About: We are a nurturing Montessori school and daycare serving children ages 6 weeks to 6 years old located in Loudoun County Virginia with over 6 acres of forest land for children to explore daily. Our philosophy is built on the foundation of respect for children's natural development, wonder, and curiosity. We plan to serve 60 children with a potential monthly gross of $90,000 to $120,000.
View our
Current Website here.
Values: We value small supportive school communities, supporting good teachers through growth and investment opportunities, the Montessori child-led philosophy, and getting children outside in nature daily.
Our Team: Highland Hills is led by a dedicated Montessori educator and entrepreneur, Sarah Aitken, with an M.Ed., AMI Montessori certification, and 15 years of teaching and global school development experience. Highland Hills also has an advisory board of composed of successful individuals in different sectors (technology, national security, law, education, engineering..). We would welcome addition advisory board members with interest
Our Target Market & Industry: Loudoun County has the highest median household income. out of all counties in Virginia. Median household income: $142,299. 91.7% above state median, 126.4% above national median. The home of Dulles International Airport, Loudoun has established a reputation as an international center for technology, communications and transportation. Bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains and Potomac River, Loudoun is widely known for its beautiful scenery, rich history and strong sense of community. The childcare market was valued at USD 209.92 billion in the base year and is expected to be valued at USD 339.62 billion, registering a CAGR of 10.10% over the forecast period. Factors such as the increasing number of single parents, rising demand for early childcare education, growing adoption of new learning technologies, and increasing onsite care facilities are expected to boost the market growth over the forecast period
Funding Request:
The Company requests total funding of $250,000.00 to be used for the following purposes:
$80,000 classroom furniture, supplies, and materials
$60,000 outdoor landscaping, fencing, and playground structures for multiple ages
$40,000 renovations to building (flooring, adding two sinks to classrooms, and adding kitchenette to downstairs level) $20,000 new septic tank on property to increase number of children for which the school can be licensed)
$10,000 marketing
$40,000 for staffing start-up costs (for 3 full-time employees)
Our Goals:
Short Term:
To receive funding by December 2023
To make first round of renovations and set-up classrooms by January 2024
To be fully accredited and operational by February 2024
To enroll 4 children by February 2024 with two teachers (myself and one hire)
To be fully operational, licensed as an in-home center, and enrolled for 12 children by June 2024
Long Term:
To be licensed as a day care center for 40 children with appropriate zoning and septic tank renovations completed by August 2024
To be operating at full capacity of 60 children (or maximum able to get licensed and special zoning permission for) children by 2026
Take out a second loan to develop a second location by January 2027
Promotional Strategy
The Company will promote sales using the following methods:
Professional Online Website
Google Ads, Google visibility, maximized SEOs
Facebook and Instagram Advertising Facebook Groups
Yelp
Care.com & Other Care Websites
Montessori Accrediting Bodies (AMS and Virginia Montessori Association)
State Websites for Licensed Providers/Centers
In-person tours & family fun events on-campus
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The campus is located in the popular and profitable Loudoun County, Virginia. The beautiful campus includes 6.5 acres of forest land and a multi-story school house building with a predicted capacity of 60 children. We have a strong scalable education business model with plans to purchase other residential properties and establish additional small Montessori schools around the NOVA area, primarily teacher-led, with minimal overhead costs.
Weaknesses
While located in Loudoun County, Highland Hills is located outside of Leesburg central and off a dirt road. However, school is minutes away from the highway populated thousands of DC commuters each day. In my market research, many families are interested with website and phone getting frequent traffic and interest without any marketing budget assigned with interest in philosophy and value. In order to license the school as a center, we will need to add an additional septic system and obtain a special permit from the county zoning office. While this is an expense, we believe the additional revenue will be worth the cost.
Opportunities
Increasing need for both part and full-time child care in Loudoun County. Increasing demand for high quality and flexible child care options. Increasing interest in and demand for Montessori and Nature Learning daycare options. Loudoun County is the highest earning county in Virginia so parents have more money to allocate to child care. There are no other Montessori daycares in the specific area Highland Hills is located in.
Threats
Actual final number of maximum capacity is determined by both zoning and licensing, so while I have an expected target, it could be lower than expected.
Competition
In the early childhood educationindustry, customers make choices based upon parents will choose our school and child care over others because of location, philosophy, accredited teachers, and value. .
The level of competition is Low to Moderate competition
The primary competitors for the business are the following:
The Montessori School of Leesburg The Montessori School of Purcellville
Villa Montessori School
Guidepost Montessori Purcellville
There are no Montessori schools within 15 minutes of our exact location and Montessori schools in the area have waitlists. There are also a few nature/farm learning schools successfully operating in the area, but these are either at max capacity or do not include a preschool.
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We hope you will join us along this journey to meet an increasing need in Loudoun County (and nationally) and mission to provide high-quality service to teachers, families, and children. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.