The new CGMS Postpartum Doula program is well into its first cohort, marking an exciting step in expanding postpartum support through a Montessori lens. Even at this early stage, participants are responding with genuine curiosity and enthusiasm. This inaugural group is predominantly comprised of Montessori educators, many of whom were new to the concept of doula care and initially unsure what to expect.
Yet, they’ve been positively surprised and thrilled by the program’s richness and innovative expertise, which has significantly deepened their knowledge of support for both infants and families. As Jana Morgan Herman, Montessori educator, author and teacher trainer, shared, “I’m truly enjoying the course and find myself thinking about the content often throughout the week.” “I’m especially grateful for the reflective pace and the gentle yet grounded approach our guides bring to the material.”
Another, Lauren Leonoff, director of a Montessori school in Carmel, California, noted, “There is so much content, and I’ve enjoyed going through all of it.” These early responses highlight how the program is not only meeting but exceeding expectations, offering a new, comprehensive understanding of the delicate postpartum period from a Montessori perspective.
As the first cohort of the CGMS Postpartum Doula program draws to a close and preparations begin for the new intake on June 30th, CGMS proudly reflects on the program’s foundation in integrating Dr. Maria Montessori’s profound visions and values for the child and their environment.
Dr. Maria Montessori once wrote, “From the moment of birth, the child has an immense potential for development, which unfolds naturally when supported by the right environment.”
While Montessori classrooms are well known for their support of the developing child, fewer conversations center on the care of the family in those earliest days of life. Yet it is here, in the delicate postpartum period, that the spiritual embryo emerges.
Montessori’s teachings describe an infant’s capacity to absorb language, culture, and belonging through their environment. In her book The Absorbent Mind, she stated, “It is in babyhood, by means of his infantile powers alone, that the child acquires personal characteristics that will mark him forever” (Montessori 102). She then poses a vital question: “… we have to ask ourselves what we ought to do and what kind of environment to make if we want to help the child. If it is a newborn baby who has to construct his adaptation, what kind of environment can we prepare for him?” With this query in mind, CGMS and Doula Program Director Cynthia Jordan Fisher founded the Montessori Based Postpartum Doula Certification Program.
Through this program, CGMS aims to aid the critical need for “preparedness” among mothers and families, both before and soon after the birth. As described within the Postpartum Doula Certification program details, doulas are trained to support families for around 6 weeks after birth. Upon completion of the program and practicum phase, participants gain the skills to become non-medical skilled professionals with the ability to offer practical support, reassurance, environmental design, encouragement, and evidence-based guidance in the day-to-day rhythm of parenthood, whether it be the family’s first child or their fifth. This program prepares the Doula to help families set the tone of the home, the cadence of care, and the physical and emotional landscape in which the child begins to build trust.
If you’re passionate about caring for infants and would like to learn how you can be a part of this important work in Montessori Communities, we invite you to click the link below. As the program has gained tremendous excitement and positive responses, the upcoming cohort has few spots left available. To secure your spot and discover how to get started, please contact admissions@cgms.edu or fill out this form to receive admissions information before June 30th.
