hsingscrapper Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I've often wondered what it would take to start a school beyond my own kids. If you could build a school from the ground up that had at least K-8 grades, would you do it? What would it take to organize something like that? Just wondering. Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Money, lots of money. Seriously though, I think the biggest things would be to see what it would take to be licensed by your state. You would of course need a location, teachers, curriculum/materials, etc. If you were to go through with it and it is going well, I would look into becoming accredited. Many parents (myself included) would be hesitant to send there kids to a school that was not accredited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Not in this economy I wouldn't. You would need: a long-term business plan lots of start-up capital reliable additional funding a good location dedicated parents qualified teachers the ability to work "in the red" for several years the ability to make very difficult choices the ability to collect money from both parents and suppliers (much more difficult in a bad economy) willingness to put the school before everything (including family at times) solid administration (business manager, principal, board that all have similar long term goals) ability to work through all the red tape involved insurance advertising etc., etc. It is a lot of work trying to keep a school afloat. My oldest dd went to Montessori for kindergarten. It was a constant struggle to keep the school functioning. They raised the rates after kindergarten and we decided to homeschool. One of the things people do in a bad economy is pull kids from private schools and make due with the public ones or choose to homeschool. Even in a great economy I wouldn't do it until my own children were grown. It is too time consuming. A small cottage school or co-op is as far as I would go with young children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 $$$$$ ;) There's an independent school in NJ that I found interesting. Since homeschooling is really easy there, you can sign your kids up as full-time, part-time, or even occasional students. It's too far away for us, and it seems much more loosey-goosey than I would like, but I think it's a great concept. If I had the opportunity (and the $$$$$), I think I would do individual class sign ups. I guess that's a bit like the co-ops I hear people talking about. I wouldn't want to do a full-fledged private school, so it would have to be in a "green" homeschool state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I have a friend who did just that! The school started this year. It's a Catholic school, using a classical curriculum. The tuition is steep...I think it's over $7k per child. They got enough students to make ends meet, and more are already signed up for next year. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 More time, energy, and money than you could ever imagine. (BT and currently DT.) It's very, very hard work, and I agree that this is not an ideal time to be starting a school. People who would normally be donors have been hit hard by the market slump, and parents don't want to risk sending their kids to a school that might close its doors in a year or two if it can't pay the bills. We're managing right now, but it's solely by the grace of God and the generosity of a few families. You can get a good packet of information from NAPCIS. It's geared to Catholic schools, but almost all of the information applies equally to any private school. If I could offer any advice, it would be to start small, as a cottage school, and grow into something more formal. Don't even think about approaching the state for approval until you've got your funding all lined up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Some local families in our area started a classical Christian school. It has been a huge success and I would send our kids there if we had the $$$. The students attend classes twice a week and work independently at home the other days. High school students attend classes on Fridays, too. If you go to the link and click on campuses, they have a "start a school" information page. http://www.coramdeoacademy.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I had a group of parents who wished for me to start a school. They were even willing to fund it. BUT...the building cost way more than they thought, finding staff was way harder than they thought, finding students to pay tuition was way harder than they thought. So I ended up with 12 students in my home with one helper. I now run a tutoring service for homeschool kids and it is so much easier. To open a school on your own you need MONEY! You need a ton of time, you need students, you need an incredibly supportive spouse and kids, you need more money and more patience than you ever thought. But seriously, you need to have a very clear vision of what you Want. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 (edited) My mom did it about 12 years ago and the school is still going strong, of course the economy is beginning to affect it as everything else. I think first it takes a dream but it also takes lots of money, lots of knowing the right people to raise that money, and the ability to just keep going and going no matter what. The 3 founders of the school that I work for currently (one is my mom) still work in excess of 60 hours per week to keep the school doing what they dreamed years ago. The amount of time and energy she (and the other founders) put into the school is incredible but it is also what makes the school so successful, IMO. Edited January 31, 2009 by Mandamom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) I did that. ;-) The school was at my church, so I had no expenses for a facility, insurance, utilities, etc. I started out with the tables the dc used for Sunday school; as time went on, we bought desks. Parents paid tuitiion plus an annual book fee; I used those moneys for all supplies. The second year I bought a beautimous enamled steel chalkboard :-) I did not take a salary, though. I loved teaching, and those dc needed to be taught. I discovered that I *rilly, rilly* needed someone else to be the administrator. The first year I struggled being principal, teacher and administrator; the second year one of my parents became the administrator, and she was a godsend (she wasn't paid, either, not even a reduction in tuition). I joined ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) and so appreciated the help I got from ACSI itself as well as from the other members. I'd do it again :-) ETA: You have to also check into the private school laws in your state, and prepare for how you'll manage your students' records, beginning with requesting those records from their current schools and starting cumulative records for little persons just starting in kindergarten or first. Edited February 2, 2009 by Ellie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I don't know all that it would take to get a school going but I have enough books. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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