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Richmond’s newest non-profit Montessori school, Glen Allen Community Montessori, will hold an open house Saturday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to noon for prospective families. GACM is enrolling for both this school year and for the 2019-20 school year.
After the sudden closure of Virginia Community Montessori in March 2018, the community of current families, prospective families, and the Unitarian Universalist Community Church rallied around the mission statement of the school and reopened as Glen Allen Community Montessori, a non-profit Parent Cooperative aimed at bringing social justice to education, in Fall 2018.
“I was a parent who couldn’t afford a Montessori experience for my daughter and guilted myself because of it. I volunteered a lot to defer her tuition costs. But when I saw first hand the amazing results and growth in my own child, I couldn’t settle on the idea that this was only meant for more privileged families,” said the school's board president, Brei Stevenson. “I was blown away by the emails and phone calls I was getting to keep this effort alive. We made a big impact in such a short amount of time and we had to keep pushing,” Brei said.
Within four months a Board of Directors was formed, business incorporated, teachers hired, a rental agreement with UUCC inked and a classroom built. GACM currently enrolls 20 children varying in ages from 3-9 years old in a Primary and Lower Elementary classroom setting. Staff members include Directress and Classroom Lead Surabhi Makhija, Classroom Co-Lead Amanda Lhéritier, Classroom Assistant Erin Paczkowski and After Care Program Lead Marleny Gaitan.
As a parent co-op, families volunteer time where needed: on the Board of Directors, the PTO, fundraising, upkeep of the classroom, and everything in between, in order to keep overhead costs low and pass those savings onto the families.
“It’s an incredible group of people and amazing energy. Hard to describe, but it felt like “home” right away," said parent parent Jamie Gonthier. "I couldn’t imagine sending my child anywhere else.”
The school will continue various fundraising efforts throughout the year to help support the Children’s Garden build in the Spring, teacher training and professional development, enrichment activities, and classroom expansion to name a few.
Register for the open house at www.facebook.com/events/559735001149435/. To learn more, visit gacmontessori.org or email hello@gacmontessori.org.
