Montessori Tuition And Session Dates
For the CGMS teacher certification programs for Infant/Toddler, Early Childhood (Primary), Elementary, and Secondary (Adolescent) and Leadership.
This page provides information on our Infant/Toddler, Early Childhood (Primary), Elementary, and Secondary (Adolescent) teacher certification programs. For information on our continuing education courses for parents, teachers and administrators, please see our Professional Development section.
Our teacher certification programs are offered in either of two forms: as a Full Certificate or as an Associate Certificate program. What’s the difference? Both of these contain an online component, but the Full Certificate program also requires a short residency. Our EL I-II and our Secondary programs have two short residencies.
Elementary and Secondary students please note: only students incapable of attending the residencies are eligible to enroll in the Associate Certificate programs at these levels, and only at the discretion of CGMS program directors. For more information on the difference between the Associate and Full Certificate programs, please read this page. To apply, please go here for our combined application for Full or Associate certificates.
Cohort Start Dates
The next Infant / Toddler cohort will start March 23rd, 2026. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2026.** The following cohort will begin in June , 2026.
The next Early Childhood cohort will start on: March 23rd, 2026. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2026.** The following cohort will begin in June, 2026.
The next Elementary cohorts (EL-I or EL I-II) will start on: March 23rd, 2026. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2026.** The following cohorts will begin in June, 2026.
The next Elementary II Standalone cohort will start on: March 23rd, 2026. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2026.**
The next Secondary cohort will begin on March 23rd, 2026. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2026.**
The next school Leadership cohort will begin on March 23rd, 2026.
The next Professional Development class will start on: March 16th, 2026.**
**Please be aware, there is limited space in each cohort, therefore, receipt of application before the deadline is not a guarantee of acceptance. Once a cohort fills, applications will be processed for the next available start date.
Summer Residency 2026
Summer Residency 2026
Residential Session Locations 2026 for enrolled CGMS adult learners.
Location: *Brentwood, Tennessee
Dates : June Session 6/15/2026–6/26/2026, July Session 7/13/2026-7/24/2026
Level: Infant/Toddler
Location: **Catskills, New York
Dates: 4/12/2026-4/16/2026
Levels: Leadership
Location: **Charlotte, North Carolina
Dates : 6/15/2026–6/26/2026
Levels: Early Childhood, Elementary I, Elementary II
Location: *Kingwood, Texas
Dates: 7/13/2026-7/24/2026
Level: Early Childhood
Location: **Lakeland, Florida
Dates: 7/13/2026-7/24/2026
Levels: Early Childhood, Elementary I, Elementary II
Location: *Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Dates : 6/15/2026–6/26/2026
Levels: Infant/Toddler, Early Childhood, Elementary I, Elementary II
Location: Ocoee, Florida
Dates : 6/22/2026-7/2/2026
Level: Secondary
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Dates: 7/13/2026-7/24/2026
Levels: Infant/Toddler, Elementary I, Elementary II
*The Center for Guided Montessori Studies has applied for approval of this site as an additional training location and is an Applicant in Good Standing. Applicant in Good Standing status in no way determines the outcome of the accreditation decisions by MACTE
**The Center for Guided Montessori Studies has applied for approval for the relocation of this residential site and is an Applicant in Good Standing. Applicant in Good Standing status in no way determines the outcome of the accreditation decisions by MACTE
Our current Accredited Locations can be found here. Please note that not all accredited locations will be offered each summer.
Tuition
CGMS Associate Certificate tuition is comparable to a traditional training program. Note that the Full Certificate residential programs are not guaranteed to be held at the same location from year to year, although we do try. Full Certificate tuition does not include travel, room and board. We do provide students with information packages that help them travel to and stay at the residencies.
CGMS unfortunately can not offer full scholarships, but we do offer variable pricing based on country of origin, ability to pay and the number of payments tuition is broken into. Please contact us to discuss which custom payment arrangements work best for you.
Infant / Toddler (0-3)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency |
$5800 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition |
$7600 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
Early Childhood (3-6)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency |
$5800 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition |
$7600 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
Elementary I (6-9)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency, not regularly available to US residents |
$5800 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate) |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition |
$7600 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate) |
| Upgrade to EL I-II (6-12) Certificate once enrolled in Elementary I (6-9). Includes EL-II Residency Tuition. | $3400 |
Elementary II (9-12)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency, not regularly available to US residents. |
$5800 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate) |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition |
$7600 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate)Elementary(6-12) |
Elementary I-II (6-12)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency, not regularly available to US residents. |
$7400 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate) |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition |
$9800 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee $360 Early Childhood Overview (if applicant does not have early childhood certificate) |
Secondary (12-18)
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency, not typically available to US residents. | $8300 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition | $9500 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
School Leadership
| Program | Tuition | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Certificate online only, no residency, not typically available to US residents. | $6950 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
| Full Certificate Includes residency tuition | $9300 | $100 application fee (*) $450 Professional fee |
* Note: Michigan applicants are entitled to a refund of $75 if their applications are rejected. However, in order to minimize the chance of rejection, all prospective students are encouraged to first contact us with any questions.
Self-Directed Internships
Normally adult learners perform their internship as a classroom assistant under a lead teacher. If an intern will be responsible for being the lead teacher in a classroom while engaging in teacher training, then they are considered a self-directed intern. In this situation the intern will receive extra support, and may be required to perform an extended internship. The fees for this service will vary depending on the location and circumstance of the internship. If there is a qualified mentor onsite who is able to provide support as well, the fee is $700. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss any questions you have about your own situation.
Residency
If you enroll in the Full Certificate then the residency cost is already built into your tuition. Otherwise, the figures below are the additional cost for attending a residency when you originally enrolled in the Associate Certificate.
- Infant/Toddler – $2,400
- Early Childhood – $2,400
- Elementary I Standalone – $2400
- Elementary I-II – $3400
- Secondary – $3,300
- Leadership – $3,000
Payment Plans
CGMS is always willing to look at customizing our payment arrangements for motivated and deserving learners. Below are our standard payment plans.
| # payments | Schedule | One-time service fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | payment in full | $0 |
| 2 | at the start and then at 9 months | $100 |
| 3 | every six months | $200 |
| 6 | bi-monthly | $300 |
| 18 | monthly | $500 |
Please understand, the service fees above are in addition to standard tuition and other fees.
Example: Sally wishes to take the Associate Early Childhood Course, which has a tuition of $5400 and a $450 professional fee. She has decided she would like to pay bimonthly. Here is how she would calculate her tuition:
| Example Tuition Calculation – bimonthly plan | |
| Tuition (Associate Primary Course): | $5,400 |
| Application Fee: | $100 |
| Professional Fee: | $450 |
| Payment plan service fee: | $300 |
| TOTAL: | $6,250 |
The application fee is paid when applying, leaving a total of $6,050 to be serviced.
Payments: 6
Per payment: $6,250/6 = $1041.67
So in this example, Sally would pay CGMS $1041.67 every other month for 12 months.
