• Program type: Network
• Support level: Startup and ongoing operational support; individualized and cohort-style coaching; national founder community; access to startup capital and funding opportunities
• Education philosophy: Learner-centered Montessori education with an emphasis on equity and access
• Financial commitment: No-cost “School Startup Journey” incubator program; upon launch, founders commit to a membership agreement, including about 3 percent in annual revenue sharing
A year after Liberated Learners began helping more founders launch self-directed microschools, Wildflower opened its first teacher-led Montessori microschool in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since then, dozens of teacher-entrepreneurs have joined the Wildflower network, opening personalized Montessori microschools centered around a mission of expanding education equity and access. Interest continues to grow. In 2023, the Wildflower network received an average of 26 teacher inquiries per month from educators who were exploring the idea of launching a school. This year, that number has risen to an average of 40 inquiries a month, and more than 50 founding teams are currently participating in Wildflower’s extensive “School Startup Journey” incubator program.
When Imani Jackson learned about Wildflower’s mission and supportive network, she was hooked. A former public school teacher who also taught in an independent private school, Jackson first heard about Wildflower during the Covid pandemic when the school where she taught was closed for in-person learning and she was trying to find education resources for her young daughter, whose school was also closed. The robust one-on-one coaching and ongoing support from the Wildflower team and peer mentors, as well as access to grants and low-interest loans from the Wildflower Foundation, helped her to successfully launch her elementary microschool, Poinciana Montessori, in 2024. “Being part of the Wildflower network means having the initial financial resources, operational guidance, and heartfelt support needed to confidently start up our school,” said Jackson.
Wildflower particularly wants to help teachers open their microschools in low-income and underserved communities, where accessing startup funding can be difficult. Receiving a low-interest loan helped Jackson open her private school in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. It also provides a financial cushion as she builds her enrollment. Wildflower’s average loan amount ranges between $100,000 and $200,000, and the organization has provided more than $5 million in loans to founders. To receive her loan, Jackson had to demonstrate a clear pathway to profitability and loan pay-off over several years, as well as personally contribute at least 10 percent of the startup costs. A financial partner, as well as a supportive community of peers and mentors, Wildflower helps founders launch and grow successful, sustainable schools.
