Why I started the Forest Heights Montessori Initiative

Dear Moms:
This is Lillian, I am a Forest Heights resident and mom of two. If you also have little ones, and you have started to research preschools, then you probably have noticed that Beaverton Montessori is the only high-quality preschool nearby. Unfortunately they are only able to absorb about 10 to 20 new 3 year olds each year, and you can imagine that there are many more children that turn 3 each year in our neighborhood. I know there are 2 or 3 boys who will turn to 3 next year on my street alone. And there are hundreds of streets in this area. We can reasonably assume there are at least 100 - 200 kids that turn 3 each year within 5 miles. There is just not enough capacity to meet this need.
My older son will be 3 next year, and he was not lucky enough to be picked by Beaverton Montessori. I visited quite a number other preschools within 10 miles of our neighborhood, i.e. 20 to 30 min drive from Forest Heights. The result was very disappointing. Good schools that worth considering are either too far or too full! We all know the importance of high quality teachers, a low student-teacher ratio and a reasonably convenient location. Therefore, I believe the best solution is to develop a new, high-quality preschool in our area.
So, why Montessori? When I was visiting the preschools, there was one clear observation I made: The teacher quality is much higher in the Montessori schools such as Beaverton Montessori, Child Peace, Two River, Child’s View. Almost all of the teachers (not assistants) have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, plus one year of training before they get the American Montessori Institute certification.
After a phone call to The Oregon Montessori Association, I found that the top schools like Beaverton Montessori and Child Peace have no intention of expanding admissions, at least not in near future. Child Peace just bought their facility this past May and is still recovering from the process. Beaverton Montessori is changing its director and won’t be able to consider anything at this moment.
The more research I do, the more I realize that it is actually not that difficult to start a one-classroom Montessori school. All it really takes is 10 to 15 kids + one experienced teacher + a good facility = a school. Plus of course the commitment of a few to make sure it is the very best!
I am sure there are more than 10 or 15 kids who will turn 3 by September of 2008 and who still have not found a quality preschool. So, I decided to initiate this effort to establish a new preschool where we would all want to send our kids knowing they are getting the best, Montessori-based preschool experience in the area, preparing them for the school years up-ahead by laying the right foundations and having fun learning.
I certainly hope that you share my interest and excitement in this undertaking. Warmest Regards,
Lillian