MARIANA BISSONNETTE
montessori coach & author
AMI 0-3 [2016] | AMI 3-6 [2012] | AMI 3-6 TRAINER-IN-TRAINING [2024] | MA ECONOMICS [2009] | BA LATIN AMERICAN & LATINO STUDIES [2005]
Mariana is the author of the highly acclaimed Montessori parenting book, Babies Build Toddlers: A Montessori Guide to Parenting the First 18 Months (2020). This book is an illustrated and well-researched guide to the child’s early development and includes chapters on movement, language, eating, sleeping, hygiene/toileting, and bonding.
Mariana is committed to the liberation of the child from the oppressive systems that constrain their ability to develop as they are trying to. This means embracing the fullness of the Montessori method as it is embedded with Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist practice. She has seen the power of raising her own two children (and supporting 1000s of others) with liberatory practices from before birth and is passionate about making Montessori accessible to all. Mariana helps parents and educators be inspired by the depth and practicality of the Montessori method and learn how to implement it as a daily practice to center the child’s development. And through her own work as a white person learning Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist practice, she has learned to raise her multi-racial white kids with antiracist parenting and is dedicated to helping others (particularly white people) begin and continue their Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist journeys as parents and educators.
Mariana was a beloved classroom teacher for nearly a decade, working with children 18 months through six years. Mariana then took an extended maternity leave with her second child and came back to the field in administration as an instructional and leadership coach. In administration, she supports school leaders in developing school systems that embed deep Montessori pedagogy and Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist practice into every level of the organization. In 2016, Mariana founded a community support program, The PEACE Program (Parent Education And Child Empowerment) that focused on Montessori community parent education for all from birth. This program supported over 1400 families in person before it was forced online in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the opportunity to reach more families who were not able to attend in person, Mariana built an online platform to host The PEACE Program. Mariana continues this work to this day and has supported over 2500 families worldwide.
Mariana Bissonnette (she/her) is a Montessori coach, parent-educator, speaker, and author.
Mariana brings a vibrant, novel voice in her books, lectures, and online programs that breaks complex ideas into digestible, easy-to-understand parts.
Mariana is a sought-after speaker and consultant for her depth of knowledge of Montessori theory and practice, as well as her ability to leave her audience with knowledge they can implement immediately in their classrooms or at home. With her work as an Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist practitioner, she effectively demonstrates the ties that connect the liberatory approach of Montessori education with the greater liberatory goals of Anti-Bias Education.
Mariana currently works as a Montessori Instructional Coach for Toddler and Primary classrooms at a small school in San Francisco, CA, runs parent and teacher groups online with The PEACE Program from her home in Oakland, CA, and is an AMI 3-6 Trainer-in-Training with Montessori Northwest. She has lectured for a variety of organizations, including AMI-USA, AMS, Montessori Northwest, Montessori Institute of Vietnam, Bay Area Montessori Association, Childhood Potential, Guide & Grow, and LeadKid Academy, in addition to various local schools for workshops, professional development days, and lectures.
BUY THE BOOK
Babies Build Toddlers
Babies Build Toddlers is an illustrated guide to parenting through a child’s first 18 months. With its casual and accessible tone, this book gives readers clear developmental timelines, practical suggestions for how to support the child’s development, and the basics of Montessori Education from birth.
Montessori is an approach to education as an aid to life; a life whose critical foundation is built in the first three years. Author, Mariana Bissonnette brings her experience as a classroom Montessori teacher, her two AMI Montessori trainings, as well as her experience parenting her own children to the design and content of this powerful book.
Wow. This was so. good. This is just a really thoughtful, well-done book with so much knowledge and goodness packed in. It’s something I return to again and again as my child grows. - Lauren