Paperwork Filed for Nonprofit Status

I just filed the paperwork today for The Little Red Schoolhouse to become a nonprofit corporation.  Things are moving right along.  I am continuing to work on the budget for the costs to open The Little Red Schoolhouse and to operate it for the first 4 years.  I will post that in the coming days and plan to launch the crowdfunding campaign on May 21. 

Non Public School Categories in Tennessee

As I have been looking into opening my own school, I have looked into how do I actually do that.  I will include several links to the places I have found relevant information below.  For Tennessee I have found that my school would best fit under Category 5 Acknowledged for Operation. Her are the basics for Category 5 Private Schools in Tennessee...

• Accreditation is optional.
• No requirement for Registration.
• No requirement for Licensing. 
• Approval is optional.
• Teachers must hold a baccalaureate degree, but are not required to have a teaching certificate (teachers at The Little Red Schoolhouse in grades k-8 will be required to have a teaching certificate).
• Tennessee Code Annotated does not address the length of school year or days for Category 5 schools.
• No requirements for curriculum.
• Name, grade, and address of all students must be reported to local superintendent.
• Attendance records much be kept and reported to the local education agency.
• Cumulative records must be kept on all students.
• Children must be immunized prior to attendance. 
• Fire drills must be held twice a month. 
• Annual inspections by the Fire Marshal and Health Department are required.
• Non public schools are not reuuired to provide transportation (The Little Red Schoolhouse plans on providing transportation for our students).
• Must administer a nationally standardized achievement test covering the basic academic areas in grades 2 through 8.
• No requirements for professional development.

Tennessee Department Of Education Non Public School Categories

U. S. Department of Education State Regulation of Private Schools (Includes all 50 states)

Some Ideas That New York Tiny Schools and The Little Red Schoolhouse Share

New York Tiny Schools Have Some Ideas Like Mine

Welcome to The Little Red Schoolhouse

Welcome to The Little Red Schoolhouse. This is the beginning of a journey that I believe God has laid on my heart. I plan to open a school in rural East Tennessee for underprivileged kids. This school will be for approximately 30 kids from 3 years old to 8th grade. It will provide unique experiences and opportunities along with focusing on meeting each child's educational needs wherever they are currently. It will be 100% funded by individuals thru the crowdfunding site RocketHub. I am currently finalizing a budget for startup costs plus the first 4 years of operation costs. Like our page for continued updates and to find out when you too can make a small donation. I would very much like this crowdfunding model to be repeated in the future by other educators like yourself. Help me make this venture a reality so I can in turn help you and others do the same.