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AMI Montessori for Dementia, Disability and Aging

An Introductory Course for Care Partners, Families, and Professionals


Possibility for Every Ability

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What is the Introductory Course?

Most approaches to elder care focus on what a person can no longer do. Montessori for Aging, Dementia and Disability starts somewhere else entirely — with who a person still is and what is possible.

This introductory course brings the internationally respected Montessori philosophy into the world of aging, dementia, and disability care. Developed in partnership with AMI (Association Montessori Internationale), it teaches a way of caring built on connection instead of correction, purpose instead of passivity, and roles instead of routines imposed on people rather than shared with them.

You'll learn how memory really works, how communication changes and how to meet it, and how to build a prepared environment where the people in your care can contribute, engage, and thrive. This isn't theory removed from practice. It's a practical, evidence-informed approach you can start using immediately, with the individuals already in your life or your care.

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Two Ways to Begin

However you learn best, MCPC has a path for you. Both options lead to the same certificate of completion and the same foundation in Montessori philosophy for aging, dementia, and disability care.

Path One: Online & On Demand

Learn on your schedule, from anywhere.

Move through all 12 modules at your own pace. Revisit videos, reflection questions, and materials as often as you need while the concepts sink in.

  • âś“3 months of access to all 12 modules
  • âś“Learn whenever it works for you — early mornings, lunch breaks, weekends
  • âś“Built-in reflection questions and observation activities to deepen your learning
  • âś“Complete the course in a timeframe that fits your life
  • âś“Perfect for care partners balancing full caseloads, shift work, or family commitments

Ideal for: Self-directed learners who want flexibility and the ability to revisit material as they apply it in real time.

Path Two: 2-Day In-Person Workshop

Learn in community with others.

Join fellow care partners for an immersive two-day experience covering the same 12 modules — condensed into focused, hands-on sessions with live discussion, demonstration, and the energy of learning alongside others who share your commitment to strrenth based, person-centered care.

  • âś“Complete the full course in just two days
  • âś“Live instruction and real-time Q&A
  • âś“Hands-on practice with Montessori materials and activities
  • âś“Connect with a cohort of care partners from day one
  • âś“Great for teams, facilities sending multiple staff, or anyone who learns best in community

Ideal for: Care partners who want an immersive, face-to-face experience and the momentum of learning as a group.

Not sure which path is right for you? Both roads lead to the same place — a deeper understanding of how to bring dignity, purpose, and engagement to the people in your care.

Who This Is For

This course is for anyone who cares for or about older adults, people living with dementia, or people living with disabilities, including:

  • Professional care partners and direct care staff in senior living, home care, and memory care settings
  • Family caregivers supporting a parent, spouse, or loved one
  • Nurses, social workers, occupational and speech therapists, and other allied health professionals
  • Activities and life enrichment directors
  • Administrators and leaders looking to shift culture within their community
  • Anyone considering the Montessori for Aging, Dementia and Disability Practitioner Certification Course, for whom this course serves as the required first step

No prior Montessori experience or training is required.

What is Included in the Introductory Course?

  • 12 hours of content, delivered in-person or through 12 self-paced online modules
  • Instruction from AMI Certified Trainers
  • If you choose the online course, 3-months of access to revisit any module at your own pace
  • These courses are designed to support you and your preferred learning style
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What You Walk Away With

By the end of this course, you'll be able to identify the components of person-centered care, understand the disease processes behind common dementia symptoms, use tools like memory books and spaced retrieval to support communication, design a prepared environment, and create meaningful activities and roles for the people you serve.

Upon successful completion, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion from the Montessori Care Partner Collaborative, an AMI Certificate — and you'll have satisfied the prerequisite to enroll in the Montessori for Aging, Dementia and Disability Practitioner Certification Course, our in-depth, AMI-affiliated certification for those ready to go further and become a certified practitioner in their community.

 

Enrollment Details

 

Online & On-Demand

$299 USD

Pay In Full (no payment plans at this time)

Enrollment is always open — you can begin whenever you're ready. Because the course is entirely self-paced, there's no cohort to wait for and no start date to plan around. Once you enroll, you'll have immediate access to all 12 modules and can begin right away.

