Meet Hayley Marcous, the mother of two behind Darien After School. After volunteering for her children’s school to create enrichment activities, she was inspired to start a company with similar offerings that are “fun, easy, and accessible for the students and their parents.” Learn more about Hayley, what she finds most rewarding in her work, and how she juggles it all.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
I have two children. Milly (17) is a junior in high school and Wyatt (18) is a freshman in college.
What brought you and your family to town?
We moved to Darien from California to be near family. We wanted our children’s upbringing to include a lot of family time with their grandparents and extended family. Darien is a great community to raise a family; the schools are excellent; the beaches are beautiful, and the town is safe. What more is there to love?
What’s your favorite aspect about being part of the community?
The communities in Darien and New Canaan put family first! Living in Darien, you immediately feel the connection of the community and how much everyone cares for one another.
What’s your favorite family activity to do in the area?
It is impossible to choose one favorite family activity when you live in Darien or New Canaan. Personally, our family has enjoyed a little bit of everything the area has to offer—boating, parks, beaches, museums, and great restaurants. We are a family of skiers and have found Vermont to be one of our favorite places to spend weekends in the winter!
Tell us about your path launching Your After School. Why did you decide to get into it?
It started out as a volunteer PTO position, coordinating after school enrichment at school for our own children. From there, Your After School was created. We wanted it to be fun, easy, and accessible for the students and their parents. As we’ve grown organically, we continue to mold our program to meet the needs of our students and their families.
What is the best or most rewarding part of your job?
We work with amazing educators, and it is truly inspiring to see their passion for teaching. We provide an opportunity for teachers to connect with students, outside of the classroom, on a subject they enjoy, STEAM, art, sports, etc. We have teachers who come to us with their own ideas of what they want to teach, and the kids love it! Their curiosity and love of learning makes everything we do truly meaningful.
What is one thing you hear most often from families you work with?
They love that we provide a learning environment for their children that is familiar, easy, and accessible. We provide a solution for parents who may need that extra hour after school to work or run errands.
You currently have three locations in CT: Darien, Greenwich, Ridgefield as well as one in Rye, NY. With this impressive list of programming, how do you juggle work and motherhood?
It is not always pretty! I learned early in motherhood that you must let things roll. I feel that I am constantly juggling life and what it throws at me, but my kids will always come first.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another mom?
It’s a popular saying, but true: “It takes a village.” We cannot do this alone. Living in a great community, like Darien or New Canaan, while raising your family provides that opportunity for those around you to help instill the values, responsibilities and life lessons that we cannot always provide for our children.
How do you unwind when you need some “me time?”
I spend time with my sisters and girlfriends. We grab a coffee or go for a walk and talk.
Any words of wisdom?
There is tremendous value in exposing your children to a wide array of experiences.
Feel free to add whatever you want the readers to know.
I moved to Madison six years ago to be closer to my family, and although it’s a similar town, I miss the people, friendships, and access to more activities and restaurants.
We love supporting local businesses. Favorite places in town or nearby to…
Have dinner with/without kids: Bodega, Mama Carmela’s
Grab a drink with friends: 1020 Post
Have a date night: L’Ostal
Spend time together as a family indoors/outdoors: Stamford Nature Center
Shop for yourself/shop for your kids: I love popping in and out of our local stores such as Darien Sports Shop or Brown & Co.
Grab coffee: Caffe Nero
Any hidden treasures or other favorites you want to share? Playa Bowls
ABOUT DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL
Darien After School is a full service after school enrichment program. We offer families class schedules that have a balanced mix of new fresh classes and old-time favorites, easily accessed through our website and online registration, while providing infrastructure with schools’ and families’ busy lives in mind.
Our streamlined process enables us to smoothly, and quickly, bring our services to new schools, where we incorporate your existing program, and add programs and services your families are looking for. Our instructors are your schoolteachers and parents, who love the opportunity to share their passions and talents, as well as organizations including Arts Centers, Nature Centers and local businesses. We personally vet and background check all instructors.
Over the past 10 years, we have worked hard to organically build Your After School into a flexible and fun program in our local schools, with efficient infrastructure to keep the bus moving. We are currently located in Darien, Greenwich, and Rye.
To learn more, visit the website or follow Hayley’s company on Instagram: @your_after_school
