Kaleidoscope School

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Kaleidoscope School, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Kaleidoscope School was established in 1996, and has been an important part of our small community ever since. We have provided preschool programs for children aged 2-6. We are known for being inclusive, individualized, loving, supportive, and play and relationship based.

Our motto is “Here There is Room for Everyone to Play.”

We became a non-profit organization shortly after we opened solely so we could fund-raise and establish a scholarship fund. We have NEVER turned a family away for being unable to pay.

In 2020, two things happened.

The obvious one, of course, was COVID. Our commitment was to our families (we pivoted quickly to offering remote services to our families for the several months we were forced to close, and then re-opened in person with major precautions in place, including already small class-sizes cut in half), and to our teachers (we did not lay anyone off, and we paid for all teachers’ medical insurance in full for two years).

While we stand by these decisions as the best, safest, and most compassionate ones we could have made, they were also very expensive decisions, and completely used up our reserve savings.

The second thing that happened in 2020 was that we added an Elementary School to our preschool program. We started with a fully enrolled, in-person kindergarten, and planned to add one grade per year until we were a K-5.

The kids in our elementary classes absolutely flourished! They received an individualized, inclusive, warm, caring program, and thrived both academically and socially.

But sadly, we were not able to build the enrollment we needed quickly enough to keep from losing significant money, month after month.

The combination of no reserve funds and expenses beyond what the elementary school tuition could support was devastating for our financial situation. We ended up taking loans with high interest rates as a “bandaid” measure, which only compounded the problem.

In January of this year, we were forced to make the heart-breaking decision to close the elementary school.

Financially, the reality was that Kaleidoscope’s well-established Preschool Program has been subsidizing the Elementary School all along. It became crystal clear in December 2023 that we just could not continue to run the Elementary School at such a deficit. Even keeping it running through the end of this school year was impossible.

The good news is that, without the Elementary School, the Preschool and After School Programs do create enough income to cover staff, rent, and other operating costs.

It really does absolutely hurt my heart to have to eliminate Kaleidoscope Elementary School. I care so deeply for each child attending, and their families, and hate how hard the closure will be for each one of them.

But now, Kaleidoscope School will focus on what we have always done best—providing a small, high-quality, individualized, caring preschool program for children ages 2-5.

BUT HERE IS THE CATCH, and the reason we need help.

We are now in the position of having to refund tuition to elementary school families, make payments on loans, and pay back rent. While the preschool program does generate enough funds to cover current expenses, we are not making enough income to pay those other expenses.

And, to be completely honest, we are on the brink of closing our doors after 27 years of providing our well-loved program.

We are working hard on cutting costs, as well as fund-raising, grant writing, and every other way we can think of to recover financially.

BUT WE COULD USE YOUR HELP!

please consider donating, and/or sharing our fundraiser with friends, family, and on social media.

Thank you for your consideration, and for helping us remain a place Where There is Room for Everyone to Play.