Charter Pathways
Wildflower Schools is a Charter Management Organization that supports local communities that want to establish a network of tuition-free microschools in their community. We currently have 8 primary and elementary charter school sites in 4 charters, serving over 180 students.
The journey to secure a charter demands a considerable amount of time and resources and we have a team that offers guidance, coaching, and tools that educators and communities can adapt to secure charter authorization in their city or state.
Supports for Charters include:
Cohort Learning & Collaboration
Provide cohorts of charter teams with opportunities for connection, collaborative problem-solving, learning, and resource sharing.
Charter Team Coaching & Support
Provide charter teams with contextualized support on charter visioning and design, applying for authorization, developing systems and operations, implementing and monitoring the 9 Wildflower Principles, and staying in compliance with the CSP grant.
Teacher Leader Coaching & Support
Support teacher leaders in
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completing the School Start-up Journey
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implementing Montessori curriculum and instruction,
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managing administrative tasks, including facilities, finances, and compliance, and
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partnering with student support services to monitor progress and optimize students’ learning experiences.
Charter Leader Coaching & Support
Support the charter leaders in
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learning and practicing the key competencies and habits required for charter administration: finance, contracts, HR, data management, charter governance, CSP and authorizer compliance, and fundraising, and
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developing and implementing a strategy for adding more micro-schools.
Learning Visits
Wildflower hosts learning visits so charter teams can see the Wildflower model and 9 Principles in action and apply what they learn to the design and execution of their own Wildflower Charter School.
Resource Bank
Give charter teams access to a robust library of self-directed learning modules, sensible default templates, and other tools that streamline charting planning, application, and start-up.
Convenings
Charter Teams attend virtual and in-person convenings to deepen their knowledge and skills in priority area and build community with other educators.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are charter schools?
A charter school is a tuition-free school of choice that is publicly funded but independently run.
How do micro charter schools work?
At fully build-out, the charter includes multiple micro-school sites, each with its own address and 1-2 classrooms. Since micro-school sites don't benefit from scale, they share "back office" and specialized student supports. Below is an example of what a Wildflower charter school might look like at full build out. Notice the 5 micro-schools (in green) and the shared centralized charter supports (in blue):
Charter School Grant (CSP) Recipients, 2023-24
We are proud to share that Wildflower Schools was a recipient of the , and is expanding access to public Montessori education through our Charter Schools. Below is a list of Wildflower schools that are slated to receive CSP funds for 2023-24 School Year. Over the next 5 years, we plan to grow into 7 charter schools and expand into 1 high school site. For the FY2024-205 grant year, the Wildflower Foundation anticipates granting planning funds to four charter schools before they secure a facility.
Here is the link to the FY 2023 CMO Seeds to Flower Federal Grant, and the Award Number is S282M23005.
Colorado
Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado (WMPSC) is rooted in our vision to create a network of community-embedded schools that are led by Teacher Leaders, co-created with families and partners, and enable all children to cultivate their unique identities and gifts in pursuit of their fullest potential as individuals and contributors to a more just world.
Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado (WMPSC) Aurora
Address: 1330 S. Potomac Street #104, Aurora, CO 80012
Grades served: PK-6
About the School: Serving students grades PK-6, the WMPSC Aurora charter school’s mission is to provide families with child-centered, authentic Montessori education that bridges academic outcomes and social-emotional development through intimate learning communities deeply rooted in place, equity, and belonging. We nurture each child’s unique academic and social needs by providing high-quality Montessori learning environments that:
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Offer identity-affirming, differentiated learning opportunities for all students;
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Meet or exceed Colorado state performance management framework standards;
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Partner with Colorado Charter School Institute’s (CSI) vision for hyper-local charter schools that meet the needs of their communities;
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Understand Aurora Public Schools (APS) 2026 Strategic Plan and APS Blueprint, and how these plans affect educational and community planning in Aurora;
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Consider Aurora’s diversity as one of the area’s greatest strengths and embrace Aurora’s 2020-2030 Immigrant Integration Plan
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Funding:
Year 1 (2023-2024) $417,693.50
Year 2 (2024-2025) $379,092.82
Year 3 (2025-2026) $275,694.54
Total Funding $1,072,480.86
Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado (WMPSC) Grand Valley
Address: TBD – Grand Valley, CO
Grades served: PK-6
About the School:The WMPSC Grand Valley charter school is creating an ecosystem of four intentionally small, teacher-led charter sites in the Grand Valley where students, grades PK-6, families, and teachers connect deeply and grow together through their school journey. Our mission is to provide families with child-centered, authentic Montessori education that bridges academic outcomes and social-emotional development through intimate learning communities deeply rooted in place, equity, and belonging. We nurture each child’s unique academic and social needs by providing high quality Montessori learning environments that:
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Offer identity-affirming, differentiated learning opportunities for all students;
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Align with Mesa County Valley School District D51’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan;
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Meet or exceed Colorado state performance management framework standards;
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Consider education to be integral to community health, supporting the transformative solutions outlined in the Mesa County Health Needs Assessment.
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CSP Seeds to Flowers Funding
Year 1 (2023-2024) $222,480.00
Year 2 (2024-2025) $333,332.77
Year 3 (2025-2026) $268,843.18
Year 4 (2026-2027) $194,332.09
Total Funding $1,018,988.04
