the school on the hill

The School on the HillMission, Philosophy, Numbers

Richard SugermanApril 2012

This prospectus for The School on the Hill is the work of Richard Sugerman.

Mission

To provide a high quality early childhood education program for preschool age children of varied socioeconomicbackgrounds that will prepare them for school and life success.

Philosophy

Young children need background knowledge before they can participate fully in the public education system andreap the benefits that wonderful yet underfunded system provides. Young children build background knowledgeby engaging with caring, interested, knowledgeable adults and other children in an environment that valuesdiscovery, curiosity, independence, differences, cooperation, problem solving and responsibility.

Young children are drawn to nature and it is The School on the Hill’s belief that providing a “farm school”atmosphere for children who are mostly sequestered from nature by virtue of the city they live in is the bestway to provide rich learning opportunities that matter to young children. Early childhood education studies andliterature support this (Dewey, Piaget, Vygostsky, Meier, Ravitch, Krashen, Pink, and Sokol, among others).

Learning by growing and then harvesting vegetables, raising and caring for small animals, playing in an idyllicnatural setting and following ones’ bliss in a rich atmosphere filled with opportunities to engage by touching,manipulating, listening and seeing is what comes naturally, and The School on the Hill is able, ready andcommitted to providing that.

The School on the Hill will provide an environment that is conducive to these ends by offering a program that is:

Child centered: The curriculum will be student/child centered as described by Dewey, Vygotsky, Meierand Piaget. Activities and opportunities for discovery will be provided and teachers will guide andfacilitate the natural learning process present in all human beings.

Nature centered learning: The School on the Hill will offer opportunities to grow food and eat it. Therewill be animals to engage with and care for (bunnies, chickens, ??) as well as opportunities fordiscovering the nature that surrounds The School on the Hill.

Myriad activities: Along with nature and animals there will be art, music, drama, movement, puppets,games, toys, books, cooking, baking, singing, sleeping as well as outside specialists who will come in tooffer unique opportunities.

Diverse student population: Children come in all shapes and sizes and with all kinds of interests, skills,needs and desires. Learning to live together and work together is paramount to a happy life and TheSchool on the Hill will honor that by providing subsidized tuition for families who need it via highertuition for those who can afford it as well as grants from local businesses and philanthropists. Diversity isthe spice of life. Every culture will be honored.

Location: The School on the Hill is located in Richmond Heights, just a stone’s throw from centralRichmond. There is Wildcat Creek, giant oak trees, lush gardens, fruit trees, vegetable gardens andlovely neighbors. There is ample space for running, playing, picking berries, and digging in the sandbox.Tucked among the trees and away from the quiet street, The School on the Hill is safe and quiet and likebeing in a cabin in the woods. Children will love it.

Partner with the community: The School on the Hill intends to collaborate with as many localbusinesses/professionals as can be arranged. Chevron is one that has a program in place, and The Schoolon the Hill fits Chevron’s mission and will apply for a grant. There are many opportunities to partnerwith other smaller businesses, too. The School on the Hill anticipates positive feedback from localpediatricians, pediatric dentists, R & Rs, photographers, tech companies and private individuals.

Leadership

Richard Sugerman, BA (Humanities)/MA (Developmental Psychology) holds a CaliforniaMultiple Subject Teaching Credential and an Elementary Teaching Credential in New Jersey.Richard taught k-2 in the Berkeley Unified School District for 13 years where he was the alsothe disaster preparedness coordinator, math leader and tech specialist. Richard was thedirector of Camp Kee Tov in Berkeley, and taught preschool and ran after school programs formany years in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland.

As an educator, Richard is highly regarded. Students were excited to come to school because Richard’sclassroom was a welcoming place that respected each child and provided opportunities for children to satisfytheir curiosity -- a basic pedagogical tenet Richard firmly believes should be in every classroom.

As a 2nd grade teacher in California, Richard was required to administer the STAR test –the standardized test all2nd-12th grade students take near the end of the year, commonly known as “high-stakes” testing. Richard’sstudents outperformed the school, district, and state averages 3 years in a row.

Richard is an early childhood education expert, both academically and practically with over 30 years ofexperience working with children, leading programs as well as teams of educators.

Area Assessment

The School on the Hill will be in East Richmond Heights, Contra Costa County, California, a stone’s throw fromRichmond proper; a mile from San Pablo and McBryde and just off The Arlington, near the Wildcat CanyonAlvarado Staging Area of the East Bay Regional Parks system. During WWII Richmond was home to one of thelargest shipbuilding endeavors of the war. Many workers –mainly African Americans— moved to Richmond forthe many great jobs, and Richmond boomed. After the war the shipyards were empty and eventuallyabandoned. The area has struggled ever since.

Richmond is now home to many immigrants from El Salvador, making it a rich and vibrant community filled withmany specialty markets and restaurants. The School on the Hill will serve the community by subsidizing tuitionfor local residents who need it. We intend to have a mixed student body of affluent and financially challengedstudents that has its efficacy rooted in research like that from the Coleman Report and subsequent research thathas shown for decades that a mixed student body is good for everyone developmentally.

Spanish is widely spoken in Richmond and The School on the Hill will hire bilingual teachers.

There are ten local small preschools (preschools and family home daycares) within 3 miles and all but three havewaiting lists. None provides the kind of wooded seclusion available at The School on the Hill and a credentialed

teacher runs only one. It is clear that The School on the Hill offers a level of ability and knowledge that farexceed what is currently available in the area.

