There is no one specific organisation responsible for Montessori education. Dr Montessori did not protect the Montessori name in her day and as a result there are many Montessori organisations around the world which represent the Montessori communities in individual countries and continents. Usually these organisations are linked with Montessori teacher training colleges and societies. These are privately owned, usually by charities or education trusts and in addition to the teacher training they also offer membership for their graduates and associated schools as well as continued professional development training and quality assurance schemes for associated nurseries and schools.
For example the Montessori St Nicholas charity (MSN) was established in 1946 by Phoebe Childs and Margaret Homfray with the permission of Maria Montessori. The Charity represents Montessori at Government level and also owns the following organisations which provide services for the Montessori community:
Montessori Centre International (MCI) (formally Montessori St Nicholas training College and London Montessori Centre) is the only Montessori teacher training programme in the UK to offer the nationally recognised Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy, Birth to Seven (Early Years Educator) and a Foundation Degree in Arts (Montessori Early Childhood Practice)
Montessori Schools Association – a membership organisation for Montessori teachers which offers listing for all member schools and professional development training (in partnership with MCI), national and regional networking opportunities for members, and a quality assurance scheme for its schools managed by the Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board (MEAB).