Footprint
47 Schools
The Wildflower network includes 47 schools, 21 of which have opened since the start of the pandemic. Each school is funded 50% through philanthropic seed grants and 50% through low interest, unsecured loans to Teacher Leaders, who autonomously design and lead their schools as social entrepreneurs.
12 States and Puerto Rico
Wildflower schools operate in California, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.
Each school serves a 3-year age band following the Montessori convention (e.g., 0-3 year olds, 3-6 year olds). Schools operate as non-profit childcare centers, micro-charters, and voucher funded independent schools.
62%
Preschool (3-6)
19%
Pre-preschool (0-3)
17%
Elementary school
2%
Secondary school
19%
Pre-preschool (0-3)
17%
Elementary school
2%
Secondary school
62%
Preschool (3-6)
Demographics
56%
Students who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color
42%
Teacher Leaders who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color
32%
Students who live in families that qualify as low-income based on HUD income limits
Nearly 1,000
Wildflower schools serve nearly 1,000 students across the United States and Puerto Rico
Growth
73%
Growth per year from 2015-2020
+21
Grew from 26 to 47 schools since the start of the pandemic
40%
Wildflower’s network is projected to grow approximately 40% per year going forward
Outcomes
84 NPS
Wildflower families gave their schools a Net Promoter Score of 84 in the 2020-21 school year
90% Teacher Retention
Average year over year teacher retention is 90%
30% Higher Compensation
Average compensation for a Wildflower Teacher Leader is 30% higher than the average Montessori teacher, 75% higher than that of an average preschool teacher, and 25% higher than the average child care director.
“My number one responsibility as a parent is to keep my kids safe. Picking a school was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I had never had my boys in day care – they’d been with me, my husband or my mother in law. Finding a school that we felt confident in was a huge decision.
From the day we came for the open house, I was almost in tears because I felt so at home. I felt like my kids really had a place that was safe. Not just physically safe but safe for them to have emotions and go through struggles. The teachers here have become like extra family – like aunts to my boys.
They come home and tell me stories about how they worked through this or talked through that and what they learned about life – that I didn’t teach them. I see them handling it so beautifully. Every day they’re in a space that is safe in all different ways.”
– PARENT AT COSMOS MONTESSORI SCHOOL IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN
“My why – why open my own school, why Wildflower, why Rose – is to invest in underserved communities like the communities where I come from in New York City. The core of my work is investing in Black, Indigenous, People of Color and providing liberatory education. Living into that investment as a Teacher Leader has been an incredible journey.”
CORINA VELAZQUEZ
FOUNDER AND TEACHER LEADER
THE ROSE SCHOOL NEW YORK, NY
“Roxbury Roots was an answer to the questions that people kept asking me: How do I educate my son? How do I bring more culture? How do I get this Montessori education? How do I afford this education? To open a school in a place where I was born feels really good. To give back to and contribute to the community where I was born feels really good.”
RENEE JOLLEY
FOUNDER AND TEACHER LEADER
ROXBURY ROOTS
ROXBURY, MA
Financial Snapshot
High level financial snapshot of our schools and Foundation
$150,000
Average national and local startup grants per new school
$100,000
Average loan per new school
$250,000
Average total startup cost per new school
$8 million
Wildflower total annual budget
The Wildflower Foundation
1330 Lagoon Ave, 4th Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Email Address
Phone Number
(612) 492-1858