  • Full access to all 12 modules
  • Course guidebook
  • All supplementary materials
  • Lifetime access to the Collaborative online community

 

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2-Day In-Person Workshop

$425 USD

Pay In Full (no payment plans at this time)

MCPC brings this workshop to communities across the country, so you can learn in person.

Browse upcoming workshop dates and locations below and find one that works for you.

  • Live instruction and real-time Q&A
  • Hands-on practice with Montessori materials and activities
  • Connect with a cohort of care partners 
  • Great for teams or anyone who learns best in community

 

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About MCPC

The Montessori Care Partner Collaborative (MCPC) exists to change the way we care for people who are aging, living with dementia, or living with a disability — moving away from tasks done to and for people, and toward relationships built with them.

This course was built by Dr. Paige Krabill and Melissa Crenshaw, M.Ed., who bring two essential lenses to everything MCPC teaches: deep expertise in Montessori practice and grounding in clinical and developmental psychology, united in one shared mission — helping care partners see the whole person in front of them.

Dr. Paige Krabill


Paige, the founder of PDK Educational Consulting, brings the clinical and developmental psychology lens to MCPC.

Her background grounds this course in a deep understanding of how people grow, change, and continue developing across the entire lifespan — shaping how the Montessori philosophy is adapted and applied to aging, dementia, and disability care.

Melissa Crenshaw, M.Ed.


Melissa is the Founder of Community Casa Care Partner Services and Managing Member of MCPC.

She has spent her career working in Montessori schools and organizations and is working directly with care partners and communities to bring person-centered practices to life.

She co-leads MCPC's mission to make this approach to care accessible and actionable for the people doing this work every day.

Together, Paige and Melissa built MCPC on a simple belief: every individual, regardless of age, diagnosis, or ability, deserves roles, routines, and relationships that give their day meaning.

About MCPC

The Montessori Care Partner Collaborative (MCPC) exists to change the way we care for people who are aging, living with dementia, or living with a disability — moving away from tasks done to and for people, and toward relationships built with them.

This course was built by Dr. Paige Krabill and Melissa Crenshaw, M.Ed., who bring two essential lenses to everything MCPC teaches: deep expertise in Montessori practice and grounding in clinical and developmental psychology, united in one shared mission — helping care partners see the whole person in front of them.

Dr. Paige Krabill


Paige, the founder of PDK Educational Consulting, brings the clinical and developmental psychology lens to MCPC.

Her background grounds this course in a deep understanding of how people grow, change, and continue developing across the entire lifespan — shaping how the Montessori philosophy is adapted and applied to aging, dementia, and disability care.

Melissa Crenshaw, M.Ed.


Melissa is the Founder of Community Casa Care Partner Services and Managing Member of MCPC.

She has spent her career working in Montessori schools and organizations and is working directly with care partners and communities to bring person-centered practices to life.

She co-leads MCPC's mission to make this approach to care accessible and actionable for the people doing this work every day.

Together, Paige and Melissa built MCPC on a simple belief: every individual, regardless of age, diagnosis, or ability, deserves roles, routines, and relationships that give their day meaning.

In Partnership With

MCPC's courses are developed in partnership with the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and Brush Development Company, bringing world-class Montessori expertise into every module.

Jennifer Brush, MA, CCC/SLP, Director of Brush Development Company, is a Fulbright Specialist, researcher, and award-winning dementia care author, and one of the first three AMI Certified Trainers for Montessori for Aging and Dementia in the world — and the first in the United States. Her research and published work, including Montessori for Elder and Dementia Care, inform the foundation of this course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still don't have the answers you were looking for?
Feel free to contact us at [email protected]

 

You already care. Now give that care a framework that works.

Enroll in Montessori for Aging, Dementia and Disability today, and start building a practice rooted in dignity, purpose, and connection — for the people you serve, and for yourself.

ENROLL IN THE ONLINE COURSE
ENROLL IN THE IN-PERSON WORKSHOP

Montessori for Dementia, Disability and Aging Introductory Course is a framework for care, not a clinical protocol. This course equips practitioners with principles and methods to support engagement, dignity, and quality of life. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace the medical guidance of the care teams practitioners work alongside.