Marbella, Spain · Founding Cohort 2027

New Montessori Early Childhood credential training.

Marbella Montessori Institute, a new training center in the Costa del Sol area, offers a Montessori Early Childhood teacher education course — designed around the reality of educators who are already in the classroom and intend to stay there.

Online study from

Early 2027

Marbella intensive

Summer 2027

Academic hours

300 academic · 540 practicum

Instruction

English · Spanish track

Cohort

Limited places

A guide's hand lifting the golden bead thousand cube from its tray, in front of a shelf of Montessori mathematics materials — Hands-on training with real Montessori materials, in a working classroom.

The Program

What MMI offers

Marbella Montessori Institute offers a Montessori Early Childhood (3–6) Teacher Education Program — preparing educators to become confident Montessori guides for children aged 2½ to six. MMI has initiated the application process for AMS affiliation of the program.

Format · Hybrid

The course combines self-paced online study with regular live sessions with your trainer and cohort — then culminates in a two-week residential intensive in Marbella. Designed so you study around your teaching life, not instead of it.

Language

All instruction, materials, and live sessions are in English — the international standard for Montessori teacher education and the language of the credential. A Spanish-language track is available for candidates who prefer to engage with coursework in Spanish.

The qualification

Graduates complete both phases of the program — an Academic Phase and a supervised Practicum Phase in a working Montessori classroom. Two pathways available depending on academic background.

Where

Online study from anywhere. The Marbella intensive is hosted inside a beautiful, fully equipped Montessori school — an Early Childhood environment shaped by ten years of daily practice.

Structure

Two phases to get your credential

The program follows the internationally standard two-phase model for Montessori teacher education — an Academic Phase and a Practicum Phase — structured to fit around working educators.

01 Academic Phase 300 hours

Online — from early 2027. Self-paced study modules combined with regular live sessions with your trainer and cohort. Work at your own pace between sessions.

Marbella intensive — summer 2027. Two weeks of hands-on, in-person training inside a beautiful functioning Montessori school. This is where you learn the material presentations — working with real Montessori materials in a prepared environment that has been in daily use for a decade.

Coursework covers the full curriculum:

Montessori Philosophy Practical Life Sensorial Language Mathematics Sciences Cultural Studies Child Development Classroom Leadership Observation Family Involvement Inclusive Practice

02 Practicum Phase 540 hours

Completed in an approved Montessori setting over a minimum of nine consecutive months. We will help you find the right practicum school — and if you are already teaching in a Montessori environment, your own classroom may qualify as your site.

Field consultant support throughout. A qualified Montessori guide visits your classroom a minimum of three times across the practicum year, observing your practice and providing written professional feedback. This is a standard requirement of the credential — and a genuine support structure for your development as a guide.

The Qualification

Two pathways. Same training.

Upon successful completion of both phases, graduates are recommended for credentialing by the MMI program director. Two credential levels are available, depending on your academic background — both result from exactly the same program content.

Early Childhood Credential

Requires a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent

The Early Childhood (3–6) pathway, for candidates holding a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent. MMI has initiated the application process for AMS affiliation of this course.

International degrees are evaluated for equivalency through a recognized credential evaluation service — holders of non-US degrees are fully eligible.

Associate Early Childhood Credential

Requires a secondary school diploma

Available to candidates who hold a high school or secondary diploma but not a bachelor's degree. Same program. Same intensive. Same pathway.

Candidates without a bachelor's degree are encouraged to pursue one within seven years of credentialing, to access the full credential at that time.

A recommended English level of B2 (CEFR) or above applies.

Why MMI

What makes this program different

Every structural choice in MMI — the hybrid format, the Marbella intensive, the language options, the inclusive practice strand — was made with one person in mind: the qualified, working educator who wants a genuine Montessori credential without pausing their career to get it.

A bright Early Childhood classroom at Casa del Mar Montessori, with low wooden shelves of materials, child-sized tables and plants — An Early Childhood classroom at Casa del Mar Montessori, San Pedro de Alcántara, where the Marbella intensive takes place.

Closer than you think

MMI brings Montessori teacher education to Marbella, designed for the educators who are already here. No relocation, no career break — a Montessori credential pathway close to home.

Built for teachers who can't stop working

Our hybrid format — self-paced online study from March, followed by a two-week June/July intensive in Marbella — is designed around the reality of educators already in the classroom. You study around your life, not instead of it.

A real school, not a conference room

Your intensive takes place inside Casa del Mar Montessori — a functioning Montessori school. You don't study about prepared environments. You spend two weeks inside one, with real children and real guides.

Led by educators who run a school every day

Our program director brings over twenty years of Montessori experience, and our founding team runs a Montessori school every day. The training you receive reflects what Montessori actually looks like in a living classroom — not an idealized version of it.

Inclusive practice, built in

We believe a truly prepared environment is prepared for every child. Neurodiversity and inclusive Montessori practice are part of our program from the start — not an optional module, not an afterthought.

English instruction · Spanish track available

All instruction and materials are in English — the language of the credential and the international Montessori community. A Spanish-language track is available, making MMI the only program of its kind accessible to both the international and local Spanish-speaking community.

The beginning of something larger

MMI is not a single course. It is Phase 1 of a Montessori training ecosystem for southern Europe — with assistant, leadership, infant & toddler, and family programs to follow. When you join our founding cohort, you become part of that story from the start.

A genuinely multicultural setting

Marbella is one of the most internationally diverse areas on the Costa del Sol — home to families and educators from across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and beyond. Training here means learning Montessori pedagogy inside a real multicultural context. Not as an abstract topic, but as the lived environment of the program itself.

Founding Cohort · Summer 2027

A limited first cohort. A lasting qualification.

The first MMI cohort launches Summer 2027 — small by design. Founding cohort places carry a launch tuition rate. Registering your interest is not a commitment to enroll: it places you first in line for full program information, priority access to the application, and direct contact with the program director.

If you are an educator in Spain, southern Europe, or beyond — working in an international or Montessori setting and considering a Montessori qualification — this is the moment to put your name forward.

Online phase

Early 2027

Marbella intensive

Summer 2027

Founding cohort

10 places only

No commitment required. We will contact you with full details as they are confirmed.

Cupped hands holding soil with a young seedling

Interest Registration

Put your name forward

Completing this form registers your interest in the MMI founding cohort. You are not committing to enroll. We will follow up with full program details, answer your questions, and let you know when applications open.

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Your information is used only to contact you about the MMI program. We do not share it with third parties, and we do not record your IP address or your browser — see our privacy notice.

Thank you.

We have received your registration. You will hear from us with full program details as they are confirmed — including application dates, the complete curriculum overview, and information about the Marbella intensive.

If you have an immediate question, write to us at info@marbellaMontessoriinstitute.com