Hold On...

Fewer postings lately don't mean this isn't happening! It just means things are on hold for a few months while I look for the right property. We need a space that is in a commercial or mixed-use zone and also one that has four or more parking spaces and a large enough outdoor space. And...the outdoor space must have at least one mature tree.

One possibility is 818 North Federal Highway, which the bank just foreclosed on. It should be back on the market in a few months, but will likely be a cash-only sale. There are other possibilities, and I'll be watching the listings to see if any would work. So... check back periodically if you're interested, or e-mail me at margaretmenge@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you.

New location

The deeper I got into county health regulations and city building codes and the more I thought about the kind of space we need for this special little school, the more I realized that there was just too much that needed to be changed at the church (floor, ceiling, walls, yard) And that even with an unlimited budget, we could not create the kind of space there that I was envisioning in a few months time. I talked to Pastor Dillon and he understood.

So now.... I'm going to work towards buying a building early next year that has some more elements that we need: great floors, a shaded yard and parking. I've been looking at this building, below, for many months, and just recently realized it might work for a pre-school. I went over to look inside today and low and behold, the realtor tells me it was a school in the 70s. So boy. That's great. I would just need $170,000 or so in cash to buy it as a bank won't finance it given that it needs a new roof. So, ok. This poses a challenge. But there must be a way.

Could this be the location of our new pre-school?
It has a lovely shaded yard, and a teacher apartment attached in back.

Zoning Approved!

The city of Lake Worth's zoning department has signed off on our establishing a school at Calvary United Methodist Church, saying the 1979 letter found in the building file proved that the church had been given approval to establish a school, and that other documents provided evidence that the building was used as a school. So that's great. Now we just have to go through the city's building department, the county fire department and the county health department. These are going to be harder.

Old Blueprints Tell Interesting Stories

Calvary United Methodist Church, as seen from First Avenue South

I told the city of Lake Worth last week, in the course of making a case for allowing a school at Calvary United Methodist Church without having to seek a Special Land Use Approval, that the classroom we'll be using is one of several classrooms added on to the church building intended as a school and used as a school at various points.

But this wasn't the whole story, I realize now, and not the strongest argument.

In looking over old blueprints over the last few days, I realized that the old church building on the corner of First Avenue South and Ocean Breeze included many classrooms and other areas that constituted a school. So it's not that there was a school added on to the back of this beautiful historic church in mid-century. The school was part of the original building. This building was meant to house a school!

The school must have been going strong, because in 1953 many more classrooms were added. In blueprints from the 1990s, a total of 10 rooms are marked as classrooms, in addition to a nursery, an office (a school office, presumably), a fellowship hall, kitchen, rec hall, 'heritage room,' library and chapel. This is a full-blown school, for sure! It just hasn't been used as a school in a very long time -- since 1980, as far as I could tell from sifting through the building file.

Verdict: The Tree Must Come Down

Tree expert number two was out to look at the eucalyptus tree in the back yard of the church today and said without a doubt, it needs to be chopped down.

 

The tree, said arborist Patrick Snyder (in pic below) has been dying for a very, very long time, and needs to be cut down to the stump. And this is not going to be a small job, I could see as he measured the trunk. It's more than four feet in diameter. The nice thing, he noted, is that once the tree comes down, we have a blank slate.

 

Yes, I said, and we plan to fill it with trees and paths and a garden and a sandbox and so many things. The eucalyptus branches can be borders for sandy paths and can be used to build a sandbox. And the tree trunk can be sliced and used for stairs, or as part of a foot path. Who needs pavers?

 

 

 

This Might Really Work!

Step One with the City of Lake Worth is to determine whether we are even allowed to put a school in the church...whether this is in compliance with the city's zoning code. If there wasn't some record of an approval for a school, then we would have to pay $1550 for a Special Land Use Aprroval, and go before the city's Zoning Board to request this.

But lo and behold, in going through the building file for the church yesterday at the city's offices, I found a letter dated September 12, 1979 from the city's Zoning Board of Appeals notifying the church of unanimous approval for a day care center. There is also correspondence in the file from 1980 referencing a school that was meeting at the church, called the Troywood Videam School.

So, things look very good. We don't know for sure yet. But it sounds like the city may be ok with a school returning to Calvary United Methodist Church. The next stop then would be the building department. I expect some snags there, or challenges, as we may have to make changes to parking spaces and doors to comply with city codes. That could get pricey.

Shopping for Toys

I found three wooden toys at the thrift store over the last week that I think will be a great start to a collection of things for our classroom. The first was this Noah's ark with wood animals and Noah himself. I think the children will like it. I see it in the center courtyard, just outside the classroom, surrounded by small potted plants. I don't think Noah and animals will mind a little rain.



Noah's Ark, with horses, camel, Noah, giraffes and elephant (not pictured).

Thinking About the Small Things

As I think about opening this school, I'm thinking about a lot of big things: planting the trees, putting in the playground, installing a dishwasher... But I'm also studying pictures online of Waldorf preschool classrooms, and trying to think small. I'm thinking about corners of rooms and what interesting little things should be in them, and how a child might want to play there. I just love this picture I found of a little pre-school classroom at the Portland Waldorf School in Milwaukie, Oregon. The mom who posted it on her blog responded to my e-mail request and said she wouldn't mind me using it at all.

