20 years and counting

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Paula and Richard Bukacek, you are surely missing out. Not only are they one of the most loving couples I have ever met, but they are also the ones who first opened the doors of All Day Montessori in 1995. 

When I first met the Bukacek’s, I really had no idea who they were, or what they meant to the school. But as I sat at one of our monthly “Eat and Earn’s” and chatted the night away with Richard, I realized just how amazing they were. Richard’s first career was in chemical engineering. He told me all about his time in Indonesia, where he helped to develop technology that could convert natural gas into a usable form. Pretty awesome right?! 

Paula got her start in the world of education at Ancona and Beverly Montessori.   Eventually, she worked in the Montessori Program at Clissold Elementary School.  After she retired from her first career, she was visiting her daughter after the birth of her son.   Her daughter’s search for reliable, quality day care opened her eyes to the need in the community for full time, affordable Montessori education for the children of  working parents. Hence All Day Montessori was born. 

They started the school with only one 3-6 year-old classroom and one 2 year-old class, serving thirty-six children. Over the past twenty years, we have evolved and grown. We now have a 15-36 month-0ld class, a 2-3 1/2 year old class, and three 3-6 year old classes, serving over 90 children!  I think it is safe to say we have kept the vision that Paula and Richard had twenty years ago alive and well. I can not wait to see what the next twenty years bring for us and the Beverly community.