Bright Sparks Montessori
Laura Ward is the founder of Bright Sparks Montessori and Creche, located in Clondalkin, Dublin 22
Bright Sparks Montessori
When Laura Cullen went to seek out schooling for her first child, she stumbled across the world of Montessori teaching and fell in love with its thoughtful concepts and child-centred approach. This brought her to the decision to leave her job, change career and go back to college to train as a Montessori teacher. Once she qualified, Laura was ready to begin accepting children to her own Montessori classroom; which she set up in her own home.
“I started my Montessori in an extremely small way; in my own home with 10 children. It was the first time that I had worked with children and I enjoyed it so much.” As time went by, Laura’s business flourished as word spread around her local area. She expanded a number of times and eventually managed to purchase an existing Montessori business, where she currently runs Bright Sparks with the help of an all-female team.
“I’m giving employment to 11 women locally, so I’m extremely proud of that. I think what’s key is that there is a really good mixture of ages – many of my staff are mothers themselves so they’re really in tune with the child, while the younger women bring such fantastic ideas and energy to the team. I wouldn’t be without any of them.”
The business has not been without its challenges, and like many businesses Laura particularly struggled during the recession: “I had to make some really tough decisions. It was really difficult to keep everything going and I had to put some of the girls on short time just to keep the business going. Thankfully, every one of them is still with me today and I’m so grateful I managed to keep them all on.”
Laura’s plans don’t include slowing down, in fact she’s currently looking for a second premises to further expand the business. “Working for yourself is so fulfilling, I could never go back to working for someone else. If there’s anyone out there thinking about setting up their own business – I say go for it.”
Find out more about Bright Sparks Montessori at brightsparkscreche.ie