Participating schools/centres will have a signed Charter displayed which says that they believe:

	That all children have the right to an environment which is carefully prepared so that it meets and nurtures the developmental needs of each child
	The child is an active participant in the learning process
	Multi-age groups aligned with developmental planes provide for optimal social, emotional and cognitive learning
	Self discovery and exploration are important parts of the learning process
	A non-competitive approach and the use of self-correcting materials promotes independence and self confidence
	The culturally diverse backgrounds of families and their active involvement in the centre enrich and foster a community which embraces tolerance and cooperation

Participation in the MQAP is open to all Montessori environments, irrespective of the Montessori training background of the staff. Schools/centres who would like to participate should contact the Montessori Australia Foundation by email.

The MQAP Process

As this is a new programme, there will be an initial transitional process, spanning 2010 to 2013. The purpose of the transitional period is to give all schools and centres that wish to participate in the programme time to complete the process and for their school or centre to be visited. All schools and centres will stay at the same transitional status called 'Applied' to avoid some receiving the full MQAP status before others. The process is as follows:

	Apply to join the programme and pay the fee. Schools and centres must be MAF School Subscribers to be eligible to join the Montessori Quality Assurance Programme as the programme is essentially a subscriber benefit with any additional costs kept to an absolute minimum.
	Complete Self Evaluation forms for each classroom and for the adminstration. Complete a Summary Evaluation and Annual Report form to collate information from all classrooms or environments and report progress annually.
	Sign the MQAP Charter.
	During the transitional period, upon receipt of the completion of the charter and completed forms, the centre will be listed on the MAF website schools/centres listing as 'Applied'.
	The forms will be reviewed and a visit to the centre scheduled.
	The role of mentor will vary according to the needs of the centre and may include: helping the centre to set goals and providing advice on areas the centre has identified as needing improvement.
	During this time, schools will be listed as 'Participating'.
	Based on the self evaluation and visit, the centre will then be awarded an annual certificate stating they are a member of the MQAP which may be displayed the following year, and classified as "Recognised" as MQAP school/centres.

We are very fortunate to have two trainers from each of the longest standing training colleges in Australia, AMTEF (AMI) and MWEI, on the Montessori Quality Assurance Council.

The MQAP is linked with the Montessori National Curriculum, and the curriculum document will provide considerable guidance to schools and centres as to optimal Montessori principles and practice. The MQAP also references to the ECEC NQS Standards and Elements.

Fees

Annual application fees are payable according to the number of children/licensed number attending the school/centre.