I was raised, and continue to live in, a southwest suburb of Chicago. The fourth of six children, I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school. I went on to earn my Associate of Arts Degree at the College of Dupage with an inclination toward marketing and business, and graduated with highest honors.

From age twelve, I honed my entrepreneurial spirit to start a local petcare business that allowed me to work my way through college. Immediately afterwards I took a teacher’s assistant position at a private grade school, working with students from 3-year-old preschoolers to 8th graders on both academic and extracurricular levels. I still advise my two younger siblings’ schooling at home, relying on my previous experiences to help fine-tune their academic growth, which is led by my parents. My student/teacher involvement in the education process has given me a unique perspective in understanding the value that homeschooling can bring to families.

With that in-depth experience and passion, I’ve teamed up with my incredible mom, Barb, to bring Star of the Sea to parents exploring alternatives to public or otherwise institutionalized education.

I absolutely love sharing my insights, and have counseled numerous parents asking for advice on education solutions for their children. It is greatly fulfilling for me to help families live out their most important responsibility to raise and educate their children to be the successful, motivated people they are meant to be.

I am a lifelong Chicagoland native and have been married for 32 years and have six children. I have an Associates Degree in Business Administration and was in the hospitality industry in my “old” life prior to homeschooling all our children through high school.

21 years ago my husband and I began the adventure of educating our children at home, with literally no experience or training. We haven’t regretted it for an instant. My role as primary educator meant I was at ground zero in the day-to-day tasks of homeschooling. It was scary, fun, challenging, rewarding, and tiresome; sometimes all in the same day! We learned how to homeschool the old-fashioned way, through trial and error. And early on we made our fair share of mistakes (and in hindsight) realized we did many things the hard way.

We overcame problems, developed better methods, learned shortcuts, and remained a close knit family through all the craziness. No one knows our children better than us, and we felt that teaching them at home gave us the opportunity to focus their education on those areas important to us, our faith, and our vision of how they would develop and grow.

Now, with our daughter Mary, I want to share all that we’ve learned with others who want to educate their children at home more effectively, more easily, and with greater success. We’ve been so blessed that we truly believe there’s no reason for others to reinvent the homeschooling wheel when we can share our wheels with them.

In my spare time I enjoy trying new recipes, working in the yard, family game nights, travel, and sitting on the front porch with a good cup of coffee.

Hello! My name is Mary Cimbalista.

And I'm Barb Cimbalista!

Why we do it

In recent years we have noticed a rapidly-increasing number of parents with questions on how to start, maintain, or succeed in the education of their children. Recognizing the cons many institutional schools present, and knowing how homeschooling can bear priceless fruits, we want to offer our combined wisdom to help you on your journey!

What we do for you

We offer in-person and online consultation sessions. You can pick our brains, and we can help set up an education system for one or all of your students, go over organization tips, have answers for state regulations, offer direction to local co-ops, inspire creative activity options, etc. You and your spouse are welcome to both be there for the call to take as many notes as you like! You should expect to get answers, attention, systems, solutions, brainstorming, and advice from the both of us (see services for sessions that we both present to you, and which ones require only Mary or Barb). We send a session summary afterwards in which we also include any resources we discussed sending to you during the session.

Location

We are in Downers Grove, Illinois. Our in-person consultations typically occur within 15 miles of our location, but feel free to contact us if you would like to request face-to-face sessions. Otherwise, our online consultations are available over phone or Zoom for everyone!

Why use us?

We know what questions to ask in determining whether homeschooling is a good fit for you, as well as discovering your family’s personal attributes that will present either strengths or challenges to overcome in homeschooling. We’ve developed a custom system for each of our 6 students, and know what it’s like to homeschool and be homeschooled. It is our passion and privilege to share these exciting opportunities with you!

Our Philosophy

For us, our Faith inspired all aspects of our education and provided another layer of depth to our academic experience. Regarding the instruction of children, we believe it is essential to order our lives according to God’s purpose. Lessons will be retained much easier if learned in light of eternal truths that apply to many different areas of life.

We can help you find whichever curriculum or combination of courses works best for your family. Contact us to set up a complimentary 15-minute introduction call, or go to Services for our assortment of consultation offers. Choose any open slot on our schedule and we’ll look forward to seeing you then!

About the Company