CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Come September 8th, Charleston Montessori School will be bringing their specific classroom set-ups outside, with their eye-level shelving and special math station counting beads, as they adjust to teaching during a pandemic.

“That’s really what we’re looking to do in the fall is to get everyone out in the fresh air to mitigate risk and keep everyone away from the indoors as much as possible,” said Charleston Montessori School Director Melissa Menon.

On Tuesday, school administrators and a few parent volunteers gained access for the first time into their newly leased building — a former child daycare center at the CAMC.

They say there’s a lot of work to do to the facility, like re-mulching the outdoor lawn and reworking the old wallpaper and paint.

Parents are happy about the change.

“I also like the ability to have fresh air, I like that each classroom has its own bathroom, so the students can really be isolated within their own classrooms,” said one volunteer parent who was spackling one of the rooms.

Menon says they love their original building in Elk City and they’ll still be leasing it, but they have no plans to use it this school year.

Menon say funds from the CARES Act have helped pay for their new changes, but it’s been challenging.

“You know private schools don’t get public funding other than the CARES Act and we depend on our enrollment and enrollment is down because parents don’t want to risk having their children come back,” she said.

Menon says the enrollment for the upcoming school year is 50 children, and they’ve been able to maintain their tuition price from last year.

Still, she says the future is unpredictable.

Menon and other staff as well as volunteer parents will be busy putting the finishing touches on the new facility come September 8th.