About the Canaan Space Montessori Project
The project was initially conceived to provide a learning resource for parents to show them how they could use the Montessori Method at home while homeschooling their children.
It has expanded considerably to become a Homeschool Center and Montessori School (currently for Primary-aged children, 3-6, and Elementary-aged children, 6-9).
Not only have we built a beautiful, fun and friendly space for children to play and learn, we have kitted two Montessori classrooms with all the material necessary to children to follow the complete Montessori program and for parents (and the odd professional teacher) to practice teaching their children using our facilities.
We hope to make the center as sustainable and self-funding as possible, but in order to keep it affordable and make the resources available to as many interested parents and their children as possible, we need help with the development of the facilities and purchase of equipment.
Currently, visitors pay a small ‘usage’ fee to help pay for the basic running costs, such as electricity, cleaning, coffee/tea; and they bring their own meals. Each family usually pays about ฿1500 per month.
The courses and seminars are charged at much lower-than-commercial rates, usually about ⅓ or ½ the price. This allows us to pay for teachers and trainers who usually accept below-market fees.
We aim to be as cost-efficient as possible. We buy good quality products and material, not necessarily the cheapest, but we try to find the cheapest sources. We also do as much of the construction by ourselves as possible, with the help of local freelance builders.
We’ve already funded most of the initial infrastructure ourselves, out of our own pockets, including the ฿200,000 foundation registration fee. And we’ve purchased all the Primary-level Montessori material, as well as musical instruments (including piano, keyboard, glockenspiel, drums, guitar, violins and saxophone) and playground equipment (including a giant trampoline).
However, we have plenty more plans for expansion, such as a science & chemistry lab of some kind, loads of books and media in English, Thai and Chinese to foster a love of reading and learning independently, and more musical instruments.
We’d also like to offer scholarships for aspiring teachers who want to become Montessori-trained to further their career.
Please note that we may use this funding towards further development of the foundation, so the money won’t be hoarded and lie idle in the bank account.
Projects and Funding Requirements
We also have ongoing expenses, which we expect will be paid for by charging school fees, access/usage fees, training courses, seminars and consultancy work.
| Project/Item | Funding Required | Funding Received | Funding Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montessori Teacher salary (annual) | 300,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Cleaning & catering | 60,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Training Scholarships | 32,000 - 128,000 | 0 | group | dependent on funding and need |
| Electricity/Internet | 30,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Telephone | 20,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Coffee/tea/snacks | 12,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Stationery | 12,000 | 0 | fees | |
| Other expenses (e.g. travel/taxi) | 20,000 | 0 | fees |
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