It takes a whole village to raise our children;
It takes a whole village to raise one child.
We all, everyone, must share the burden;
We all, everyone, will share the joy.
-- a West African Proverb
(Adaptation by Joan Szymko)
The Vision
All children deserve
the opportunity to develop to their full potential. In Camden, NJ, the challenged
city where my husband and I have chosen to live and raise our family, many children
do not have this opportunity (read more about our context). My
experiences of living, working, parenting, and interacting with children and
their families in this context have compelled me toward the vision of making
high quality, life-changing Montessori education economically and
geographically accessible to families in Camden city (read more about Montessori education).
Through the support of many, my
vision of providing Montessori education in Camden is becoming a reality!
 |
| A primary classroom at another Montessori school |
- In
September I will open a new Montessori primary classroom in my South Camden
neighborhood {read more about our program and curriculum).
- The
demand and interest among local families for our new Montessori program is
great – as of the end of March we have already filled our enrollment for the
first year and have a waiting list.
- Several
local Montessori schools have given classroom furniture and materials,
including a donation by one school of more than $12,000 worth of items! We now
have the majority of the furniture and materials we need.
- Many
businesses have been inspired by our story and given donations collectively
worth several thousand dollars, and several more have pledged support.
Demographics
The Montessori classroom will be an
expansion of Sacred Heart School, a parochial school (and the only school in
our neighborhood) that serves a predominantly low-income, non-Catholic, African
American population. While my primary focus is on providing opportunity for
children in Camden, I believe everyone benefits from a diverse classroom
community, so we will also welcome a limited number of children to enroll from
outside Camden City.
Tuition and Funding
We are offering sliding scale
tuition to make Montessori education affordable for families in Camden. I am
excited that so many families with limited economic options are now able to choose
Montessori education for their children – most of the children who have registered
for the coming year qualify for the highest level of financial aid. The
challenge is that we need to raise about 80% of the tuition costs for each of
these children to attend.
We also have some start-up costs to
prepare the classroom over the summer:
- Minor
renovations to the classroom (installing child-height sinks & counters;
cabinets, shelving & cubbies; lighting; painting)
- Some
furniture pieces and materials that we need to purchase
- There
are also some basic items we need that might be languishing in your closet. If
you live nearby you can look at our wishlist and let me know if there are things you'd like to contribute!
Will you help?
We invite you to join us in transforming children's lives in Camden through Montessori education. We look
forward to welcoming our first group of children into a warm, inviting
classroom in September 2015, and hope you will support us in providing them the
opportunity to experience acceptance, growth, and success!
Checks can be sent to:
Sacred
Heart Church
4th
and Jasper Streets
Camden,
New Jersey 08104
IMPORTANT:
Please write “Montessori” in your check memo!
You
can also donate though Paypal via Sacred Heart School’s website:
IMPORTANT: Once you are signed into Paypal, click "Add special instructions to the seller" and type “Montessori” in the memo box so that the Montessori
program will receive your donation!
All donations are tax-deductible!
