Not the final draft, but getting there.
Just the facts please....
- non puplic education for students ages 3 years - 8th grade
- classes with approximately 6 students
- serving lower income/underprivileged kids
- teaching kids at whatever level they are
- intense academics in the morning and enrichment in the afternoons
- hot breakfast and lunch provided daily
- allowing teachers to teach
- less testing, more learning
- providing our students with unlimited technological experiences
- preparing kids to be on a level playing field with their public school peers by the time they enter their local high school
- giving these kids unique experiences and opportunities to equip them
to be able to participate in extracurricular activities once they reach
high school
- quality pay for quality teachers
- each teacher will have a teaching assistant
- small schoolhouse located on lots of land in rural Walland, Tennessee
- cat and dogs in the school to love on the kids
- adult education room for the moms of our students to learn parenting
skills, to further their own education, and to access programs that
will help their family
Want to know more? Please read on. Thanks in advance for your help.
Think back to your elementary school days...
What did you love about them? What did you hate? What made it great? What could have made it better?
Now imagine a day as a student at The Little Red Schoolhouse.....
You arrive at The Little Red Schoolhouse by bus at 8:00 in the
morning. Upon arrival, you head into the cafeteria to eat a hot
breakfast that was made for you by a loving cafeteria lady. Once you
are finished with breakfast, you head down to your classroom. There in
your classroom is your teacher and 3-5 other students ready to learn.
You and your classmates spend the morning learning math, science, social
studies, and reading. You love school and you love learning because
you are learning at your own level and at your own pace. You aren't as
good at reading so you are using an iPad to practice some important
reading skills you missed from previous grades. Your classmate is an
excellent reader so she is in the reading loft reading a book from her
favorite series while petting the classroom cat. You are above grade
level in math so during math class you are working with the teacher to
learn skills that are two grade levels ahead. Some of your classmates
are just learning their multiplication facts, but you mastered those
over a year ago so you practice 3 digit times 3 digit multiplication.
Before you know it, it's lunchtime! After your lunch with your teacher
and friends, your afternoon at "school" is filled with play time and
enrichment activities. You can take lessons in dance, piano, karate,
violin, cheer, banjo, singing, etc. During recess, you learn how to get
along with others while playing. While participating in an organized
sports activity, you learn the rules of the game along with good
sportsmanship. Now your school day is over and it's time to go home.
You can't wait to come back again tomorrow.
Ages 3-4 years...
Our 3-4 year old preschool program will have no more than 5 kids in
it. The young kids in this class will explore learning thru play,
exposure to books and nursery rhymes, and learning games. We believe if
we can create these experiences early on, these lower income kids will
start kindergarten ready to go.
Kindergarten...
Our kindergarten students will continue to learn thru play. They
will learn their letters and numbers and begin to learn to read and do
math. If they need more than a school year to master kindergarten
skills, they may spend more than a year there. They will not be pushed
on just because the school year is up. Our kindergarten class will have
approximately 5 students in it.
Grades 1-8...
These grades will be multiage grades 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 &
6, 7 & 8. Each multiage classroom would have about 6 students.
Teachers in these grades will give students individualized instruction
according to what skill level they are on. As necessary, students may
advance or remain in a grade level. This will be determined based on
the child's ability level.
Beyond 8th Grade....
Our goal at The Little Red Schoolhouse is to help
underprivileged/lower income students have an individualized school
experience that will enable them to have a successful future. We aim to
prepare and equip our students to be on a level playing field with
their peers by the time they enter their local high school.
Adult/Parent Education and Support Classroom....
We feel that the parent to our kids here is the most influential
person in their child's life. Therefore, we understand how important it
is to equip those parents with beneficial skills. At The Little Red
Schoolhouse, we will offer help to the parent with an adult classroom.
This classroom will be equipped with a teacher that will provide
educational help so the parent can become more able to help their own
child. We will offer parenting classes
This IS a focused private school for select underprivileged/lower income kids.
I plan to open a very small school for ages 3 years to 8th grade
that will focus on educating underprivileged kids in my local area.
Every year I see those students at my school who need a little more
individualized help. Students who may not get support at home because
mom and dad just don't have enough education of their own to feel
confident to help. Most of these kids don't have someone who can home
school them and no one is going to send them to private school, or pay
for a tutor. Students will attend without having to pay tuition.
This IS NOT anti public school.
I love my job and the school district in which I work. I am
frustrated with federal and state government control over programs,
teacher evaluations, and testing requirements. These decisions are made
by many who have never taught in the classroom or who have been out of
the classroom for a long time. There are many great things that happen
in public schools and many fabulous teachers there making it happen.
All 3 of my kids attend their local public school and are thriving
there.
The Impact
With your help, we can make a difference in a child's life.
- Giving these kids an advantage like this is priceless.
- Helping our little school focus on these handful of kids will change their lives forever.
- Wouldn't you have loved attending a school like this as a child?
Other Ways You Can Help
- Please help us spread the word about The Little Red Schoolhouse on social media.
- Don't forget to use the Indiegogo share tools!
- Pray for our project.
Non Profit Status
We
have begun the process of applying to become a 501 3 c non profit.
This may take anywhere from 2-8 months to complete and get approved.
Plus it costs $850 to file the paperwork. They suggest paying to have
someone knowledgeable of the process to help you fill out the 50-100
pages of paperwork. Money raised from this campaign will be put toward
those fees. Therefore, we are not listed here as a non profit. Once
approved, the status becomes retroactive.
