Contact Details

Montessori Education Centre

43 North Great Georges Street
Dublin 1
Republic of Ireland

Tel: 01 8780071
Fax: 01 8746472
Email: info@montessori-ed-ctr.ie
Web: www.montessori-ed-ctr.ie

Who we are

The Montessori Education Centre is an independent educational establishment using the philosophy and teaching practices of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870- 1952), and today's comparative psychologists. It was founded in 1985 by Mary Bowers and the late Connie Fahey, both of whom were trained directly by Margaret Homfray and Phoebe Child, students of Maria Montessori, who were instrumental in bringing Montessori Training courses to Ireland over twenty five years ago.

M.E.C. has a school, day-care and teacher training college. We are involved in the care and teaching of children from age three to twelve years as well as the training of Montessori teachers. 

The college principal is Mary Bowers, a fully qualified Montessori teacher and international lecturer. She has lectured extensively in Ireland, England, Canada, the USA, Africa and Sweden and has been teaching children since 1969. Helped by her international experience she has researched the whole area of Montessori training and is conscious of the need in Ireland for comprehensive courses from birth to twelve years. The Montessori Education Centre runs courses throughout Sweden, as well as Ireland, and our European links ensure that we remain at the forefront of educational development.

The programme provided by the Montessori Education Centre offers the essentials of a professional standard qualification. In addition to the course input of the MEC staff, there are lectures by visiting professionals with special expertise working in the areas of special education, music, nutrition, children at risk, etc. 

Two New Courses

The Montessori Education Centre is happy to announce that we are now a
“FETAC Registered Provider”.  As such we are starting to offer FETAC accredited courses. 

The first two courses that we plan to offer are ‘Early Childhood Education’, Level 5 and ‘Communications’ Level 5.  On successful completion of these courses students will receive a Level 5 FETAC Component Certificate.  These awards can ‘stand alone’ or as part of  your own ‘certificate portfolio’, they can be put together with others that you might take in the future (or already have taken) to obtain a Level 5 FETAC Major Award. 

Early Childhood Education and Communications are both component certificates on the Childcare Level 5 Major Award.  A Major award at Level 5 consists of 5 Vocational certificates, 2 General Studies certificates and a Work Experience certificate.  Depending on demand, we will gradually be offering all component certificates for the Childcare Level 5 Award.  

The courses will be starting in late February and will be held on a Monday evening. Early Childhood Education will start at 6.30pm and finish at 8pm.  Communications will start at 8.15pm and finish at 9.45pm

The cost of each course will be €300 (payable in three instalments), however if you sign up for both courses there is a 10% discount.

To register for these courses please contact the office as soon as possible.

Early Childhood Education: Component Certificate, FETAC Level 5

Early Childhood Education is concerned with understanding play for children 0-6 years.  In this course you will focus on:

• Types of play
• The stages of play
• The integration between play and child development
• The benefits of play for children
• Understanding play and play activities suitable for children 0-6 years

You will learn how to:

• Plan, implement and evaluate play activities appropriate to different stages of development
• Understand the role and responsibility of the childcare worker when providing play opportunities for children 0-6 years.

Course Assessment:

Two Assignments 60%
Skills Demonstration 40%

Communications:  Component Certificate, FETAC Level 5

Communication skills are highly valued in the workplace, however the acquisition of these skills is a life-long process.  This course will provide training in personal and interpersonal skills and will specifically highlight their role in the early childcare and education workplace.

In this module you will focus on:

• Listening and speaking skills
• Visual communications
• Communication technology skills
• Reading and writing

You will gain experience in:

• Negotiation skills
• Dialogue skills
• Personal and business document writing]Visual communication skills
• Advertising techniques
• Regulating meetings
• Telephone skills
• Information communication technology
• Report writing

Course Assessment:

Collection of  Work 50%
Skills Demonstration 50%