What does a busy mom do while on maternity leave from her teaching job? Start a business, of course!
Mary Murphy is the President and Chief Creator of the phenomenally successful Hooray for Books® enrichment centers. Mary, a graduate of Boston College with degrees in Early Childhood Education and Child Psychology, taught kindergarten in Newton, MA for 12 years. During that time, as she was "growing" her own family, she began to search for quality programs for pre-schoolers. Finding few options, she launched her own business to fill a community need as well as a personal one. 
Mary found the right formula, which includes solid educational content as well as amazingly creative and engaging lesson plans. Her secret ingredient? Captivating kids by cooking with them, a universally loved activity (well, at least with the kids!) By combining her two passions, education and cooking, Mary, now a proud mother of five, offers an unbeatable recipe for satisfying the desire to learn as well as titillating the taste buds of her young students. She may have a lot on her plate just like you do, but she goes to work every day knowing she has found her calling, instilling in children the love of snuggling up with a good book! If you want to add a helping of HFB to your plate, franchising opportunities are now available across the United States.
"The HFB recipe"
Ingredients:
1 bunch great books
3 cups top-notch learning
1 silly costume
12 assorted themes per session
2 posted lesson plans for parental viewing
1 well-seasoned teacher
1 cup all-purpose fun
Generous dose of humor
Small batch of assorted children
Directions:
- With teachers help, blend ingredients with fun activities.
- Mix in tons of laughter.
- Simmer for several weeks.
- Repeat as desired each season.
*Yields a lifetime love of books and possibly a budding chef
