Fundraising ideas

Income from the state (public schools) or tuition and other fees (non-public schools) can, and usually does, fall short of what your school needs or wants. So to make up or to augment that income, you will need to fundraise and believe me, everyone is sick of bake sales / cookie dough sales / spellathons which typically do not bring in sufficient to justify the effort anyway. I am not saying that bake sales / cookie dough sales / spellathons are not a good thing for an elementary class project in that they teach planning, organizing, the value of time and money and so on, but for the real cash you need, they just do not do.

Funding your school

Despite what happens in the classroom, what happens behind the scenes show clearly that a school is a business and must be run as such. This includes non-profits! Fewer things cause more problems for an administrator than funding, and funding issues are almost certainly the number one cause of school failures.

Strategic Planning for a Preschool

Like any organization, a Preschool or Early Childhood center needs a strategic plan and standard templates often do not apply to their special circumstances. Without planning and the subsequent preparation, lessons and even the daily routine will fail. The same is true of a Preschool.

Funding a Student Publication

Initial enthusiasm for a student publication can disappear when met with the reality of paying for it. In addition, an administrator who funds a publication can quite reasonably expect some say in what happens with that investment. More funding sources mean more can be done and even more freedom to do it, and it is not as hard to fund your publication as you might think.

Setting up a School or Student Newspaper or Publication

Teachers (and administrators) often enthusiastically embark on a student newspaper project, only to discover it is more challenging than at first thought. Equally often a teacher is often told s/he is sponsoring a student publication, despite having no background in it!

A Sample Common Core lesson

Teaching and learning is context-dependent, thus who, where and when matter and standard or one-size-fits-all or textbook-driven lessons are not appropriate. Common Core forces teachers to plan lessons and to take into account who they teach, what their students know, what they are like and so on. Yes, Common Core forces a significant change for many teachers and in many schools. 

Marketing your school

Despite some superficial approaches, and some structural similarities, educational marketing is not like other marketing. Few schools have the time, staff or funds to experiment or shotgun their message; schools need quick, cost-effective and proven approaches.

Starting a School

Starting a school is not as difficult as it appears, and following a framework and avoiding certain pitfalls can make it easier.

Starting a Pre-School

Starting an Early Childhood ("ECE) or Early Years ("EY") program or opening a center for children aged 3 - 5 or 3 - 6 is not as difficult as it appears, and following a framework and avoiding certain pitfalls can make it easier.

How does it work?

How does it work?

It's simple really. I am like your personal private coach or mentor; your critical friend. You pose questions that trouble you, or you have been unable to answer from other sources, and I provide suggested answers.

• use the labels to the right
• find the general category
• look for your specific topic