Our Opening Plan
Village Montessori School is currently in the development stage. We’d love to hear from interested parents and community leaders who might be able to offer support, ideas and insight.
Steps to Opening
At this point, we are working to:
Assemble an advisory board of local parents, community leaders, and legal financial, and educational experts
Secure a suitable campus in Ferndale, with adequate classroom, kitchen and administrative space and a large outdoor yard
Incorporate as a private school, ideally with nonprofit status
After these steps have been completed, we will move on to:
Prepare a comprehensive school budget, including projected staff salaries and job development/training, purchase or rental of a property, construction/renovations, architect/contractor, legal and financial services, classroom furnishings, learning materials, outdoor play space, office equipment, technology, marketing materials and financial aid or scholarships.
Research funding sources, including private investors and grants
Communicate with the community via website, social media, open houses and presentations.
Advertise for, interview and hire teacher(s) and other staff (ideally Montessori credentialed or willing to obtain Montessori training), as needed
Prepare classroom(s) with materials and furniture
Implement an admissions system that will ideally include a sliding scale tuition and scholarships.
Our Timeframe
We plan to open with one multi-age lower elementary classroom serving ages 6-9 (approx. first through third grades), adding upper elementary (ages 9-12, fourth through sixth grade) as soon as we’re able. There is the possibility of expanding to include kindergarten/TK if demand exists, but currently elementary will remain our focus.
Our goal is to open for the 2024-2025 school year, but it is possible we could open as early as the Spring 2024 semester if we are adequately staffed and have at least several students.