2026-2027
Webinar Series
A Special Thank-You to Our Sponsors!
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER
-
-
Melissa Mueller Droessler, M.Ed., serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Instructional Leader for the only publicly funded teacher-led AMI Recognized school serving infants through High School in the USA; Isthmus Montessori Academy Public, where every child is welcome and everyone belongs. Melissa continues a lifelong commitment to education and has completed graduate work in school leadership at Johns Hopkins University and St. Mary’s University. In addition to being certified and licensed as a School Administrator, Melissa is licensed as a Director of Special Education, Lifetime Educator, and Autism Specialist. After completing AMI Diplomas at the 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, and 12-18 levels, Melissa is working to develop the first 0-3 Diploma program for High School learners and applying to the AMI Training of Trainers program. Melissa enjoys teaching at all levels, and is currently enjoying being a part of the team of High School educators at IMAP. Melissa’s aim for education is to honor the spirit and needs of each individual so that they can contribute to the betterment of the whole. When not at school, Melissa is outside with their four children, partner, and a giant, fluffy dog.
-
Autism diagnoses have increased 300% since 2020. “Autism Epidemic” has been used as a term to describe the rise in autism diagnoses over the last five years, although autism is neither a contagious disease nor has the prevalence of autism been limited to a particular time in history. As educators, school leaders, and families who prepare and preserve learning environments, we are charged with Dr. Montessori’s original task: welcoming all children and young adults and to aid in their self construction. However, we are often conflicted in this task when our understanding of human development can feel at odds with many of the learners before us.
Building Bridges goes beyond the idea of inclusion and invites participants to reframe their practice as a true partnership with all learners, educators, school leaders, and families.
Together we will delve into and dissect autism and the latest developments in definition, diagnoses, screening tools, and how this process aligns with development.
Together we will prioritize learners in our school and classroom communities, create plans of support to be implemented within Montessori environments, and increase our own abilities to observe and adapt to meet the needs of the next generation.
Together we will reexamine our own instructional practices and communication patterns in order to develop tools to use on day one when we return home!
Most importantly, participants of the Building Bridges workshop will cocreate a connected community of educators, school leaders, and families in support of all children and young adults.
Together, we can all Build Bridges.
-
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY 2027
-
-
Gabriel Velázquez is an AMI Assistant to Infancy (0–3) Trainer with over 20 years of experience in Montessori education in Mexico and the United States. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Development and a Master’s degree in Education from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico, and earned her AMI Diploma in Assistant to Infancy (0–3) in Mexico City under the mentorship of Silvia Singh. Since 2019, Gabriela has served as a full AMI Trainer, working internationally in the preparation guides and assistants from Birth to Three across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. She has supported adult learners in diverse cultural contexts, contributing to the development of Montessori communities worldwide. Gabriela serves as a lecturer, consultant, examiner, and Director of Training, with a focus on supporting adults in understanding and applying Montessori principles in everyday practice.
-
The first three years of life are a remarkable period of language development. Through the power of the Absorbent Mind, the young child effortlessly acquires the language—or languages—of the environment. For many children around the world, this means growing up in bilingual or multilingual communities where language becomes much more than a means of communication. Language becomes a bridge to relationships, culture, identity, and belonging.
Join AMI 0–3 Trainer Gabriela Velázquez for a three-part webinar series exploring the development of the bilingual child from birth to three years of age. Drawing on Montessori principles, current research, observation, and practical experience working with children and families across diverse linguistic communities, this series will explore what bilingual development is, why it matters, and how adults can intentionally support it at home and in Montessori environments.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the developmental journey of the bilingual child while exploring practical ideas, materials, and strategies that support language acquisition, communication, cultural identity, and belonging during the first three years of life.
Designed for Montessori guides, assistants, administrators, trainers, and parents.
-
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH
-
-
Paige Krabill, Psy.D. is a clinical and school psychologist with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of child development, inclusive education, and Montessori practice. She has served as an administrator and special education director across both private and public educational settings, and is the founder of both the Montessori Institute of Northeast Ohio (MINEO) and PDK Educational Consulting. Dr. Krabill holds a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, an AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT), and an M.Ed. in Montessori Integrative Learning from Endicott College. She is the developer of the Power of Possibility Framework and the creator of the Inclusion Innovation Workshop. Dr. Krabill brings to this work both the rigor of clinical training and the deep conviction that every child is larger than the challenge that first captures our attention.
-
Inclusive practice begins long before a support plan is written or a strategy is chosen. It begins with how we see. In this three-session online workshop, we explore what happens when a child's challenges become more visible than their possibilities — and what it takes to close that Possibility Gap. Drawing on the Developmental Integration Framework, a five-domain lens organized around Engagement, Relationship, Communication, Academic Skills, and Integration, we practice observing children through a strengths-based, developmental frame that honors the whole child rather than the presenting concern.
But seeing the child clearly requires something else first: seeing ourselves. Across the three sessions, we examine the unexamined lenses we bring to observation, develop fluency in the Language of the Environment, and explore what it means to become an Attuned Tender — a guide who reads both the room and themselves at the same time. This workshop is for Montessori educators who are ready to bring the full depth of their observational practice into the work of inclusion and to discover what opens when possibility becomes the frame they work from.
-
Payment Options
Pay Online during registration.
Pay by Check sent to Association Montessori International of the United States - P. O. Box 34910, Alexandria, VA 22334-4910
Pay by Transfer (ACH) to Truist Bank Routing #061000104 Account #1000176485653
Pay by Invoice schools may submit a purchase order with payment terms of Net 30, to receive pricing in effect that date.
Pay by Payment Plan contact AMI/USA to make arrangements.
Convenience fees not included if submitting payment by check or transfer (ACH).
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
CPD certificates are awarded by request for attendance at all sessions.
Not a member yet?
Add AMI/USA membership before registering to receive the discounted rates and additional member benefits.
Group Registration
If registering and paying for a group, please use the guest registration option.
Attendance Agreement
Attendance at AMI/USA events indicates agreement with AMI/USA policies.
Further Questions
For questions, contact Lynne Breitenstein-Aliberti, Director of School and Member Operations.
