We recently connected with Claudia Casco and have shared our conversation below.

Claudia, appreciate you joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

Maracas Montessori is a full Spanish immersion Montessori preschool and Kindergarten in north Raleigh. I started the school as a small project at my home being the teacaher of a small group of toddlers.
The group grew quicly and I moved to a small place where I had to hire the first teacher.
12 years later, we have an operation fo 100 hundred children in a beautiful facility full of nature and peace.
The staff is now over 20 teachers and administrative personnel.
The way I see this amazing journey is through the extraordinary participation of the staff. All of them native hispanics from different countries like Colombia, Venezuela,Dominican Republic, Mexico,Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Cuba and EL Salvador.
The success of the school resides in this team of teachers. They all share they expertise, their culture and their pasion to teach young children.
We all share the same values, which are one of the most important highlight in the Maracas’ teacher profile. Then the training and certifications in the Montessori methodology results easy because the foundation is already there.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Maracas Montessori has impacted the Raleigh community as it offers a curriculum that combines acquiring another lamguage (Spanish) and the Montessori approach. These children, most of them,native english speakers, are raised to be global citizens with a high level of respect toward themselves and all that surround them.
They also are given the opportunity to become very independent, peaceful and kind human beings.
What could be more important that helping this world to be a better place?

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

I am originally from Mexico. I had a Montessori preschool there before moving to the USA. I had to sell it when IBM offered my husband the opportunity to move temporary to the headquarters in NY .
It took me several years to realize that the assignment was not temprary anymore. That it became permanent.
So, after IBM moved us again to the RTP area, I decided to restart again what I left in Mexico,
It was so scary to develop a business in a differetn country, a different languaage and a different culture.

It took me three years to grow into a point where my husband, after 26 years of being an IBMer, decided to quit to join my project.
IBM was the reason, we came to this country and now, my project was our main job. It has been so important to have my husband as a partner, as a colleague and as an advisor.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Maracas Montessori has never invested in marketing. Our reputation resides basically in recommendation.
After reading the reviews, researching our website and having tours (where they can get inside the classrooms and witness the magical place we have created,), our clients express their interest and they are willing to wait sometimes a couple of years to have a spot in our program.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maracas-montessori.com
• Facebook: Maracas Montessori