Location, Location, Location!

Selecting a location for your school will affect decisions within your community of interested families. Whether we like it or not, many families are comfortable about the idea of the school, but as soon as it becomes a concrete object there is a whole other emotional relationship.

The space should feel comfortable and homey to the kids, not sterile and institutional.

Many people will be excited to have a dream start to become real, but some may not feel comfortable with the part of town (feel unsafe, foreign, distant or unfamiliar), and others may not have a good feeling about the building (dark, old, dirty, or outdated). Do not be surprised if you lose a few people over your choice of location. It may not happen, or they may not tell you this is the reason they left, but it can be quite challenging to get something that pleases everyone.

Location Selection Strategy

Here are a few different approaches based on what resources you’re working with, so let’s break it down:

• You have immediate access to real estate: Some schools or homeschool groups have a family with a big house, a business with extra room, or a connection to someone who can gift or provide space. If your group is in this position, then jump ahead to the later sections about Facilities.

• You have access to money or financial backing: If your group has people who are willing to donate or invest in the school, or maybe sign to guarantee your rent or mortgage, then you have some great options available to you. Based on your sponsors and your budgeting, you should be able to figure out how much rent or mortgage overhead you’re willing to have and be able to shop for properties in that price range.

• You don’t have access to much money: Many school start-ups find themselves in this position: a lot of committed people, but no wealthy benefactor. In this case, one of the best places to start is by looking into churches. A school can often share a space with the Sunday School and other meeting rooms of a church who only uses the space on Sundays or evenings. This strategy is frequently successful in landing a reasonable space, but does involve creative ways to keep your things and their things in the space, and usually an attentive clean-up on Fridays. Continuing to grow your community of supporters can also bump you up to being in one of those other categories above, so keep having the conversations which grow your community membership and resources. Sometimes other private schools have extra space and can use the additional income of renting out a few rooms. However, be warned that the playful/expressed culture of an ALC often clashes with way that most schools expect their children to behave (in other words, quietly) and can lead to conflicts in sharing space.

Facility Requirements

Size / Capacity / Structure

Your space needs to be big enough to accommodate the energy and activities of your students. It is useful to plan for different spaces -- some quiet, some comfortable, some for messier activities (art, eating). First, consider how many students you’ll have in your first year or two, and what ages and energy levels they are likely to be. Then ask these questions about different sites:

• How many creative and energetic students can share this space?

• How can we divide it into different workspaces?

• Is it possible for quiet activities to be separated from louder ones?

• Is there adjacent outdoor space or parks for active play?

• Are there enough electrical outlets for computers, lights, or other equipment?

• Are there some available walls for whiteboards and kanban boards?

Safety / Fire / Egress

Check your local zoning requirements for spaces with children of various ages. Sometimes there are requirements for certain types of fire alarms, or ground floor egress for younger children. Some questions:

• In case of a fire or emergency, are there easy routes and exits to get everyone out?

• Are the fire escapes safe for young children?

Equipping the Space

The space should feel comfortable and homey to the kids, not sterile and institutional. You can use bookshelves as walls to divide large rooms into smaller, cozier spaces. Ask your community to help find couches, pillows and comfy chairs. Make clear places for children to put and keep their stuff (lockers, hooks, shelves or cubbies). Include large solid tables for art projects. You can also have spaces be flexible for different seasons, events or activities.