Journey Update

Hello Magnolia Montessori Community!

It's time for a Spring update for all of those who love, attend, and follow Magnolia Montessori's work. 

We have been working very diligently on making our expansion next year a reality. Myself, incoming Teacher Leaders, supporting teachers, and current and past parents have all pulled together to find and apply for grant funding. We have spent months looking for rental spaces to house our new endeavor, and now we are in the midst of negotiating leases. It is always our goal to maintain transparency with our community, so that everyone has the autonomy to act in their best interest, to participate where they feel called, and to offer advice and support when needed. 

Summary of purpose:

• Adding a Primary program (3-6) allows Magnolia to be more financially stable, and provides a budget that will pay teachers a living salary.
• After our expansion, families will have the opportunity to keep their child in one school from toddler age- through kindergarten. 
• We will continue to serve 1/3 high income, 1/3 middle/low income, and 1/3 very low income families with intentional racial/ethnic diversity as a focus of our enrollment. 
• This expansion requires a move to a bigger location for the 2020/21 school year. 

How we make it happen: 

• We need to raise enough money in grants to make our start up possible. See our start up budget here. 
  • We have applied for 28 grants and have heard back from 14 of them.
  • We have been awarded $10,000 by Lift a Life Foundation. 
• We find a place that is big enough to meet the needs of two classrooms, that is centrally located, and meets licensing and budget requirements. 

Where we are now:

• We are currently negotiating two leases to get the best location for us. 
• We are waiting to hear back from Grants we have applied for- we will have some big news mid-April, and by the end of May. 
• We have hired and acquired an excellent staff for next year!
• At the end of May, we will make the call about whether or not we are closing Magnolia Montessori for good, or expanding to a new location. 
  • If Magnolia Montessori closes, we will refund any deposits made toward enrollment for 2020/21, and forward any remaining funds in the non-profit to Montessori teacher training for teachers of color. 
• We decided to implement an Equitable Tuition Model to live more fully into Wildflower's equity principle. 

Be on the lookout!

• Watch our Facebook page for announcements. New Teacher Leader Bios coming soon!
• Spread the word that we are accepting applications for 4 & 5 year olds for 2020/21!
• Let your friends know that all income levels can afford to attend a high quality Montessori program!
• Let us know if you know of any funding opportunities available that we may not have heard of. We need at least $10,000 to keep our program alive!

We always welcome feedback, questions, and mutual support. Thank you for following our success and progress!

Whitney Harrell
she/her/hers
Teacher Leader