I would like to open my own Montessori Nursery.?

Question

Can anyone advice on the best area + place,how much money do I need and other things I should consider?

Answer 1

One of the most important things to consider is the licensing regulations.  Each state has a different licensing body and different licensing requirements.  These regulations will have a TREMENDOUS impact on your decision.

Answer 2

First you need to be Montessori trained!  As to how much money you need. You need to have all the Montessori jobs. If you do not know what jobs are your not trained!!

Answer 3

1) You need to be montessori trained

2) You will need experience in a montessori nursery and how to plan a montessori curriculum

3) You'll need a LOT of money to buy montessori only equipmeny, rent a building, get insurance, buy furniture, staff, staff meetings/training, equipment such as those for food and outdoor things, security measures etc etc.

4) You may need to be inspected before you open-not sure if OFSTED do the montessori nuseries.

5) Advertisement and getting enough children and staff!

Best area would be somewhere with little or no childcare facilities...no point going somewhere with lots of preschools and nurseries. Near primary schools are a good idea!

I would personally speak to a local childrens centre and local education authorities before I did anything else!

Answer 4

The best place is a place where it's needed.  I know that sounds vague, but there is a high demand for Montessori schools across the country (and even the world now) and there simply are not enough schools around to meet the demand.  Finding a big city and a location in the city where parents have to drive an hour or so to get to a Montessori school is probably ideal.  I continually read questions such as, "I want my child to go to a Montessori school, but the only good one is an hour away.  What do you think?"

As far as all the financial considerations are conserned, NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers' Association) has a good web site that talks about all the financial considerations:

http://www.montessori-namta.org/NAMTA/ad...

They do not offer specifics about cost, as this will vary greatly with almost every school.  It's just something you'll have to look at from place to place.  

Materials are another thing to consider.  Many of the companies that sell Montessori materials have a package deal.  There's something to be said about quality of the materials, especially if you're starting a school.  It's one thing if paint chips after a few weeks of use when you're just using it with your son or daughter at home.  Imagine using it with 30 children in the classroom over the course of a year.  You want to be sure you do not have the recurring costs of replacing these materials year after year, so it's probably best to look at Nienhuis materials and other high quality materials.

My final suggestion is to get David Kahn's book "The Whole-School Montessori Handbook."  It has very detailed information about starting up a school, writing policies, etc.  It runs about $50 through NAMTA, but can save you a lot of time and headaches.

Good luck and I hope it's a success!

Matt