Celebrating AEME's Journey as an SVP Community Partner

"The partnership with SVP was a game changer for AEME and for me as a new executive director." — Liora Berry, Executive Director, AEME

When AEME joined SVP Portland as a Community Partner in 2021, expansion was still an aspiration. Executive Director Liora Berry was navigating some of the hardest challenges that come with growth: regulations, licensing, funding sources, and complexity of timelines. SVP's Investor Partners heard the call and rolled up their sleeves alongside her.

Pictured here: SVP Director of Community Impact Carolina Castañeda del Río, AEME Board Member Dr. Roxanne Greene, Alder Montessori Bilingual Preschool Program Coordinator Sarai DeMent, AEME Executive Director Liora Berry, SVP Investor Partners Larry Fox and Rob Aslett

The Tools Behind the Growth

With SVP's support, AEME built the internal infrastructure to make that growth possible — starting with two critical tools.

A key milestone in advancing AEME's vision for thoughtful, sustainable growth was the development of a Financial Planning Tool, originally rooted in the year-long strategic planning process completed together in 2021. This work was grounded in a clear priority: ensuring that any expansion strengthens — not strains — the organization. AEME's goal is to safeguard their longstanding early childhood education program and the dedicated staff who make it possible, while responsibly expanding to serve more families with high-quality, tuition-free Montessori education.

Building on that vision, this tool allows AEME to map the true cost and return on investment of opening a new site — from facility preparation to staffing, funding sources, and enrollment capacity. It includes detailed projections for both the first year and a five-year outlook, forecasting cash flow, revenue, and expenses. By adjusting key variables — such as number of students, age groups served, funding sources, staffing models, and site-specific costs — AEME can quickly assess the financial feasibility of different scenarios. This ensures that every potential new site aligns with their commitment to long-term sustainability and program quality. The tool has become essential for informed decision-making around leases, renovations, and upfront investments, and is now a cornerstone of AEME's expansion planning.

In addition, through SVP's continued partnership AEME developed tools to strengthen internal systems and support their educators. Their Staff Training and Professional Development Tracking Tool was designed to meet Oregon's complex preschool training requirements while honoring the needs of AEME's linguistically diverse team. It supports individualized training plans, ensures each staff member completes at least 25 hours of annual professional development, and tracks progress toward required PFA ORO Step benchmarks. Alongside this, AEME created a comprehensive Site Operations Manual to guide consistency and quality across all locations. Designed for both current and future sites, it includes tailored addenda that reflect each site's unique operations while maintaining alignment with AEME's standards.

Together, these tools reflect AEME's commitment to growing with intention — protecting what they have built, investing in their staff, and expanding access to equitable, high-quality Montessori education for more children and families. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes capacity building that SVP's model is designed to support — and AEME put it to full use.

What's Next

AEME is on track to create 65 new preschool seats over the next two years. This fall, a new classroom at Hartley Elementary School will welcome 20 children. By fall 2027, two more classrooms will follow — one at Hartley and one at Alder Elementary — adding another 45 seats. A third site in SE Portland is expected to open by fall 2028, serving an additional 60 children. This remarkable growth surpasses Liora's ambitious 2024 goal to triple the number of students AEME supports in the next five years.

Behind that expansion is a team that's ready. Liora's staff is fully in place and already welcoming bilingual interns from PCC — deliberately building a pipeline of future educators who reflect the communities AEME serves. In June, an AEME staff member will begin Montessori Teacher/Guide training at Montessori NW, sponsored by AEME. The year-long program includes 90 hours of observation and 120 hours of student teaching, and upon completion, this teacher will step into the role of Lead Teacher/Guide for a new bilingual immersion classroom launching in fall 2027.

This is equity in Montessori education — not as a mission statement, but as an operational reality.

The Partnership That Made It Possible

When AEME was approved as a Community Partner in 2021, Liora and her board were thrilled — though, as she reflects, "we didn't yet realize how significant the partnership would become. As the agency lead, I was paired with SVP Lead Partner Steve Maser, who served as a valuable sounding board, helping surface needs and identify opportunities for additional support over time. Partners with deep expertise contributed through both short-term projects and longer-term engagements, including training and capacity-building support. As a result, AEME made meaningful improvements across multiple organizational and operational systems.

Just as importantly, SVP provided a sense of community. I felt deeply supported by a group of smart, thoughtful, fun, and engaging leaders, and avoided what many small nonprofit EDs and CEOs describe as one of the loneliest roles of their careers."

For Lead Partner Steve Maser, the work was equally rewarding: "The keys to our success have been the dedication of Liora to AEME's mission, her trust in SVP, the ability of SVP's staff to identify partners with the requisite expertise, and the willingness of those partners to step up. It's been a truly gratifying experience."

A Proud Goodbye

Exiting SVP Portland's Community Partner program isn't an ending. It's a signal that an organization has built the capacity, systems, and momentum to lead its next chapter. AEME is doing exactly that — expanding access for dozens more Portland children and families, with the infrastructure and team to do it well.

We are proud of everything Liora and the AEME team have built, and grateful for four and a half years of powerful partnership. The children and families AEME serves are better off for it. And so is our whole community.

Congratulations, AEME! The journey ahead looks bright.