By Iryna Drozdovska, Founder & CEO of Hopscotch Montessori, and international network of Montessori schools
Montessori School Expansion:
When a Dream Becomes the Next Step
A new campus, more classrooms, new programs, and the opportunity to welcome more children can feel like the natural next step for a successful Montessori school. But how do you know when your school is truly ready to expand? At Hopscotch, we are asking—and living—this question once again.
Our New York story continues with the expansion of our VIA 57 campus on Manhattan’s West Side. We are adding 7,000 square feet, doubling the size of the school and creating a campus with 12 classrooms and the capacity to welcome up to 220 children.
The additional space will allow us to expand our elementary program, create dedicated environments for art and science, and fulfill a long-held dream: welcoming children beginning at 12 months old.
But this decision did not happen overnight. It followed several years of observing our school’s development, analyzing the market, exploring different properties, evaluating opportunities, and negotiating with the landlord.
Growth may look exciting from the outside, but responsible expansion requires patience, research, courage, and an honest understanding of risk.
For me, expansion has never been about becoming bigger simply for the sake of growth. Expansion should begin with a clear purpose. You must understand why your community needs it, how it will strengthen your educational vision, and whether your organization is ready to support it. A dream gives you direction—but thoughtful planning makes that dream sustainable.
So, how can an educational entrepreneur determine whether the time is right?
Our New York story continues with the expansion of our VIA 57 campus on Manhattan’s West Side. We are adding 7,000 square feet, doubling the size of the school and creating a campus with 12 classrooms and the capacity to welcome up to 220 children.
The additional space will allow us to expand our elementary program, create dedicated environments for art and science, and fulfill a long-held dream: welcoming children beginning at 12 months old.
But this decision did not happen overnight. It followed several years of observing our school’s development, analyzing the market, exploring different properties, evaluating opportunities, and negotiating with the landlord.
Growth may look exciting from the outside, but responsible expansion requires patience, research, courage, and an honest understanding of risk.
For me, expansion has never been about becoming bigger simply for the sake of growth. Expansion should begin with a clear purpose. You must understand why your community needs it, how it will strengthen your educational vision, and whether your organization is ready to support it. A dream gives you direction—but thoughtful planning makes that dream sustainable.
So, how can an educational entrepreneur determine whether the time is right?
Start With the Why
Before looking for a new location, ask yourself whether there is a clear educational reason behind the desire to expand and whether the demand is real.
Is there an unmet need in your community? Are families asking for programs you cannot currently offer? Will additional space strengthen your vision, create new opportunities for children, or help your existing programs develop?
A new location or larger space should improve what you offer children and families—not simply increase capacity.
The practical takeaway is to define the purpose of expansion before evaluating properties. Look beyond enthusiasm. Study enrollment patterns, inquiries, community needs, demographics, and the competitive landscape. When these aspects are clear, it becomes easier to assess whether a particular space or investment is actually right for your school.
Is there an unmet need in your community? Are families asking for programs you cannot currently offer? Will additional space strengthen your vision, create new opportunities for children, or help your existing programs develop?
A new location or larger space should improve what you offer children and families—not simply increase capacity.
The practical takeaway is to define the purpose of expansion before evaluating properties. Look beyond enthusiasm. Study enrollment patterns, inquiries, community needs, demographics, and the competitive landscape. When these aspects are clear, it becomes easier to assess whether a particular space or investment is actually right for your school.
Growth Requires an Honest Understanding of Risk
A promising opportunity can create pressure to move quickly. But finding the right space is only one part of a much larger decision.
Before committing, consider:
The challenge here is to look beyond the opening itself and consider what comes afterward. The benefits of expansion may take time to materialize, while many of its costs begin immediately.
A useful exercise for school leaders is to test the plan against different scenarios. What happens if enrollment grows more slowly than expected? What if construction costs increase or the opening is delayed? Is your school prepared to manage the transition while maintaining the quality of its existing programs?
The goal is not to eliminate every risk. It is to understand the risks well enough to make an informed decision and prepare for uncertainty.
Before committing, consider:
- Is your current operation stable? Expansion magnifies everything. Strong systems become more powerful, while unresolved operational problems become larger and more expensive.
- Do you have leadership capacity? A founder cannot manage every detail forever. Before growing, consider who will lead daily operations, support the team, protect the school culture, and make decisions when you are not present.
- Have you tested the financial model? Calculate construction, rent, staffing, equipment, marketing, licensing, and the time required to reach sustainable enrollment. Then create a reserve for the unexpected—because the unexpected will come.
The challenge here is to look beyond the opening itself and consider what comes afterward. The benefits of expansion may take time to materialize, while many of its costs begin immediately.
A useful exercise for school leaders is to test the plan against different scenarios. What happens if enrollment grows more slowly than expected? What if construction costs increase or the opening is delayed? Is your school prepared to manage the transition while maintaining the quality of its existing programs?
The goal is not to eliminate every risk. It is to understand the risks well enough to make an informed decision and prepare for uncertainty.
Give the Decision Time
Ask yourself: Are you personally ready? Expansion requires the ability to make decisions without having every answer. It calls for resilience, flexibility, and the courage to pursue a vision while accepting responsibility for the risks involved.
You do not need complete certainty before taking the next step. But you should be able to answer three essential questions:
Why this opportunity?
Why now?
What must be true for it to succeed?
After that, start looking for opportunities that align with your long-term vision. This process takes patience because a property that looks ideal on paper is not always the right one. A beautiful space or attractive offer is not enough. The location, lease, community, program, and financial commitment must all support the future you are intentionally building.
Taking time to evaluate your options is not a failure to move forward; it is part of making a responsible decision.
You do not need complete certainty before taking the next step. But you should be able to answer three essential questions:
Why this opportunity?
Why now?
What must be true for it to succeed?
After that, start looking for opportunities that align with your long-term vision. This process takes patience because a property that looks ideal on paper is not always the right one. A beautiful space or attractive offer is not enough. The location, lease, community, program, and financial commitment must all support the future you are intentionally building.
Taking time to evaluate your options is not a failure to move forward; it is part of making a responsible decision.
Turning a Dream Into a Sustainable Plan
For us, the expansion of VIA 57 is the next step in the development of our school. But the story is not only about the additional square footage or the number of children we will be able to welcome. It is about the decisions behind that growth and the work required to bring the vision to life.
Over the coming months, we will share this expansion as a real-world case study in leadership and entrepreneurship—from the decisions and negotiations to budgeting, space design, construction, team development, and the challenges we encounter along the way.
Follow Hopscotch Hub to experience the journey with us.
If you are preparing to open, lead, or expand an educational project of your own, explore our Entrepreneurship in Montessori: Creating the Space of Your Dreams program.
Dream boldly. Analyze carefully. Build sustainably.
Over the coming months, we will share this expansion as a real-world case study in leadership and entrepreneurship—from the decisions and negotiations to budgeting, space design, construction, team development, and the challenges we encounter along the way.
Follow Hopscotch Hub to experience the journey with us.
If you are preparing to open, lead, or expand an educational project of your own, explore our Entrepreneurship in Montessori: Creating the Space of Your Dreams program.
Dream boldly. Analyze carefully. Build sustainably.