $200,000 - $299,999