Datzyk Montessori School recently celebrated a half-century of educating and caring for young children in the Lehigh Valley.

"Datzyk Montessori School was started by my parents Ruth and Walter Datzyk," School Director Linda Turrisi said.

The school opened with only six students. Now, there are 65 students, she added.

Originally located at 1337 Chew St., Allentown, the school was moved in 1967 to 3300 Broadway, South Whitehall.

Turrisi's parents transformed the first floor of their family home on Broadway into the Datzyk Kindergarten and Nursery School.

"My mother started the school because she recognized a need for a good day care/school and proceeded to create her own," Turrisi said. "She started the school because of my late brother, John, when she could not find any daycare in the area for him."

When Ruth Datzyk graduated from Kutztown University in 1940, she immediately started teaching.

"My mother stopped teaching at the age of 90 after 70 years of teaching," Turrisi said.

Datzyk Kindergarten and Nursery School became a Montessori School after Ruth Datzyk attended a workshop given by Montessorian Aline Wolf.

The Montessori philosophy led her to continue postgraduate work and study the Montessori Method.

Datzyk earn that diploma in 1968.

Datzyk is a traditional Montessori School and its biggest asset is the individualized teaching.

"The children are exposed to the world and difficult cultures," Turrisi said. "It is very academic as the children show readiness."

The children are introduced to language, math, science, music, arts, culture and the world as their interests guide them.

"Some of the teachers are bilingual and share that knowledge with the children," Turrisi said. "We have seven teachers, Dr. Vania Soni, Karen Knerr, Stacy Smith, Amy Capwell, Michelle Molter, Cherie Messick and Caroline Davis Carbone.

"We will be hiring an eighth teacher soon."

Children attending the school range in age from 2 to 6.

"We are licensed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, as well as the state Department of Welfare for daycare," she said. "We offer daycare from 7-9 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.; regular school from 9 a.m. to noon or 3 p.m. and the extended day program, which runs from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"Some children come only from 9 a.m. to noon. Others come from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and some are enrolled in the daycare program."

Turrisi said they plan on adding elementary level classes up to third grade.

Turrisi also discussed how the staff and students have been celebrating the school's 50th year.

"The biggest thing we are doing to celebrate our 50 years is to have a mosaic installed on an exterior wall of the school," Turrisi said. "We are fulfilling a dream of our founder Ruth Datzyk.

"The parents have graciously donated toward installation of the mosaic wall.

Turrisi said the school has also incorporated a new Datzyk Montessori School logo, a rendition of the color tablets, one of the children's favorite pieces of Montessori equipment.

"Last Nov. 15, Jennifer Peters and other parents of Datzyk students rolled and then gave each child 50 pennies and the Cetronia Fire Company came and took an aerial shot of all the students forming the number 50 in the parking lot," Turrisi said.

To learn more about the Datzyk Montessori School, go to Datzyk.org or call 610-395-6344.