Help Brush Creek Montessori School
Tax deductible
When Wes and Peggy Coleman founded Brush Creek Montessori in 1973, they saw a need for Maria Montessori’s vision for the elementary aged child—an education that develops the whole child, connecting children with their own inner person and the wider world. Building upon the Montessori preschools in the county, the Coleman’s began a high-quality program, hiring renowned Montessori researcher John Chattin-McNichols to head the Elementary program. Nearly 50 years later, Brush Creek Montessori now includes two large preschool classes, a toddler class, and remains the only Montessori elementary program in Santa Rosa, and one of two in Sonoma County. Our commitment to developing caring, responsible and imaginative world citizens through Montessori’s interdisciplinary approach has established Brush Creek as an indispensable asset to the larger community.
Since our founding Brush Creek Montessori has been a sought after program for our dedication to a time-tested learning philosophy, by highly trained and dedicated teachers, in a picturesque setting. We’ve been able to sustain this success for nearly 5 decades because we provide a valuable and unique resource to our community. To families who seek an alternative to one-size fits all public education, we offer an education that focuses on the whole child. For families that are interested in extracurricular activities, we’ve maintained a robust offering of music, art, drama, language, science, and gardening—from preschool to 6th grade. To families wary of teaching to a test, we create a life-long love of learning, not a short-lived ability to memorize. BCMS, like Montessori schools around the world, offers our community a necessary and powerful alternative vision of what education can and should be.
Like many businesses and individuals around the world, our vision and hope for the future is in jeopardy because of the ongoing pandemic and its economic side effects. Though we had been, and continue to be, financially responsible with our funds, nearly no amount of savings could have prepared us for the unprecedented hardships we’re facing. Brush Creek Montessori has been steadily increasing enrollment in the years since the great recession and we’ve been successful in creating a cash reserve that was going to allow us to increase our financial aid contributions and gave us the confidence to begin planning for a future that included larger physical spaces for our elementary program. It’s difficult to see those plans disappear, but we’re fortunate to have the funds necessary to survive—for a time.
The Board of Directors, along with the Head of School and Director of Operations are doing everything we can to keep Brush Creek Montessori whole, and to position us to thrive in what is for now an uncertain future. Being a part of that future means we have to survive our current situation first and to do that we made the difficult decision to furlough our entire staff in order to stretch our savings as far as possible. And though they would rather be teaching, our faculty are instead volunteering their time to stay digitally connected with our families, and keep classrooms and campus ready for the welcome return of our wonderful community of Montessori families. We know how much we’re all going to need this place again, for its beauty, for its peacefulness, for ourselves and for our children.
Some of our families have graciously and proactively donated to the school, but we’re still exploring every financing source available, including federal and local grants and loans, but non-profits don’t have the same access to capital as for-profit businesses, and government funds are not guaranteed to come in. And so, despite our fiscal responsibility, and our Board’s dedicated search for traditional funding, we must humbly turn to our community and ask for your support. We know that we are joined in this situation by millions of people around the world, and we understand that many individuals and organizations in our community are in need of support as well. If you’re in a position to support Brush Creek Montessori you’ll be supporting a non-profit organization with a long history in the community, and one that offers tremendous benefits today and into the future. We are thankful to receive your help, and please know that any contribution to the school will help shore up our finances in the short-term and provide long-term support while we navigate what will almost certainly be new and challenging rules around how schools can operate.
The best thing we can do for our families, staff, and community is to survive this moment and live to serve our community for another 50 years. Whether you are able to contribute financially or not, letting others know about this campaign will be equally beneficial and appreciated.
From the entire Brush Creek Montessori community of families and teachers, thank you for considering our request.
Since our founding Brush Creek Montessori has been a sought after program for our dedication to a time-tested learning philosophy, by highly trained and dedicated teachers, in a picturesque setting. We’ve been able to sustain this success for nearly 5 decades because we provide a valuable and unique resource to our community. To families who seek an alternative to one-size fits all public education, we offer an education that focuses on the whole child. For families that are interested in extracurricular activities, we’ve maintained a robust offering of music, art, drama, language, science, and gardening—from preschool to 6th grade. To families wary of teaching to a test, we create a life-long love of learning, not a short-lived ability to memorize. BCMS, like Montessori schools around the world, offers our community a necessary and powerful alternative vision of what education can and should be.
Like many businesses and individuals around the world, our vision and hope for the future is in jeopardy because of the ongoing pandemic and its economic side effects. Though we had been, and continue to be, financially responsible with our funds, nearly no amount of savings could have prepared us for the unprecedented hardships we’re facing. Brush Creek Montessori has been steadily increasing enrollment in the years since the great recession and we’ve been successful in creating a cash reserve that was going to allow us to increase our financial aid contributions and gave us the confidence to begin planning for a future that included larger physical spaces for our elementary program. It’s difficult to see those plans disappear, but we’re fortunate to have the funds necessary to survive—for a time.
The Board of Directors, along with the Head of School and Director of Operations are doing everything we can to keep Brush Creek Montessori whole, and to position us to thrive in what is for now an uncertain future. Being a part of that future means we have to survive our current situation first and to do that we made the difficult decision to furlough our entire staff in order to stretch our savings as far as possible. And though they would rather be teaching, our faculty are instead volunteering their time to stay digitally connected with our families, and keep classrooms and campus ready for the welcome return of our wonderful community of Montessori families. We know how much we’re all going to need this place again, for its beauty, for its peacefulness, for ourselves and for our children.
Some of our families have graciously and proactively donated to the school, but we’re still exploring every financing source available, including federal and local grants and loans, but non-profits don’t have the same access to capital as for-profit businesses, and government funds are not guaranteed to come in. And so, despite our fiscal responsibility, and our Board’s dedicated search for traditional funding, we must humbly turn to our community and ask for your support. We know that we are joined in this situation by millions of people around the world, and we understand that many individuals and organizations in our community are in need of support as well. If you’re in a position to support Brush Creek Montessori you’ll be supporting a non-profit organization with a long history in the community, and one that offers tremendous benefits today and into the future. We are thankful to receive your help, and please know that any contribution to the school will help shore up our finances in the short-term and provide long-term support while we navigate what will almost certainly be new and challenging rules around how schools can operate.
The best thing we can do for our families, staff, and community is to survive this moment and live to serve our community for another 50 years. Whether you are able to contribute financially or not, letting others know about this campaign will be equally beneficial and appreciated.
From the entire Brush Creek Montessori community of families and teachers, thank you for considering our request.
Organizer
Sean McGuire
Organizer
Santa Rosa, CA
Brush Creek Montessori School
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