Flexible Funding
This
is a flexible funding campaign. This dream of mine will become a
reality. IF it is not fully funded from this first campaign, additional
campaigns will be conducted. Whatever is raised in this campaign will
be used to start the process. The first move will be to purchase the
land. If you contribute, you will be able to get updates about the
progress of The Little Red Schoolhouse. I will continue until I have
raised enough money. This is going to happen. These kids deserve it.
Funding by the Numbers
Below
is a breakdown of how every single dollar will be used. Figures
include the cost to build and furnish The Little Red Schoolhouse plus
the operating costs for the first 4 years of operation. In order to
hire quality teachers, they must get competitive pay and benefits. They
also need to be assured they will continue to have a job for more than
just one year.
DirectorY1 $75,000 Y2 $76,000 Y3 $77,000 Y4 $78,000
3-4 TeacherY1 $40,000 Y2 $41,000 Y3 $42,000 Y4 $43,000
K TeacherY1 $50,000 Y2 $51,000 Y3 $52,000 Y4 $53,000
Gr. 1-2 TeacherY1 $50,000 Y2 $51,000 Y3 $52,000 Y4 $53,000
Gr. 3-4 TeacherY1 $40,000 Y2 $41,000 Y3 $42,000 Y4 $43,000
Gr. 5-6 Teacher Y1 $45,000 Y2 $47,000 Y3 $48,000 Y4 $49,000
Gr. 7-8 TeacherY1 N/A Y2 $40,000 Y3 $41,000 Y4 42,000
Total $1,362,000
3-4 TAY1 $10,000 Y2 $10,250 Y2 $10,500 Y3 $10,750 Y4 $11,000
K TAY1 $10,000 Y2 $10,250 Y2 $10,500 Y3 $10,750 Y4 $11,000
Gr. 1-2 TAY1 $10,000 Y2 $10,250 Y2 $10,500 Y3 $10,750 Y4 $11,000
Gr. 3-4 TAY1 $10,000 Y2 $10,250 Y2 $10,500 Y3 $10,750 Y4 $11,000
Gr. 5-6 TAY1 $10,000 Y2 $10,250 Y2 $10,500 Y3 $10,750 Y4 $11,000
Gr. 7-8 TAY1 N/A Y2 $10,000 Y3 10,250 Y4 $10,500
Total $293,250
Secretary/bookkeeper Y1 $40,000 Y2 $41,000 Y3 $42,000 Y4 $43,000
CookY1 $30,000 Y2 $31,000 Y3 $32,000 Y4 $33,000
Adult EducationY1 $40,000 Y2 $41,000 Y3 $42,000 Y4 $43,000
Substitutes (180 days@ $80/day) Y1 $14,400 Y2 $14,400 Y3 $14,400 Y4 $14,400
Total $515,600
*Insurance Coverage for Full Time Employees (10 employees @ $9,000/year) $90,000 x 4 years = $360,000
*Retirement Benefits for Full Time Employees $40,000 x 5% = $2,000 x 10 employees =
$20,000 x 4 years = $80,000
Total Employment 4 Years $2,610,850
Land$350,000
Unfurnished Building $1,200,000
iPads (30 students, 8 teachers) 38 x $600 = $22,800
Horseshoe table per classroom 6 x $250 = $1,500
Teacher desk per classroom 7 x $500 =3,500
Teacher chair per classroom 7 x $100 = $700
Student chairs $150 x 30 students = $4,500
Student desks $325 x 30 students = $9,750
Teacher and Support Staff Chromebooks 10 x $400 = $4,000
Teacher and Support Staff color printers 10 x $100 = $1,000
Couch per classroom 8 x $500 = $4,000
Smartboard per classroom (plus common area) 9 x $2,500 = $22,500
Playground $25,000
Books for classrooms $1,000 x 7 = $7,000
Fridge $2,000
Freezer $2,000
Stoves 2 x $1,500 = $3,000
Plates $200
Silverware $100
Kitchen hardware (pots, pans, etc.) $2,000
Copy Machine $1,500
Initial Opening Cost to Build and Furnish School $1,667,050
- Food Costs $5 per student per day ($5 x 30) = $150 per day x 180 school days = $27,000 per year x 4 years = $108,000
- Transportation (bus) $150 per day x 180 days = $27,000 per year x 4 years = $108,000
- Field Trip Expenses $4,500 per year x 4 years = $18,000
- Classroom supplies Y1 $1,000 x 8 teachers = $8,000 Y2 $500 x 8 teachers= $4,000
Y3 $500 x 8 teachers = $4,000 Y4 $500 x 8 teachers = $4,000 Total for 4 years = $20,000
- Testing grades 2-6 ACT Aspire (includes periodic assessment) 15 students x $30 =
$450 x 4 years = $1,800
grades 7-8 ACT Aspire (includes periodic assessment) 6 students x $30=
$180 x 3 years = $540
- Facilities Insurance coverage $450 per month x 12 months = $5,400 x 4 years = $21,600
- Reflex Math $35 x 24 students = $840 x 4 years = $3,360
- iReady Math $30 x $24 students = $720 x 4 years = $2,880
- iReady Reading $30 x $24 students = $720 x 4 years = $2,880
- Reading Eggs $269 per year x 4 years = $1,076
- Toiletry Supplies $1,000 x 4 years = $4,000
- Cleaning supplies $1,800 x 4 years = $7,200
- Internet $50 per month x 12 months = $600 x 4 years = $2,400
- Utilities $1,500 per month x 12 months = $18,000 x 4 years = $72,000
- Water $180 per month x 12 months = $2,160 x 4 years =$8,640
- Grounds maintenance $500 per month x 12 months = $6,000 x 4 years = $24,000
Operating Costs First 4 years $406,376
Total $4,684,276
