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The age-old question of the chicken and the egg—what comes first?—is a fitting metaphor for launching Atlas Montessori High School. Just like in nature, where both the chicken and the egg are necessary for life to continue, a school requires several essential elements working together to take flight: teachers, students, space, and funding.
The Dilemma: What Comes First
When starting a school, the challenge isn’t just having all the pieces—it’s figuring out how to make them come together at the right time.
Teachers: A school needs passionate, skilled educators, but teachers need to know they have students to teach and a space to work in before they can fully commit.
Students: Families are eager to enroll their children, but they need assurance that there will be a space, teachers, and a well-structured learning experience before they sign up.
Space: A location is necessary for the school to operate, but leasing space requires funding, and landlords want to know there’s a solid plan before they commit to a lease.
Money: Funding is essential to secure a space, pay staff, and launch operations. However, donors and supporters often want to see proof that the school has students, teachers, and a viable plan before they contribute.
Each of these elements relies on the others, creating a complex, interconnected puzzle—just like the chicken-and-egg question.
Making It Work: Bringing the Pieces Together
Rather than waiting for one perfect piece to fall into place before moving forward, AtlasMHS is weaving these elements together strategically:
Grassroots Fundraising: Since large upfront funding isn’t guaranteed, we are relying on community support—garage sales, Paint & Sip events, holiday sales, and local business partnerships—to fund the school’s early needs.
Building Interest First: By holding parent information nights, talking to families, and reaching out to Montessori schools, we are ensuring there is a demand for enrollment before finalizing a location.
Flexible Planning: Instead of securing a large, permanent location from the start, we are looking for a smaller leased space that allows for gradual growth. This makes it possible to open with a manageable number of students and staff, ensuring sustainability.
Investing in the Right Order: With each step, we are balancing what we can secure first. Interest from families leads to commitments, which strengthens our ability to hire teachers. Small-scale fundraising provides initial resources, which allows us to take steps toward leasing space.
The Takeaway: It’s Not One or the Other—It’s All at Once
Just like in nature, there is no single “first” step in opening a school. Instead, the key is to move forward with all elements in motion, nurturing each part until they come together as a fully functioning school. AtlasMHS is embracing this challenge—ensuring that teachers, students, space, and funding all develop in tandem, rather than waiting for one to be fully established before the others follow.
It’s not about solving the chicken-and-egg question; it’s about creating the right environment so both can thrive—so Atlas Montessori High School can hatch, grow, and take flight.
