Open Cocoplum Nature School
Donation protected
We are Melanie and Fernanda, passionate educators, mothers of young children, friends, and co-founders of Cocoplum Nature School. We started a child-centric, nature-based pre-K program this spring at a local park. Now we're asking our friends, family, neighbors, and defenders of childhood to help us open our elementary school this fall.
A bit about Cocoplum
Cocoplum is founded on the principles of justice, peace, inclusion, environmental stewardship and shared/democratic decision-making. We're a nature-based and place-based elementary school that incorporates play, emergent curriculum, project-based learning, self-directed learning, bilingual immersion (Spanish & English), mixed-age groups, and family engagement.
What does all of that education jargon mean? It means that on an average day, you'll find groups of children ranging in age from 5 to 8 testing the pH of the soil in their school garden or comparing the textures of the bark of different trees in a nearby nature preserve, writing letters to politicians about protecting pollinators or reading self-selected books on a picnic blanket in the shade of a tree. Research shows that, compared to their peers in traditional schools, children in schools like Cocoplum demonstrate higher achievement in core academic areas, more effective pro-social skills such as conflict management, greater environmental stewardship, and lower rates of chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. (Learn more at our website: www.cocoplumnatureschool.org.)
Our goal is to provide scholarships tailored to the individual financial needs for 60% of our students. We’ll start out small with 15 to 20 students, and we'll grow to 40 or more by our fifth year. That means in five years, we will give as much as $1,000,000 in need-based scholarships.
By forming as a non-profit private school, we will completely rely upon donations and tuition for our first three years. It would definitely be easier for us to create a charter school and receive public funding, but then Florida state law would require us to teach its standardized curriculum and administer standardized tests. And those two things just don’t square with our philosophy. Children need schools where they are free to think, create, explore, and inquire. They need schools where individuality is honored and the stress of standardized tests is eliminated. So, in order to stay true to what we know is best for children, we’re taking the road less travelled.
We need you!
We’re asking for the help of our family and friends, fellow educators and nature school enthusiasts, members of our Delray community, and anyone else who cares about the future of our children and planet. Any amount helps and is so much appreciated.
Donated dollars are dollars that we do not have to borrow in the form of a business loan. And any dollar that we don't have to pay back to a bank is a dollar that enables us to offer need-based scholarships. In other words, as a result of your contribution, children from low-income families will have access to a high-quality, evidence-based education provided in the great outdoors.
How can you help?
We need funding right away to open our doors for the upcoming school year. Our start up costs include renovating our school ($70,000), furniture and equipment ($20,000), and staff training ($10,000). Even though we're just starting out, we still want to be able to offer need-based scholarships, and so we're seeking an additional $75,000 to start a scholarship fund.
“Together, we can do great things!” ~Mother Theresa
P.S. We have filed for 501(c)(3) tax exemption so that all of our supporters can make tax-deductible contributions. We should receive official tax-exempt status around May of 2021, and it will be retroactive to our incorporation date (August 24, 2020). If you'd like to talk with us about other ways to donate or philanthropic opportunities, please email us.
A bit about Cocoplum
Cocoplum is founded on the principles of justice, peace, inclusion, environmental stewardship and shared/democratic decision-making. We're a nature-based and place-based elementary school that incorporates play, emergent curriculum, project-based learning, self-directed learning, bilingual immersion (Spanish & English), mixed-age groups, and family engagement.
What does all of that education jargon mean? It means that on an average day, you'll find groups of children ranging in age from 5 to 8 testing the pH of the soil in their school garden or comparing the textures of the bark of different trees in a nearby nature preserve, writing letters to politicians about protecting pollinators or reading self-selected books on a picnic blanket in the shade of a tree. Research shows that, compared to their peers in traditional schools, children in schools like Cocoplum demonstrate higher achievement in core academic areas, more effective pro-social skills such as conflict management, greater environmental stewardship, and lower rates of chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. (Learn more at our website: www.cocoplumnatureschool.org.)
Our goal is to provide scholarships tailored to the individual financial needs for 60% of our students. We’ll start out small with 15 to 20 students, and we'll grow to 40 or more by our fifth year. That means in five years, we will give as much as $1,000,000 in need-based scholarships.
By forming as a non-profit private school, we will completely rely upon donations and tuition for our first three years. It would definitely be easier for us to create a charter school and receive public funding, but then Florida state law would require us to teach its standardized curriculum and administer standardized tests. And those two things just don’t square with our philosophy. Children need schools where they are free to think, create, explore, and inquire. They need schools where individuality is honored and the stress of standardized tests is eliminated. So, in order to stay true to what we know is best for children, we’re taking the road less travelled.
We need you!
We’re asking for the help of our family and friends, fellow educators and nature school enthusiasts, members of our Delray community, and anyone else who cares about the future of our children and planet. Any amount helps and is so much appreciated.
Donated dollars are dollars that we do not have to borrow in the form of a business loan. And any dollar that we don't have to pay back to a bank is a dollar that enables us to offer need-based scholarships. In other words, as a result of your contribution, children from low-income families will have access to a high-quality, evidence-based education provided in the great outdoors.
How can you help?
We need funding right away to open our doors for the upcoming school year. Our start up costs include renovating our school ($70,000), furniture and equipment ($20,000), and staff training ($10,000). Even though we're just starting out, we still want to be able to offer need-based scholarships, and so we're seeking an additional $75,000 to start a scholarship fund.
“Together, we can do great things!” ~Mother Theresa
P.S. We have filed for 501(c)(3) tax exemption so that all of our supporters can make tax-deductible contributions. We should receive official tax-exempt status around May of 2021, and it will be retroactive to our incorporation date (August 24, 2020). If you'd like to talk with us about other ways to donate or philanthropic opportunities, please email us.
Organizer
Melanie Stefanovic
Organizer
Delray Beach, FL