Similar full-day programs in the area range from $900/month up to $2000/month. Some programs begin at 7am,others at 8am. Most go until 6pm. The School on the Hill will operate from 7am to 6pm M-F and charge$1500/month for a full day program. With an enrollment of 10 students, The School on the Hill will need fivefull-time students at full price to be able to subsidize five full-time students at half-price. This seems eminentlydoable and does not figure in any grants that may be available and does not assume full capacity (14). Thefollowing Contra Costa County demographic information can be found at Census.gov(http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html).

Population, 2010 103,701

Persons under 5 years 7.4%

Hispanic/Latino Population 39.5%

White Population 17.1%

Black Population 26.6%

% Change from 2010-2011

Children 2 years +4%




The percent change figures above indicate that Richmond’s young child population has grown. The samepopulations statewide have shrunk. This indicates a definite need for childcare programs in Richmond.

Chevron, one of the largest businesses in Richmond, provides grant opportunities to local businesses that meettheir philanthropic mission, and assisting low-income families with day care is part of their mission. The Schoolon the Hill plans to apply for grants once open for business.

Facility

The School on the Hill will be a Large Family Home Daycare, as defined by the California Department of SocialServices, the licensing agency. The license is in part contingent upon approval of the structure by the agency,one major impetus for the purchase of the property.

The Large Family Home Daycare designation requires that the school be located in the home providing for ahome-like atmosphere. This means that there is a kitchen, bathrooms, couches, and other things you wouldconsider that make a “home.” The designation requires the rooms used be part of the house structure.

The School on the Hill has dedicated space for students to have ongoing projects that won’t be disturbed, aplace to call their own and opportunities to make it their own.

The house is located on 2/3 of an acre of terraced land (see plot map below). Adjacent to the house is anadditional lot (included in the 2/3 of an acre figure) where the undeveloped outside space will provide room torun, a large sand box, a climbing structure (tree house?), lush vegetation and raised garden beds. It will also bewhere the bunnies and chickens will be housed. A small deck can be used as a stage for outside performances.

The house is tucked behind another house—the driveway crosses an easement meaning there is no streetbordering the house, making it quiet, safe, and secluded.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/18514760_zpid/#/homes/for_sale/Richmond-CA/26751_rid/37.95209,-122.312627,37.950853,-122.31687_rect/18_zm/1_fr/

The top arrow points to the lot where the house is located. The middle arrow points to the adjacent lot. (Themap is from Zillow and those are Zillow’s estimates of the values of the properties seen in the picture.) Thebottom arrow shows the driveway from Park Avenue passes by the house ($316K) on the right of the driveway.There is no vehicle access to the smaller lot. There is a gate just to the left of the The School on the Hill (bluetriangle) to gain access to the lot, and that is how children will get there.

You can also see how lush the grounds are. They need to be cut back on the vacant lot, and that is the $3000yard cleanup figure in the startup costs matrix below.

Numbers

The property (both lots) was most recently on the market for $299K and did not sell. The plumbing issue mayhave been a determining factor. These figures assume a $300K thirty year mortgage. It may be possible to get abetter rate and/or negotiate a lower purchase price.

Startup Costs:

Down payment $30,000Plumbing $6000Furniture $3000

Yard Cleanup $3000Advertising $2000

Gross Motor $1000Inc. Fees $1000

Fine Motor $700Easels, wood, sand, paper/rack $1800

License fee $200Phone hookup $100

Misc. $1200TOTAL $50,000

Monthly Expenses

Mortgage $1800Insurance $400

Supplies $400Utilities $1000Director $3900

Aid x 3 $2400Bookkeeper $200

TOTAL $10,100

Monthly Revenue# Students Days/Week Fee

5 3 $750 $37505 5 $1400 $7000

Monthly Revenue $10750

The maximum capacity is 14, and these numbers assume the minimum capacity required for the higheststudent/teacher ratio possible. In fact, as numbers of students increase to full capacity, the number of teacherswill not need to increase, rather, it may become possible to hire better qualified teachers and/or increaseworker benefits.

Richard [email protected]

Employment

TEACHER, SECOND GRADE 1997 to 2009Berkeley Unified School District Berkeley, California

Taught kindergarten, first, and second grades. I was the disaster preparedness leader and technology leader. I amCLAD certified.

DIRECTOR, CAMP VALLEY CHAI 1996 TO 1997North Valley Jewish Community Center Granada Hills, California

Revamped and improved quality of camp program with 300K budget. Attained ACA accreditation. Introducednew policies and method of staff training. Computerized registration process, improving clarity and trackingcapability.

YOUTH SERVICES COORDINATOR 1996 TO 1997North Valley Jewish Community Center Granada Hills, California

Made application and obtained Child Day Care Facility permit, made capital improvements to the site, increasedenrollment, streamlined and enforced records procedures, developed and implemented staff training procedures.

DIRECTOR, AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS 1992 - 1996Bentley School Oakland, California

Responsible for hiring, training and supervision of 10 day care staff. Duties include hiring specialists to enhanceprogram, all administrative duties including budget management for Child Care Dept. serving 50 children dailyages 5-13 yrs.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR, CAMP KEE TOV 1988 - 1995Congregation Beth El Berkeley, California

Responsible for hiring, training and supervision of 89 staff. Responsible for 315K budget, all administrativeduties associated with Camp serving 700 children/summer, ages 4-13 yrs.

DIRECTOR, AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM 1988 – 1991Black Pine Circle School Berkeley, California

Responsible for hiring, training and supervision of 1 staff member. Duties include hiring specialists to enhanceprogram, all administrative duties including budget management for Child Care Dept. serving 25 children dailyages 5-13 yrs.

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