SchoolHouse Fellowship Program
SchoolHouse was founded on the belief that if you pair an excellent teacher with a truly small group of students, magic happens. We’re on a mission to make the promise of small class sizes a reality by helping entrepreneurial teachers create innovative microschools. Our microschools are tiny -- just 5 - 10 students, of the same or similar grade level, who are learning, growing, and socializing together. Each of our microschools is the living embodiment of the teacher’s educational philosophy and vision, freed from the administrivia that constricts teachers in traditional school settings.
Once your school is fully enrolled, you’ll become a full-time SchoolHouse employee with a full-time salary and benefits, including health and dental. In addition, we’ll handle all of the administrative work of operating your school so that you can focus on what you love--teaching students. We’ll invoice families; purchase curriculum, materials, and supplies on your behalf; and help out should any challenges arise.
And perhaps most importantly, you’ll be a part of a growing microschool community. As a part of that community, you’ll be assigned your own coach, who will check-in regularly with you to make sure everything is going well. You’ll also be able to participate in regular SchoolHouse professional development opportunities.
Amazing benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
Paid time off and sick leave because we understand that life happens.
An amazing support team to help you reach your fullest potential.
Being a successful microschool founder requires different skills than being a successful teacher.
In addition to being a passionate educator, the most successful microschool founders are driven entrepreneurs with two key qualities:
They view challenges and roadblocks that arise as opportunities for creativity and hard work, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get their microschool up and running.
They have a unique vision for their microschool, and are strong communicators--people who have the ability to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders and invest others in their vision.
- Attend SchoolHouse onboarding
- Begin networking with your SchoolHouse cohort of microschool founders
- Begin marketing your microschool through a variety of channels, including social media and local, in-person events.
- Network with local service providers
- Host webinars aimed at local parents
- Host coffee chats with local parents
- Register your first student
- Host bi-weekly cohort meetings
- Provide feedback on marketing plan
- Support with webinars
- Provide enrollment agreements, issue invoices for deposits and process payments
- Continue marketing your microschool through a variety of channels
- Run pilot or other programs for students, for free
- Register an additional 3+ students to reach your minimal viable number to start your microschool
- Continue to provide marketing and sales support
- Finalize microschool policies and procedures
- Onboard registered students and families
- Submit purchase requests for necessary curriculum materials and supplies
- Brush up on all curriculums and receive training on any curriculums you are unfamiliar with
- Create detailed units and lesson plans for the first month of school
- Provide targeted feedback on policies and procedures provided by the teacher
- Process purchase requests for any curriculum materials and supplies that are needed
- Run your microschool
- Continue to submit purchase requests for curriculum materials and supplies - as needed
- Reach out to your SchoolHouse coach for support - as needed
- Participate in SchoolHouse professional development opportunities
- Check-in weekly to provide teacher support
- Organize and run professional development opportunities
- Process bi-monthly payroll
- Provide teachers with access to benefits - as needed
- Invoice parents - as needed
- Process payments - as needed
We will begin new cohorts two times per month. The first day will include a live training session from 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Following that initial training session there will be bi-weekly cohort sessions. The training program would continue throughout the 2021-2022 school-year, and will begin on the following dates:
SchoolHouse’s signature microschool founder training program is designed to prepare teachers to design, market, and ultimately open their own microschool.
We will begin new cohorts two times per month. The first day will include a live training session from 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Following that initial training session there will be bi-weekly cohort sessions. The training program would continue throughout the 2021-2022 school-year, and will begin on the following dates:
- July 19
- August 2 & 16
- September 13 & 27
- October 4 & 18
- November 8
- December 6
- January 10 & 24
- February 7 & 28
- March 7 & 21
The initial kickoff, which includes a live training session, will be one and a half hours. Bi-weekly cohort sessions will be one hour. Outside of that, we expect that it will take 5 - 10 hours of work per week in order to get your microschool up and running in the fall of 2022. Ultimately, how much time you dedicate to founding your own microschool, however, is entirely up to you.
We’ll cover everything you need to know in order to found your own microschool! This includes training on creating your vision, marketing your school, and enrolling students and families. As you enroll students, training will continue on topics including policies and procedures for your micrschool, creating a daily schedule, and curriculum planning.
The training program is voluntary and unpaid. Once your microschool is fully enrolled, you would become a full-time employee, with a salary and benefits, for the school year during which your microschool is operational. For example, if you plan and market your microschool throughout the 2021-2022 school year, and as a result of your efforts you enroll 7 students to begin in September 2022, you would become a full-time SchoolHouse employee on September 1, 2022.
That depends! We’ll work with you at the beginning of the training program in order to set your student tuition, and understand how that tuition and the number of students enrolled in your microschool impact the salary you can earn. In general, most of our microschools are between 5 - 8 students.
Don't Take Our Word For It
I've never had it so good. My classroom is just 8 students and I can take the time to really get to know and understand them. I finally feel like I can give every student the attention they deserve.
SchoolHouse made it incredibly easy to get started with a microschool! They handled finding the families, payment processing, and the legal and regulatory aspects. All I had to do was show up and teach.
The team at SchoolHouse is always available. Management has been incredibly supportive and responsive for everything I've needed.
