Our Founders
Stratford Friends School was founded in 1976, by Dorothy Flanagan and Sandra Howze, as the first Friends school for students with learning differences. Dorothy and Sandy were experienced teachers and had ideas and a commitment to help close a startling gap in the educational resources available for bright children with learning differences.
Dorothy stated “It was one of those times when you take a leap of faith and know that certainly here was something that needed to be done, we wanted to give whatever teaching gifts we had to students that were falling in the cracks. It was also very important to us that this be a Friends school, a Quaker school, because the spiritual side of children and adults is equally important.”
With their combined experience they created a safe learning environment that grew from 4 students in 1976 to 76 students in 2024. As we continue to grow, we hold on to Sandy and Dorothy’s wishes: The school will remain small, intimate and supportive – a place where everyone knows or at least recognizes each other and where the children are comfortable with peers and adults alike. The school will continue to provide a caring environment guided by Quaker principles. It will remain a friendly place – steeped in informality and honest, respectful interactions.
Dorothy and Sandy's Impact on SFS
September 1976 – Stratford Friends School opens in the United Methodist Church on Stratford Avenue with 4 students. Dorothy and Sandy begin to develop multisensory curriculum in all subjects.
1981 – Stratford Friends School moves to Lansdowne Avenue with 21 students
1988 –Stratford Friends School moves to Llandillo Road in Havertown with 43 students
June 1999–Co-founder and co-director Dorothy Flanagan retires. Sandy continues as Director.
September 1999 – Dorothy and Sandy are given the Janet L. Hoopes Award by the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. This award is presented to an individual in the Greater Philadelphia area who has made a significant contribution to the education of people with learning differences.
Dorothy and Sandy are announced winners of the 1999 Sunny Days Awards by Sesame Street Parents Magazine. The award is part of a program designed to spread the word about exciting and innovative techniques in early-childhood education and to recognize the visionaries behind them.
June 2007–Sandy Howze, Director and Co-Founder, retires. The School Board hires Timothy P. Madiganas new Head of School.
2009 – Stratford Friends School moves to current residence, Bishop Hollow Road, Newtown Square.
2015 – Jill Dougherty assumes leadership and becomes Head of School.