Today we’d like to introduce you to Betty Litsey.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started in 1970 when the Montessori Institute of Atlanta graduated 33 new Montessori teachers. At that time, there were few Montessori schools in Atlanta – and even fewer that met these new teachers’ expectations of what good Montessori school should be. Therefore, nine of those new teachers (including me), assisted by one of the Institute’s trainers, decided to take the leap and establish a new school. This was a big decision but we had the benefits of youth and idealism!
From the beginning we knew that we wanted to be a non-profit school and a teacher-run school. We felt that those two criteria would ensure that our new school would always reflect the educational values that we had learned in our training class. We would never be forced to sacrifice the children’s or the teachers’ experience for the bottom line.
Then the real work started. We fanned out all over Atlanta looking for space to rent for our new classrooms. Success! That fall we opened four Primary classrooms (ages 2.5 to 6 years) for the 1970-71 school year in Doraville, Toco Hills, Peachtree Street (downtown) and Cascade Heights. We called our school Montessori Child Development Center. On the first day of school we welcomed 45 children into our classrooms.
The first few years were challenging but we found that between all of the teachers and our families we collectively had a lot of skills. Some of our spouses and boyfriends took a free woodworking class so they could build shelves for our classrooms. I learned basic bookkeeping. We met nightly for the first two to three years, after a full day of teaching, to handle all the administrative tasks that come with running a small business. Most of us received just a pittance for salary in those early years with the understanding that once we were financially solvent, we would be paid back wages. We were approached several times by outsiders who offered to help us run the school but we always refused because we wanted to keep control.
Following the five-year strategic plan that we had crafted, in 1974 we opened our first Lower Elementary classroom (grades 1 through 3) and, in 1978, we opened an Upper Elementary classroom (grades 4 through 6).
In 1983 we purchased a piece of land on Lavista Road. Two years later, the school kicked off a capital campaign and in 1987 we moved into our new building (and current location) at 2998 Lavista Road. The school’s name was changed to Arbor Montessori School to reflect our new beautiful wooded campus.
The next years were full of positive growth. We were able to hire administrative support staff as well as specialty teachers in art, music and Spanish. Our enrollment continued to grow with the addition of more Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms and, in 1998, Arbor expanded to include a middle school (called the Adolescent Program).
In the last few years we have seen even more changes. We introduced our Toddler program in 2014, serving our youngest students ages 18 months to three years. Demand is so great for that program, that we are opening a second Toddler classroom this fall. After renting space for two Primary classrooms at a church near Emory University for 38 years, we opened a second permanent campus at 1434 Scott Boulevard in Decatur in August 2016.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was definitely not always a smooth road! That’s where determination and a commitment to your original vision keep you on the right path. We hit our first roadblock before we even enrolled a single student! As we were contacting churches to find classroom space to rent, we ran into some church congregations who were reluctant to rent space for racially mixed classrooms. So we kept knocking on doors.
In 1978, we had a huge setback: we lost all our leases and had to scramble to find new space. We were also opening an Upper Elementary classroom (grades 4 through 6) for the 1978-79 school year so it was even more pressing that we be able to continue to grow our school. We managed to find new space but that experience cemented in our minds the need to find a permanent home for our school.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Arbor Montessori School – what should we know?
Arbor Montessori School serves children ages 18 months to 14 years. One of the things that sets us apart from other schools is that we offer an authentic Montessori education with the emphasis on authentic. Because the word or name “Montessori” is not a trademark or franchise, any institution can call itself a Montessori school with impunity. Therefore, since 1971, Arbor has been accredited by AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) an organization established by Maria Montessori 1929 to ensure the integrity of her pedagogical legacy. AMI provides schools that wish to offer an authentic Montessori program a set of internationally recognized standards of quality. Parents are assured that schools that are AMI-accredited follow Montessori’s principles and practices in their original integrity and completeness.
Also, in 2011, Arbor underwent the rigorous accreditation process to earn Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) credentials.
Arbor is known worldwide for excellence in education. Therefore, we open our doors to student teachers from around the world who come observe in our classrooms and learn from watching our students and our teachers. In the last few years we have hosted students and administrators from Haiti, Japan, Mexico, Israel and Russia in addition to students from the United States. We are also known for the quality of our teaching staff, many of whom, have years of tenure at our school.
After almost 50 years of serving the Atlanta community, there are several accomplishments that stand out to me. One, we are in an excellent financial position. After struggling for years, we are now in a place where we have two beautiful campuses that we own. I’m also proud of the fact that we have remained true to our mission of being a teacher-run, non-profit school. The staff has so much vested in our school and that manifests itself in our extraordinary commitment to our students and families. And you see this every day in the happy faces of our students as they experience the joy of learning through a time-tested educational philosophy.
What is your favorite memory from childhood?
When I think about it, it’s really no surprise that I became a Montessori teacher and school founder. As a child growing up in rural Nebraska, I attended a one-room country school where we learned from the older students and the older students mentored their younger classmates. I especially have a favorite childhood memory of the teacher reading aloud to the class. Children can enjoy books two to three grade levels ahead when those books are read aloud to them.
The fact that Montessori classrooms are multi-age and multi-grade learning environments made me drawn to that pedagogy. Some of my favorite experiences when I was teaching were the times that I would read aloud to my students.
Pricing:
- Annual Tuition Range: $9,800 to $19,100
Contact Info:
- Address: Two campuses:
2998 Lavista Road, Decatur, GA 30033
1434 Scott Boulevard, Decatur, GA 30030 - Website: www.ArborMontessori.org
- Phone: 404-321-9304
- Email: info@arbormontessori.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Arbor-Montessori-School-268308436525693/
- Twitter: @ArborMontessori
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