Help - Outdoor Classroom for Quintilian School

Quintilian is a small (less than 40 students) alternative, school in Kingston, Ontario focused on students living with differences such as Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, and other learning gifts/challenges, where attendance in a public-school classroom did not work or did not supply sufficient flexibility.

At Quintilian School, our students receive individualized attention suited to their strengths. We focus on the whole child. In addition, to the Ontario school curriculum, special attention to building social and friendship skills is a core part. Quintilian does not receive any provincial funding. We run on a shoe-string budget to keep our tuition fees as low as possible for families who often already incur therapy and other special costs.

The Quintilian School's infrastructure also supports our sister charity, The Quintilian Way, in the evenings during the school year and the summer months.

Beyond the well-known health benefits of physical activity, research has found that outdoor play and access to green space is associated with higher vitamin D levels, improved mental well-being, better attention behaviours, better self-regulation, and improved spatial memory. Also, given the seasonality and uncertainty of Covid-19, we want to ensure our students spend more time outdoors.

We are looking for funding to help build shade, tables, and gardening spaces for Quintilian School and Quintilian Way.

Our dream includes tables with shade structure(s) or market umbrellas, raised planters, a greenhouse, and articles to help the students learn outside.

We are appealing to members of our Quintilian School community and the broader community to help us raise $10,000 to cover the costs of outdoor classroom structures and equipment.

Please donate what you can and share this appeal.