Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Kopko and Arianne Kindle.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Several years ago, we came up with the idea to open a high-quality preschool program. It was an idea that immediately seemed right! After working with children for many years in a variety of school settings, we both knew that we had the education, the knowledge, and the drive to build and create a unique preschool program that is child inspired and driven by the arts. After many long hours of writing handbooks, assembling endless pieces of children’s furniture and meeting with lots of families in the community, we were finally ready to open our doors to the public! In 2011, our first preschool came to fruition in Burlington, MA and just 5 short years later in 2016, The Pearson Street Preschool was born in the heart of Andover, MA. Thanks to our supportive families and our amazing teaching team, we look back on our journey and recognize that hard work and patience pays off! We are especially thankful for our successes and road that has lead us here. It has been such a pleasure watching both programs evolve to what they are today!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Although we fondly look back over the past 6 and a half years with a huge sense of pride, time is sometime we will always need more of. When PSP was preparing to open, we were working to oversee construction, while assembling furniture, obtaining the appropriate licenses and certificates, meeting with new families, and building connections in our new community all while running our Burlington program – it was hard to find a balance! But, we survived our first year and we can confidently say that it was a huge success! In any new business there are all types of struggles and you will surprise yourself with all of your hidden talents and abilities – things that you had no idea you were capable of all of a sudden seem like second nature. Now that both schools are established and running smoothly, all of those struggles don’t seem quite as bad as we thought they were in each moment.
Please tell us about The Pearson Street Preschool.
The Pearson Street Preschool is an award-winning preschool tucked away in a very lively part of Andover. One of the biggest perks of our school is our location and all of the wonderful opportunities we have to explore our historic town of Andover. We are just a block from town center, neighbors with the police and fire station and our children watch and wave from our classroom windows as their parents depart to Boston on the commuter rail. Our curriculum is child lead and is inspired by the arts. Our Artist of the Month curriculum is one of a kind and is a wonderful opportunity for the children to study the fine arts.
Each day, our sunny classroom is full of preschoolers eager to learn! There are always signs of excitement and sounds of laughter in the classroom. We encourage dirt under the fingernails and teamwork amongst our students. We are all friends and, in a sense, also family. I feel proud when I quietly watch from afar all of the lifelong friendships that are forming in our classroom. I feel proud when a parent shares with me their child’s most recently achieved developmental milestone. I also feel proud when a child approaches me to show off their newly acquired knowledge from the day’s lesson. It is the curiosity of the children that leads the curriculum and the dedication of the teachers that makes our school one of a kind.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We feel so lucky that PSP is our second location. As our Burlington school grew, we worked out most of the kinks along the way. We opened PSP with so much experience behind us that it was a very familiar process. Although we can rely on our experiences in Burlington, our classroom will always be evolving and will be tailored to the children and families who are part of our school community. Each teacher also brings their own personal touches to the classroom which makes everything that much more special.
Contact Info:
- Address: 33 Pearson Street, Andover, MA 01810
- Website: www.thepearsonstreetpreschool.com
- Phone: 978.933.1398
- Email: joanna@thepearsonstreetpreschool.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepearsonstreetpreschool/
- Other: http://thepearsonstreetpreschool.com/blog/
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