The search for a new home for Everbloom Montessori included important criteria:
- In the City of Grand Rapids
- In a child care desert
- On a bus line
It took more than a year, but they found it.
The 14.263-square-foot building on Grand Rapids’ south side has “the shape, layout and size (that would) have been how we would have built it if we did it from scratch,” said Kate Robinson, Director of Growth and Partnerships. School leaders looked at five other properties before finding “the perfect location.” “We just think more high quality, early childhood education is needed everywhere, and working in the 49507 neighborhood is the right place to start,” Robinson said.
The $1.2 million property needs $2 million in renovations and, despite having worked for five years to find funding, school leaders were still scrambling as the property sat enticingly for sale.
Northern Initiatives stepped up and even brought along friends to help. The purchase and renovation are being funded through a partnership with West Shore Bank, Northern Initiatives, and First Children Finance.
“I knew as soon as I saw the amount they needed – $2 to $3 million – that we needed a bank to help,” said Venard Roberson, Northern Initiatives Commercial Lender. “I’ve been a lender long enough that I know what banks are looking for, so I went to Bobby Fisher at West Shore. He just gets it.”
Fisher knew a lot about the school, which was founded by a group of teachers during COVID, and understood the impact Everbloom could have in its new location, Roberson said. “The success of the school played a large part,” he said.
And, while Fisher knew Everbloom was meeting a need – “I have kids so I know there’s a need” –he also liked the business model. “It just makes sense,” he said.
The new school is next door to the Grand Rapids Boys and Girls Club and partnerships have already begun to form there as well. Students and staff look forward to to using the gymnasium and future playground during the day or in inclement weather. The two organizations hope to activate the strip of land between the buildings as shared public greenspace.
Everbloom also has a new partnership with Grove Montessori, a newly established tuition-free public micro-school that’s part of the Wildflower Network. Authorized by Grand Valley State University as a public charter, Grove will support at least 50 additional elementary students at full buildout, and open enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is underway. Capacity for infants to kindergarten will grow to 135 students when the buildout is complete.
The buildout is as intentional as the buying, and includes multiple sustainability features, including rainwater collection, solar-ready infrastructure for eventual panels, and mini-splits in all the classrooms.
The school receives no regular grant funding, but accepts the Michigan Childcare Scholarship, Michigan Tri-Share and is approved as a new Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), the state’s primary pre-K program. This all comes after opening in 2021, with no outside investment or state funding and a simple sliding-scale tuition model based on household income. The 20+ full-time staff members get benefits that include health insurance, professional development, and 10 paid days off in addition to the 27 school holidays and planned closures throughout the year. Most of the staff works year-round; a summer program runs Monday through Thursday.
