From Nanny to Owner of a Montessori School

“I’m originally from Mexico and moved to the UK in 2008. After working as a nanny for over ten years, I wanted to deepen my understanding of children’s behaviour and how best to support their development. I had heard of Montessori and decided I wanted to train as a Montessori teacher.

I started studying with the Maria Montessori Institute in 2018 and graduated with a Foundation Degree in Montessori Pedagogy (AMI 3-6) awarded by the University of East London in the summer of 2020. I also gained the coveted AMI Diploma 3-6 which is recognised by Montessori schools all over the world and all Maria Montessori Institute Foundation Degree students also gain this qualification. I chose the degree route rather than the AMI Diploma course as I didn’t have a degree and I wanted to gain the degree-level qualification but it also gave me the opportunity to access UK student loan funding for my study.

After graduating, in April 2021 I opened my own Montessori school in Margate in Kent with my sister who is also AMI trained. Set in the warmth of a home, Cocoon is for children from 12 months to 5 years and also offers Bilingual Spanish. After years of experience caring for children, the degree gave me not only a deeper knowledge in children’s development, but the confidence and the certification needed to start my own business. I believe that everything I learned from Montessori’s teachings and the trainers at the Maria Montessori Institute, enabled me to set up my own business which has become a successful preschool where children are thriving and our parents say “they couldn’t recommend it enough”!”