Magnolia Montessori School Offering Free Childcare Tuesday During Voting

Lafayette County voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 27 to vote in a runoff for their next Chancery Court Judge and Mississippi Senator. In efforts to help LOU residents get to the polls, Magnolia Montessori School is offering free childcare on election day from 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Students of the Magnolia Montessori School participated in a civics engagement and voting lesson prior to the upcoming midterm elections. Photo via Magnolia Montessori.

The school offers before and aftercare for all students each school day, but will open their doors to all children ages 18 months to 12 years tomorrow.

Office Manager Katelyn Stowell said the Montessori School has the capacity to take on more students and children in its extended care programs, and while the service cannot always be free, the school is happy to offer the service on days when it could make a difference.

“In thinking about the midterm election, we decided that services like free childcare could be really necessary on days where families need to get to the polls. We are committed to helping all local families when possible, and we saw an opportunity to extend our voting day services when we learned about the runoff election.”

Being able to focus is important when selecting a candidate in the election to represent a family in the government, Stowell said. While the school currently charges tuition on par with other area schools, the Magnolia Montessori school community agrees that quality, accessible education in Mississippi is important. Tomorrow’s service is completely open to the public.

Montessorians believe that every single person has a voice that is worthy of being heard, Stowell said, which is why the school decided to offer a service that allowed busy LOU families make it to the voting precincts.

“Offering free child care is in no way partisan,” Stowell said. “We are completely nonpartisan. We just want to empower others to exercise their voices, so their needs and wants can be heard.”

In addition to Montessorians working to engage its students in math, language and science lessons, Stowell said the school also believes it is every teacher’s duty to create capable humans.

“We try to teach lessons that empower our children in all things,” she said. “One of the things an adults should exercise is active involvement in their community.”

In early November, Director of Curriculum Brooke Fly Spears implemented a civic engagement and voting lesson to elementary students, which emphasized how to vote, what it takes to vote and what it means to vote. Lafayette County Circuit Clerk Baretta Mosley led a presentation in the elementary classroom, and even brought two voting machines for students to use.

“We don’t think these lessons on civic duty can ever come too early in a child’s life,” Stowell said.

For those interested in the daycare service, parents and guardians must sign-up their children by following this link no later than 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Hottytoddy.com staff report