As with most Waldorf pre-schools, the toys are mostly made of wood, or other natural materials, and are purposely plain, so that the child can use his own imagination in playing with them. The walls are also important. Rudolf Steiner, whose philosophy of learning Walforf schools follow, believed that in early childhood, in particular, the environment should be homelike, with warm pastel colors used.

Our Space

I haven't gotten to spend much time in the space we've rented, so am glad I took a couple of pictures when I was there last week. I love to look at these and imagine what this room could be, and what it will be. I see pastel walls and sheer curtains and wooden toys... It's going to be beautiful.

Our little classroom at Calvary United Methodist Church, as it has come to us.

Meeting the Government

Alexandria and I had the first meeting with the county health department today. It was not that bad. The woman we met with, Nahami Noel, has a lovely soft way about her, and seems genuinely interested in assisting with information and guidance. But...we are starting from the beginning. So this is all going to take some time. We'll need a new floor, and new sinks put in, and dividers purchased... and a playground purchased and installed and trees planted. And then we'll have to get an architect to do a site plan and a floor plan...and then we submit everything and the process really starts. But at least we're getting a much better picture here of what will need to be done. It is all coming into focus.

Alexandria

I'm very happy to have Alexandria on board as the school's first teacher and my colleague in establishing The Bryant Park Pre-School. She just has the best temperament -- always calm, always logical, kind and dependable.

And I am delighted that she is coming with me next Wednesday to the first meeting with the Palm Beach County Health Department to look at the blueprints of the building...particularly since she knows how to read a site plan. What luck!

She doesn't like having her picture taken, but I wanted to put her picture up here, as she will play a big part in everything that happens over the coming months.

She's not only caring for my child during the day, working with him on letters and numbers and taking him to the library and around town, but she's imagining the school along with me, thinking how everything should be, AND is going to be taking classes at Palm Beach State College in the evenings and on Saturdays to get her childcare certification.

Waldorf Schools In South Florida

The other night I found a Waldorf school in Boca Raton that is opening opened a pre-school in January.

And just now, I found online a Waldorf school in Miami:

http://www.waldorfmiami.org/Our%20School.htm

So we would have neighbors to the south. Mentors, maybe. I'm going to plan some day trips.

Waldorf Schools on television, computers, etc.

I didn't grow up with a television in the house. And I've chosen not to have a television in the home now that I have a young child. I know there are good things on TV. But kids like to play with remote controls, and when they start changing channels, they begin to be exposed to a lot of things that change them, and chip away at their innocence.

So I was glad to see that Waldorf schools recommend no television for young children. But then I saw that they also would prefer young children not be exposed to computers...or recorded music. Hmmm...

My son likes music very much, and as I don't have much of a singing voice, or an instrument here at home that I can play, he would not get to hear music if we didn't play CDs sometimes and watch YouTube clips of Frank Sinatra and Bette Midler.

But maybe it doesn't mean no recorded music ever. Maybe it means that there shouldn't be music playing in the home and in the car all the time -- because that makes it harder to hear. And if kids can't hear, they can't learn language. I get it.

Planting Trees

The paperwork says the children must have a play yard. Fenced. We have that. But then it says it must have areas of shade. And we don't have that. So trees will have to be planted. There should be one very big one, I'm thinking. I think the children would like one like THIS:



A postcard from 1912(?) (State Archives of Florida)

Got the Space

I just signed the lease this afternoon on the classroom that will become The Bryant Park Pre-School. Thanks Tami and Calvary United Methodist Church! I know you'll be a great partner. We have a long process ahead and lots of paperwork to get through. But for some reason, I'm undaunted.

What is a Waldorf School?

I mention in the right-hand margin that I would like to maybe make the school a Waldorf school. Waldorf refers to a method of teaching children modeled on the ideas of an Austrian named Rudolf Steiner. It is similar to Montessori in its emphasis on each child as an individual, and also in the way classrooms are set up, with a lot of wood and natural materials and soft colors. You can read more by clicking on this link:

http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/

And here's a photo of a Waldorf pre-school classroom in Princeton, New Jersey. Isn't it lovely?

Waldorf School of Princeton

Paperwork

There's a lot of paperwork involved in setting up a  pre-school, even a small one. The first order of business, the paperwork says, is to get two copies of floor plans and two copies of blueprints. And then to get with the building department, fire department, health department, and a few other entities. Boy. It could take four months to get this open, instead of two. So glad to have Alexandria taking care of my child meanwhile, and a great space. The longer we have, the more beautiful we're going to be able to make it for the day when the other kids come.

The Very Beginning

I'm about to sign a lease on a wonderful classroom at Calvary United Methodist Church that will become The Bryant Park Pre-School. It's all happened so quickly that I'm sure someday I'll stop and wonder about the confluence of events.

But for now, I have no time to ponder this. I am thinking about Dawn dishwashing liquid, the blue kind, and how I need to buy a bottle of this pronto, along with toilet paper and paper towels and a few other sundries to bring over to the church once I've got the lease signed...because my two-year-old and Alexandria, who will be leading the pre-school, will be using this as their home base for the next three months as I work towards completing all the paperwork to get the space approved as a child-care facility.