Community Forum

Every Californian is acutely aware that the State of California budget deficit is impacting the resources available to our schools, our teachers and our children. The impact is so great that each of us knows a family or a friend who is feeling the hurt. In this time of uncertainty, we must come together as a community to help in whatever means possible.

My children, Lily (7) and Olivia (5), attend Montessori Del Mar Learning Center. Montessori Del Mar is a free, public learning center in Fort Bragg. We have 20 students enrolled in grades Kindergarten through third. We envision a free, public Montessori primary and elementary learning center on the Mendocino coast. Our children are blessed to have an amazing Montessori school to attend and to work with such dedicated teachers. It is up to us to provide the tools needed so that their work may continue.

We have formed a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, Friends of Montessori Del Mar that provides support to the teachers and families. We raise much needed funds to augment our dwindling state budget allocation. Those funds are used to pay rent and buy classroom materials. This school year the cost to keep our learning center open has fallen to the parents. Our school district pays the salary of our teachers. Nothing more.

Our classroom is in need of many specialty items. Our wish list contains some items specific to a Montessori education and basic teaching materials, which we are not being funded by the state. Our community knows how to come together and help those in need. As our parent group comes together to meet the needs of our educators and our children, we ask our community to join us in helping us fulfill our mission.

- Outdoor cupboard or shed

- Blender and screens for paper making

- Old children’s dictionaries for cutting

- Flag-holder for outside

- Frames for art

- Outdoor thermometer

- Magnifying glasses

- Child sized guitar

- Juicer

- Chapter and story books

- High quality floor or table globe

- Fossils, gems and minerals

- Large sized tracing paper

- National Geographic magazines

- Large Hubble photos of space

- Slides and covers for the microscope

- Animal replicas, small and large

- Insect collection or specimens

- Flower press

- Leaf samples

- Unusual seeds

- Non-electric typewriter and ink

- Clay

- Modeling clay in many colors

- Large paper cutter

- Polaroid camera and film

- High quality ink jet paper

- Photo ink jet paper

- High quality color pastels

- Large sheets of colored pastel paper

- Outdoor child sized workbench

- Little table for potting plants

- Child sized sewing machine

- Fabric, natural materials

- Industrial dishwasher

- Quality, child sized musical instruments

- Keyboard and headphones

- Shoe rack

- Stamps for mailing letters

- Stamps for printing

- Cards and envelopes

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done…….And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities…All this we can do……And all this we will do” - President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009.

We may be contacted at 964-7311 or by mail at 19201 Del Mar Drive, Fort Bragg. Thank you for your support!

Susana Jung

Board President

Friends of Montessori Del Mar