Lumin Education was founded in 1978 with the belief that all children can succeed in school and life when we “start young and involve parents.”
From its humble beginnings of educating a single class of eight children in donated space, Lumin now serves more than 1200 children and their parents annually through home-based parent education and daily classroom programs.
Lumin remains committed to lifting up Dallas communities through one simple idea: high quality Montessori education that involves parents every step of the way.
We believe that taking an active interest in students and parents pays dividends. We believe in connecting communities and providing resources that grow healthy families and students and ultimately vibrant communities.
Lumin is a trailblazer, modeling an accessible Montessori methodology that has spawned numerous educational shifts in North Texas over the past four decades. Lumin was the first organization to:
• Open a Montessori school in Dallas available to all children regardless of income or ability (1978),
• Open a Pregnancy to Age 3 home visiting program in Dallas (1993),
• Open a public Montessori charter school in Texas (1999), and
• Open a Montessori Early Head Start program in Texas (2009).
From pregnancy through third grade, Lumin Education is invested in building thriving, self-sustaining families and helping each student achieve his or her potential.
Demographics:
Lumin primarily serves children in the Old East Dallas and Bachman Lake neighborhoods. Of the children served by Lumin in 2022-2023, 248 were enrolled in classroom programs and 254 were enrolled in home-based programs. 238 were under the age of three and 264 were between the ages of 3 and 9.
55% of Lumin students in 22-23 were male and 45% were female. 87% of students were Hispanic or Latino, 3% were Black, 8% were white, and 2% were of other ethnic backgrounds or identified as multiracial. Organization-wide, 78% of children came from low-income families (as defined by Housing and Urban Development). Lumin families are resilient, family-oriented, and are highly motivated to explore new ways to support their children.
To transform education by starting young, involving parents, and creating learning environments to inspire children from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.
Our Needs
We need support to offer accessible Montessori education programs for young children that have a proven lifelong impact. We operate high-fidelity, Montessori early childhood learning centers with programs to meet the needs of children and their parents from pregnancy to age nine.
You can make a lasting impact on Lumin children and families through a gift of any amount. Here are some example of what your gift can do:
$100 - supports the cost of a play therapy or intervention session
$250 - supports one year of art classes for a student
$500 - supports the cost of transportation for a field trip
$1,000 - supports critically important professional development for a Lumin staff member
$2,000 - supports the annual cost of home visiting services for one family
As our community responds to injustice, so must our schools.
Lumin was founded 45 years ago on the belief that ALL children can succeed when we start young and involve parents. As we strive to provide a safe environment for learning, we also recognize the trauma to which our communities of color are continually exposed.
At Lumin, we continue our commitment to nurture and protect the light within every child, to advocate for local, state, and national policies that promote educational equity, and to act in solidarity with those who champion justice for all.
Terry N. Ford,
The Mrs. Orien Levy Woolf Executive Director
Lumin Education
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Volunteering
Campus Beautification Projects
Lindsley Park Community School
Ongoing opportunity
In-Person Volunteering
Reading Volunteers
Lindsley Park Community School
Ongoing opportunity
In-Person Volunteering
Creation and Organization of Home Visiting Materials
Lumin’s Lindsley Park or Bachman Lake campuses, or at a home or corporate office
Ongoing opportunity
Organization name
Lumin Education
Causes
Youth & Children, Education - Early Childhood
Operating Budget
$3,000,000 - $9,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
7130 Lindsley Avenue