Sarah Emerson – The AMI Diploma 0-3 is a “Once in a Lifetime” Experience

Sarah Emerson AMI Diploma 0-3 graduate says:

“Having worked in early childhood education for 20 years, I have been very lucky to have had some fantastic training opportunities. I’ve got four Montessori courses, an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree, a postgraduate certificate, plus adult and early years teaching qualifications under my belt. But one course, above all the rest, truly stands out. It is the AMI Diploma 0-3. It is the training experience that stays with me the most. Here are just a few of the things I gained from it . . .

  • I gained a renewed understanding of my own experiences, childhood and personality. The 0-3 course helped me to understand myself more fully. Montessori urged us to always be working on our own preparation and our own ways of being with the children.
  • The self-reflection the 0-3 course can bring about is truly beneficial regardless of which age group you are working with, or whether you are a parent. I gained a unique skillset to help me in supporting children under three years thanks to the deep understanding and respect of the child that the course teaches.
  • For schools and nurseries with children under three currently relying on the AMI Diploma 3-6 for guidance, you won’t regret studying for the 0-3 course. Of course, the 3-6 Diploma has the beautiful Montessori principles and pedagogy, but the needs of babies and under threes are so very specific in terms of resources, relationships, environments and understanding.
  • Implementing Montessori principles as taught on the 0-3 Diploma is transformative for baby and toddler environments.
  • My work with children aged three to six years also changed as a result of studying the 0-3 Diploma. I was able to support older children in a completely different way once I understood the development they had experienced in their first three years. Understanding the psychology of these first years enabled me to understand where different behaviours were coming from and what I might be able to do to support this more fully.
  • The course inspired a passionate determination to support parents effectively and gave me the confidence to do this. A child doesn’t exist in isolation, they are part of a family unit and we cannot fully support the child without looking at the whole family system. After my 0-3 Diploma, I started running parent workshops, courses and 1-1 sessions to help the whole family from pregnancy onwards.
  • I gained a priceless amount of knowledge that has empowered me and enriched my own journey as a parent. I am truly grateful every single day for the ways my 0-3 Diploma has supported me in how I parent my daughter and will forever be indebted to my trainers for the gift they have given my family. If you are a parent of a young child, or you ever plan to become a parent, I would recommend this course to you unreservedly. There is nothing that will prepare you better.

The 0-3 Diploma brings an opportunity to deepen our understanding and practice and can provide a much-valued connection to the heart of the Montessori approach. The blend of knowledge, observation, theory and practical work is second to none. Whether you are working in Montessori education, psychology, social work, play therapy, or are a parent, or are simply interested in human development, this really is a once in a lifetime experience. Among the students on the 0-3 Diploma, we would often say “How has nobody told us this before?!” We felt the information we were being offered was so fundamental to our work and our lives, that we couldn’t quite believe it wasn’t more widely known.

There are more children than I can count who I have been able to support more fully as a result of my 0-3 Diploma. Whether it’s been supporting their independence, attachment, emotions, movement or language, I know the course equipped me to support them in a way no other course would have been able to do. Without reservation, I recommend the AMI Diploma 0-3.”