Where are you originally from and how long have you been in Fairfield County?
I am originally from New York and moved to Fairfield County after graduate school – almost 15 years ago now!
Tell us about your Family!
Together with my husband Jay, we have three wonderful children. Our son Luke is just over 3 and is getting ready for preschool this fall; our daughter Sonia is almost 2 and currently going through a growth spurt; and we just welcomed another daughter, Emilia, about a month ago. We are in the trenches!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m a first-generation Polish American and fully fluent in the language! I grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn—known as “Little Poland”—and attended Polish school every Saturday as a child. Even though we spoke Polish at home and visited family in Poland frequently, those formal Saturday lessons proved invaluable years later when I lived and studied there for a year on a Fulbright Grant.
Who has most influenced you to be the mom that you are today?
My own mom has had a profound influence on me, especially since becoming a mother myself. She poured her whole heart and soul into everything she did for our family, showing me what it truly means to embrace the beautiful vocation of motherhood.
What is your background and what did you do before Children’s Art Classes?
For college, I attended The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where I majored in Textiles. After graduating, I spent a year in Poland on a Fulbright Grant, exploring sociopolitical influences on contemporary Polish textile art. That experience led me to pursue an interdisciplinary graduate program in Eastern European studies at the University of Bologna in Italy. I also “studied abroad” during that time at a partner
university in Lithuania. In total, I spent 3 years in Europe! After returning home, I was hired by a local consumer products marketing company and managed the product development of jewelry and handbags. Then in a somewhat unexpected career move, I transitioned into a senior manager role within the Human Resources department at the same company. I stepped back from my corporate job last year to spend more time with our young children and to lead classes at our growing art studio. It’s incredible how all these seemingly different chapters of my life have come full circle!
Tell us about your business.
We opened our Children’s Art Classes studio on Black Rock Turnpike in January 2024, joining a young franchise that has since grown from 13 to over 40 locations across 26 states. CAC is a leading provider of art education and enrichment programs for children ages 3-18.
When my husband Jay and I first visited the franchisor’s Jacksonville, FL studios, we were impressed by the exceptional quality of the students’ artwork and the artist-grade materials they were using—some of which I didn’t even know about until college! I think
this is precisely what sets CAC apart. As a true fine arts school, we offer a structured curriculum with over 40 different mediums, including on-site clay firing. Classes are intentionally calm with classical music playing in the background and a maximum of 12
students per class to allow for personalized instruction. Inspired by the special teachers who helped shape us, Jay and I are excited to provide the same meaningful experience for our students.
We also love that CAC is rooted in family – the franchise is led by a mother-daughter team and the community they’ve built is incredibly genuine and supportive. Over the past 2.5 years, they have seen our studio (and family!) grow, and in turn, we are proud to see CAC named 2026 Art Classes Provider of the Year by Education Insider and #1 art class franchise in Entrepreneur Magazine 2026 Franchise 500® ranking.
Tell us about your studio’s different offerings.
Our weekly studio art classes run month-to-month, from September to June. The structured, age-based curriculum explores various mediums and techniques, with the following levels offered:
Tiny Hands (ages 3 and 4) introduces students to easel painting, clay hand building, and mixed media through 45-minute, age-appropriate sessions.
Introduction to Art (ages 5 and 6) introduces students to basic art skills, tools, and vocabulary through one-hour sessions. Students work on new projects every 1-2 weeks in clay, printmaking, charcoal drawing, painting, design, montage, watercolors, sculpture, and more.
Beginning Art (ages 7 and 8) introduces the next level of art vocabulary as students learn about design principles and utilize their knowledge of color theory.
Classes run for 1 hour and 15 minutes, with increasingly complex projects (some taking several weeks to complete) in charcoal, printing, clay, ink, color design, collage, self-portrait, watercolors, balsa wood carving, sculpture, and more.
Art 1 is the foundational course of the entire CAC curriculum and is designed for students aged 9 and above. It focuses almost entirely on black-and-white work, emphasizing value, line and texture. Color is introduced after students have developed visual judgment.
We also offer summer programs – it’s not too late to sign up!
Summer sessions run from June 16-August 28. Students come in every day (Monday to Friday) for a week.
Full-day (9am – 2pm) and half-day (9am – 12pm or 1pm – 4pm) options available.
Concentrations include ebony pencil and charcoal drawing, acrylic and watercolor painting, clay sculpting, and so much more. Full day programs include a mix of projects throughout the week.
Children Art Classes Summer Camp Registration
Best advice for moms who experience the inevitable MOM GUILT handling a career and raising a family?
As a mom of very young kids, I honestly don’t have this figured out yet. I don’t believe real balance exists and I’m still learning that I can’t give 100% to everything no matter how hard I try! I often get totally swamped, the mom guilt sets in, and that’s when I’m reminded how lucky I am to have the support of my loving husband and family.
