Open a Montessori preschool for at-risk children in a diverse border community

If you happen to live in our area and would like to get involved, we would be grateful for any time and resources you have to contribute. Please contact us through Facebook or email.

An anonymous local donor is still offering to match any new contributions... So this is the absolute best time to contribute to CMS! Any donation made to the school now will be doubled! Please see our website to donate securely via Paypal: http://www.bisbeemontessori.com or mail to PO Box 524, Bisbee AZ 85603. CMS is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

 

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Summary

Community Montessori School of Bisbee (CMS) will be the first licensed Montessori preschool in Cochise County, Arizona.

Bisbee is a diverse community of 6,000 people located in the southeastern corner of Arizona. The children in our area grow up at-risk due to a number of economic and social factors. These include poverty, geographic isolation, and exposure to divisive border issues.
The CMS mission is to make the highest quality Montessori preschool education available to families in Bisbee and surrounding communities— and to make it affordable for all who would like to attend.The school will provide an essential educational foundation for these children, introducing them to a love of learning that can have a positive impact on their longterm academic performance.Your contribution will allow us to open the school, and provide scholarships for our most at-risk children.  

What We Need

We need your help in order for CMS to open its doors in fall 2012. Achieving our $12,000 funding goal will meet two critical needs:

1. Modifications to the building, required for licensing

   Your help will allow us to complete the final construction needed to meet strict licensing requirements, and to provide a well-equipped, safe, and secure learning environment.

2. Establishment of our scholarship fund

   CMS aims to provide a high quality preschool education, with student fees that are under half the cost of similar programs in Tucson (1.5 hours away, our closest large city). This scholarship fund will allow us to further reduce tuition, so all children in our community can afford to attend the school.

By helping CMS meet these two start-up requirements, you will provide a critical educational opportunity for kids in our underserved community.

 

The Impact

In terms of spending on education, Arizona ranks in the very bottom tier among U.S. states. The state has largely eliminated funding for preschools.

Our children need every educational advantage we can give them, to prepare them for success as they enter elementary school.

Great progress has been made toward the goal of opening this community school. Over the past four years, people in our area have invested over 4,000 volunteer hours toward the goal of opening CMS. Critical steps achieved so far have included developing critical community support and strategic partnerships; establishing 501c3 nonprofit status; and organizing extensive grassroots fundraising activities. Through this sustained work, we have been able t­o complete much of the necessary construction and infrastructure work on our wonderful donated facility.

After four years of dedicated hard work, this determination has brought our community to the final stages of preparing this preschool to open.

However, additional funding is needed to bridge the gap between our current pre-opening needs and on-hand resources. Your help is critical to providing this educational foundation for children in our underserved region.

 

Why Montessori?

"Montessori preschool education has been shown to give children a solid foundation in reading and math skills…as well as complex problem solving abilities, an indicator of future school and life success."

— from “Evaluating Montessori Education,” Angeline Lillard & Nicole Else-Quest.
Science Magazine (September, 2006)

Community Montessori School of Bisbee will help our youngest learners get a great start to their education, and develop a crucial love of learning that will serve them well for many years to come. The school’s mission is to make the time-tested Montessori approach to education available to families in Bisbee and surrounding communities— and to make it affordable for all who would like to attend.

Thank you so much!