Please help San Jose Montessori School open!
Donation protected
My name is Susan Fernandez, and I am the director of San Jose Montessori School. SJMS has been serving children and their families since 1970. My mentor, colleague and friend, Ilana Dover, worked and associated with the school for 30 years before she and her husband Greg became the owners in 2010.
Ilana had great pride, passion and joy for her work. The school itself was always a huge part of her life. Ilana and her mentor, Polli Soholt, were the best of friends and they raised their families together. Polli is now an internationally respected AMI trainer of teachers and a consultant.
The School & Staff
As director of SJMS, Ilana carefully chose all her staff for their knowledge and love of the Montessori way. Our teaching skill, experience and genuine care for the children and families were incredibly important to her. Our current staff has worked with the school many years and I worked with Ilana for almost 20 years. We are proud that all our staff members are AMI Montessori trained and certified.
Nearly every year we were in operation, we were full to capacity with a waiting list, and our main method of attracting new enrollment has always been by word-of-mouth. We have even had “children of children” in attendance.
In 2013, San Jose Montessori was forced to move from our longtime location. We had a year-to-year lease which had always been renewed since the 1980s, but the Landlord wanted the space for other purposes.
After finding and remodeling a new location at considerable expense, our new landlord terminated our 5-year lease in 2016 in order to sell the property. These moves were costly both in money and stress to then entire staff and the families of the children we serve.
Months after learning that we would have to move the school for a second time, Ilana was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away after an 18-month battle. During that time, she continued to run the school as much as possible, located a new site and initiated plans to build a new school building.
Continuing the Legacy
Luckily, before Ilana passed, a generous and devoted family from our community purchased a property to lease to the school. We are pleased to have a long-term (25-year) lease with unlimited options to renew, which means that the school has basically found a permanent home. This new property has required the construction of a new building, and after many unexpected delays, the 3-1/2 year permit and construction process is finally nearing completion.
Front deck (Playground to be added)
Entry walkway (Gate to be added)
View to Ilana’s garden (Children’s planters to be added)
At this time the school has not operated since June of 2017. This has been a great financial burden for Greg as sole owner, and for the school staff. Greg is an architect, and managing this project has been his full-time job for the last 2-1/2 years in the place of all other clients. At the same time, our incredibly dedicated staff has been waiting for more than a year without pay because they want to remain together at our school.
We have actually set up the classrooms and we are ready to apply for state childcare licensing while we finish final construction. However, all our financial resources have been exhausted. Today we are making a humble request in order to make a dream come true for Ilana, the staff, and all the families in our community. We are SO close, but the final steps to realizing this dream can’t be done without more help.
Entry way
Susan and Roxan’s room (Children to be added!)
Paulina and Alison's room (Children to be added!)
What’s Needed
Items that remain unfinished include painting, shelving, landscaping, fencing, playground, final inspections, cleaning, signage and licensing expenses. With your help, and depending on the licensing timeline, these items can be completed in time for us to open the school in the fall.
The minimum amount we need is $50,000, which is a small percentage of the total cost. We are asking for your support to get this new “Children’s House” open and available for the families of San Jose.
How to Help
Because the Montessori way helps children develop into peaceful, independent and compassionate adults, we know that our community, our city and the world will benefit immensely from the re-opening of San Jose Montessori School. No donation is too small—every little bit counts. Our need is urgent, as many families are eager to enroll their children for the fall. Any support you can offer (by donating, sharing with everyone you know- or both) will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for reading. We look forward to welcoming you (and future generations) to the new location of San Jose Montessori School!
Ilana had great pride, passion and joy for her work. The school itself was always a huge part of her life. Ilana and her mentor, Polli Soholt, were the best of friends and they raised their families together. Polli is now an internationally respected AMI trainer of teachers and a consultant.
The School & Staff
As director of SJMS, Ilana carefully chose all her staff for their knowledge and love of the Montessori way. Our teaching skill, experience and genuine care for the children and families were incredibly important to her. Our current staff has worked with the school many years and I worked with Ilana for almost 20 years. We are proud that all our staff members are AMI Montessori trained and certified.Nearly every year we were in operation, we were full to capacity with a waiting list, and our main method of attracting new enrollment has always been by word-of-mouth. We have even had “children of children” in attendance.
In 2013, San Jose Montessori was forced to move from our longtime location. We had a year-to-year lease which had always been renewed since the 1980s, but the Landlord wanted the space for other purposes.
After finding and remodeling a new location at considerable expense, our new landlord terminated our 5-year lease in 2016 in order to sell the property. These moves were costly both in money and stress to then entire staff and the families of the children we serve.
Months after learning that we would have to move the school for a second time, Ilana was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away after an 18-month battle. During that time, she continued to run the school as much as possible, located a new site and initiated plans to build a new school building.
Continuing the Legacy
Luckily, before Ilana passed, a generous and devoted family from our community purchased a property to lease to the school. We are pleased to have a long-term (25-year) lease with unlimited options to renew, which means that the school has basically found a permanent home. This new property has required the construction of a new building, and after many unexpected delays, the 3-1/2 year permit and construction process is finally nearing completion.
Front deck (Playground to be added)
Entry walkway (Gate to be added) View to Ilana’s garden (Children’s planters to be added) At this time the school has not operated since June of 2017. This has been a great financial burden for Greg as sole owner, and for the school staff. Greg is an architect, and managing this project has been his full-time job for the last 2-1/2 years in the place of all other clients. At the same time, our incredibly dedicated staff has been waiting for more than a year without pay because they want to remain together at our school.
We have actually set up the classrooms and we are ready to apply for state childcare licensing while we finish final construction. However, all our financial resources have been exhausted. Today we are making a humble request in order to make a dream come true for Ilana, the staff, and all the families in our community. We are SO close, but the final steps to realizing this dream can’t be done without more help.
Entry way Susan and Roxan’s room (Children to be added!)
Paulina and Alison's room (Children to be added!)
What’s Needed
Items that remain unfinished include painting, shelving, landscaping, fencing, playground, final inspections, cleaning, signage and licensing expenses. With your help, and depending on the licensing timeline, these items can be completed in time for us to open the school in the fall.
The minimum amount we need is $50,000, which is a small percentage of the total cost. We are asking for your support to get this new “Children’s House” open and available for the families of San Jose.
How to Help
Because the Montessori way helps children develop into peaceful, independent and compassionate adults, we know that our community, our city and the world will benefit immensely from the re-opening of San Jose Montessori School. No donation is too small—every little bit counts. Our need is urgent, as many families are eager to enroll their children for the fall. Any support you can offer (by donating, sharing with everyone you know- or both) will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for reading. We look forward to welcoming you (and future generations) to the new location of San Jose Montessori School!
Co-organizers (3)
Susan Fernandez
Organizer
San Jose, CA
Greg Benton
Beneficiary
Maurice Camargo
Co-organizer