Theories of development and their relationship to Montessori’s developmental theories and practices will be studied in great details. Candidates will learn about the various stages of development and developmental milestones with an emphasis on ages 2 ½ - 6.

Areas of child development including; physical development, cognitive, personality, social, and emotional development – developmental and behavioral norms and recommendations for early intervention services will be covered.

This course will include lecture and documented observation practice. Candidates will learn and appreciate the role of observation as the foundation of the Montessori approach.

Other component of the course includes techniques for observation and assessment strategies and methods, understanding of self as an observer and the effect of personal biases in the observation process, and application of observation techniques in the classroom, including the process of analyzing observations notes and utilizing findings to meet needs of children.

This component focuses on promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Students will be exposed to early opportunities policies, procedures, activities and resources; challenging discriminatory attitudes and formation of identity in early childhood.

By the end of this course, students should be able to define health, be aware of the factors that affect a child’s health and the effect of ill health.

The needs of the child will be covered and how to encourage him/her to take responsibility for his own needs.

Adult learners will understand maintaining a routine in a safe, suitable environment and at the principles of illness prevention in a young child.

Also to be taught are the nutritional requirements and a balanced diet and awareness of social, religious and cultural influences on nutrition.

Adult learners will understand that Child protection (sometimes "child welfare") refers to the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which provides for the protection of children in and out of the home will be studied.

In addition, they will learn the set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across all social sectors – especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice – to support prevention and response to protection-related risks.

The component will expose learners to the importance of having some knowledge of the common disorders and medical conditions that affect young children.

The various kinds of special needs- temporary, transient and permanent will be treated; so also common disorders like - cerebral palsy, hearing deficits, autism, downs syndrome, etc.

Montessori’s emphasis on the child as the key to the transformation of society is a major focus of this course.

Adult learners will be trained on how to creating a peaceful classroom community including; reflective practices for children, activities for developing emotional intelligence and developing respect for self and others, teaching problem solving and conflict resolution.

Reflective and renewal practices for teachers leading to personal growth through self-evaluation and introspection will be covered in great detail.

This component will expose candidates to environmental design, scheduling and curriculum planning, individual and group lesson strategies, evaluation of children, tracking development in all domains, record keeping, and planning to meet individual needs of children, techniques for positive discipline and problem solving in implementing effective classroom strategies and understanding cultural sensitivity in working with both students and parents.

Other knowledge areas to be covered are treating parent partnerships including: parent communication, conferences, volunteers, and parent education; professionalism; administration including: childcare licensing, starting a school, legal structures of schools, budget and financing, and the role of consultation and accreditation.

Sensorial materials help the child to refine her/his five senses – visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, and tactile, as well as her/his stereognostic ability.

The child learns to discriminate, order and classify sensory impressions in relation to size, shape, and color (working with, for example, the pink tower, cylinder blocks, colour tablets); sound (sound cylinder, Montessori bell), taste, texture(sand paper material, fabric matching),and smell.

All sensorial materials have an in-built control of error. This control of error allows the child to self-correct his/her work and therefore continues to support the child’s desire for independence as he/she continues on the path towards self-contractions.

Language materials consist, first and foremost, of the spoken words of teachers and other adults in the classroom, including the reading aloud of appropriate stories, poems, non-fictional writings, and careful use of precise nomenclature when presenting Montessori and other materials.

Reading readiness/accomplishment is continuously assessed and appropriate presentations necessary for complete mastery of reading skills are made.

The reading child is also introduced to basic grammar. Language exercises include inset for design, large movable alphabet, pink series, blue 0series, green series, grammar, etc.

The Montessori materials in Pre-school are designed to allow the child an opportunity to exercise his/her mathematical mind as a gateway to abstraction.

Through sensorial experiences and indirect preparation, the child measures, compares and analyzes.

These skills assist him/her in discriminating size and quantity.

The Montessori math materials enable the child to work with numbers beyond ten without difficulty because the child finds that no hierarchy contains more than nine of its kind.

Therefore, knowledge of one through ten is sufficient once the child has learned the language: hundred, thousand, etc.

The concept of quantity, symbol (number) recognition, counting, the hierarchical properties of the decimal system, impressions of squaring and cubing, operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and fractions – are developed through extensive work with concrete materials.

Maria Montessori designed the curriculum of the cultural subjects as an interdisciplinary study of the life of man on earth throughout time and in all geographic regions.

It includes the study of geography, history, music, art, botany, zoology, language and mathematics. It encompasses all cultural subjects as part of a meaningful whole.

In the Arts course, there will be an overview of the value of teaching the arts and crafts for the development of creative expression, cultural appreciation, and the connection of the study of the arts to intellectual development.

Through Visual Arts, candidates will learn how to prepare an art area of the classroom and presentation of art activities to build basic skills as well as exploration of various art media; presentation of art history and art appreciation.

The Diploma is awarded to learners who have successfully completed the course which comprises college lectures, assessed written course work, oral assessment, final written and practical examinations and 400 hours of assessed teaching practice in a reputable Montessori school.

Music will cover presentation of rhythmic skills, singing, recognizing and playing various instruments, simple notation, and an introduction to an appreciation of music styles, composers, and their work.

In the Movement aspect, students will learn presentation of activities to develop body awareness, coordination, and grace through games and line activities; introduction to various styles of dance and dance traditions of other cultures.

The Drama aspect of the course will prepare candidates on techniques to train children to develop interest in stage plays as they grow in confidence and self-esteem to face the audience.

This will also promote their literacy skills.