Friends of Montessori Foundation

The Friends of Montessori Foundation (FOMF), the fundraising organization for the Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter School (MRGC), is amidst a monumental journey to create a Lifelong Learning Community, by making Montessori education accessible to all.

The Montessori method is a unique progressive educational model that identifies and encourages student’s natural curiosities fostering what we term “the human potential”. Montessori inspires and nurtures student’s interests in learning through hands-on educational techniques and child-centered learning. Conventional standards such as the blackboard and assigned seating become unnecessary as teachers (two per class) move around the room providing small group or personal teaching. Students leave school “sounding out words, making books, writing pages of addition problems (for fun!), and schooling you about how to respect, reuse and recycle!” (Wendy Miner Ashby, Parent, MRGC).

The Friends of Montessori Foundation (FOMF) was established to support the Montessori of the Rio Grande as it switched from a private educational facility to a public charter school (Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter, MRGC) six years ago. A typical private Montessori education costs around $12,000.00 a year, ours is completely free. This translates to a diverse student population serving Hispanics and Caucasians in equal proportion as well as 10% special needs students incorporated at all times in classrooms.