About Our Instructors
Lisa Butowsky, Founder and Director of Your Charming Child, is a Certified Etiquette Instructor from The International School of Protocol in Towson, MD. She lives and teaches in the Bucks County, PA area and was voted "Best Teacher in Bucks and Montgomery Counties" via The Intelligencer newspaper's yearly contest.
She firmly believes good manners, empathy and socialization are the foundation upon which confident, well-liked and morally-responsible children grow. Her desire to teach life skills stems from paying attention to parents who, over the years, shared their common questions, frustrations and hopes with her in regards to raising a well-rounded child.
Mrs. Butowsky was Salutatorian of her high school graduating class. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis on Infancy and Early Childhood Development from the Pennsylvania State University, main campus. Her entire curriculum focused on the physiological and behavioral development of infants, children and teenagers as well as how family dynamics affect their development.
While observing children in a preschool setting for one of her classes, Mrs. Butowsky became skilled at recognizing behavioral patterns amongst most children in certain scenarios. Her interest in and love of children, along with her abounding patience, prompted her to obtain a PA State Board of Private Schools Teaching Certification for Preschool and Kindergarten.
An internship brought her to Friend's Hospital in Philadelphia, PA where she dealt one on one with troubled children and teens, helped plan and implement therapeutic activities and met with parents to discuss their children’s progress. Mrs. Butowsky conducted her own research study on “The Effect of Parental Participation in Child’s Treatment Plan on Child’s Progress” to fulfill academic requirements.
During her career, she has been a nanny for many families (one, long-term for two years), a lead preschool teacher and a mental health technician for emotionally-troubled youth. Mrs. Butowsky also managed an employment agency for 13 years where her background in human behavior helped her communicate effectively and empathetically with employees and clients.
In her spare time, Mrs. Butowsky enjoys reading, exercising, and cleaning. She has been a volunteer with the Pennridge Senior Center delivering Meals on Wheels for 2 1/2 years. Also, when called upon, she assists the non-profit agency, Love Cradle International which aids orphans in Ukraine and has worked with Be Home Care in Perkasie, assisting the elderly in various roles. Mrs. Butowsky has completed a Friends and Family CPR/First Aid course sponsored by the American Heart Association and has current Criminal Background, Child Abuse and FBI fingerprint clearances.
She and her sister, Donna Bostany, have written a recently-published children's book (Headline Books Educational Series), Miss Mistake, Mind Your Manners at Home which is based on the silly character whom they use in class to show kids what it looks and sounds like to behave rudely and improperly. (available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ViS5i9)
Donna Bostany is a Certified Etiquette Instructor of Children and Teens from The International School of Protocol in Towson, MD. She teaches organized groups by appointment only in the Pocono Mountain area of Pennsylvania.
Miss Bostany advocates being a positive role model for our youth. She has performed with children's repertory theater as a professional actress and has done face painting at children's events. Her acting background and creativity allow her to bring fun and excitement to her classes.
Valedictorian of her high school senior class, Miss Bostany went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater Arts from The Pennsylvania State University, where she graduated with Distinction on the Dean's List. Soon afterwards, she entered the Miss Pennsylvania USA Pageant in which she placed among the top ten finalists. Attending charm school herself had prepared Miss Bostany for the pageant and the information she acquired there has been an invaluable part of her everyday communication.
From beauty queen to beauty school, Miss Bostany eventually earned her Cosmetology Licenses in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey. She is experienced in various hairstyling and make-up techniques for children and adults and has received recognition for her talents. She speaks fluent Spanish and has studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. She has current Criminal Background, Child Abuse and FBI fingerprint clearances.
Miss Bostany's favorite hobbies include arts and crafts, creative writing, personal fitness and inspiring others. She and her sister, Lisa Butowsky, have written a recently-published children's book (Headline Books Educational Series), Miss Mistake, Mind Your Manners at Home which is based on the silly character whom they use in class to show kids what it looks and sounds like to behave rudely and improperly. (available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ViS5i9), which Miss Bostany has also illustrated.
Miss Bostany believes that "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." ~ JFK
She feels teaching Social Etiquette, Communication Skills and Table Manners with Your Charming Child is a privilege and a pleasure.
In the News
Valley Day School students get lesson in table etiquette
Bucks County Courier Times ~ December 20, 2017
www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20171226/valley-day-school-students-get-lesson-in-table-etiquette
Valley Day School students get lesson in table etiquette
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2017 at 12:00 PM Dec 26, 2017 at 8:22 PM by Chris English
Students visited the Salute restaurant in Falls to enjoy a lunch and learn table etiquette.
Who really cares what plate to put the bread and butter on, or on which side of the plate to place the soup spoon and knife?
Lisa Butowsky does, and so do the 11 girls from Valley Day School in Falls who visited Saluté Ristorante on Wednesday to enjoy a lunch and class in table etiquette from Butowsky, owner of the Hilltown-based company Your Charming Child.
While dining on chicken Parmesan and other dishes, the students learned proper utensil placement, what liquid goes in what glass, and the respectful and courteous way to place orders with waitstaff.
Among the many other lessons were, "don't talk with your mouth full," "take small bites," "don't reach too far for something on the table," and "engage in pleasant conversation with your dining mates between bites." As a special holiday touch, Butowsky also taught the girls how to fold their cloth napkins into the shape of Christmas trees.
The students were all members of the Girls Club at Valley Day, an alternative school that serves students with various social, emotional or disciplinary issues from throughout the Delaware Valley. Supervised by Valley Day therapist Stacy Maurer, the club engages in various activities both in school and in the community.
"I don't think table etiquette is ever old fashioned or outmoded," Maurer said. "I think it's all part of being healthy and productive parts of society. Food tables bring us all together, no matter what culture we're from, and being comfortable in that setting is an important life skill."
Founded by Butowsky in 2013, Your Charming Child conducts classes in table etiquette and other social skills for individuals or groups like the Boy and Girl Scouts. Butowsky said Wednesday was her first class with a school group.
Individual classes are $60 an hour and group fees $225 to $250 an hour, depending on the size of the group, she said.
Proper table manners make a favorable impression in all kinds of settings, including at restaurants, dinner parties, wedding receptions and banquets, Butowsky said.
"No one is going to kick you out of a restaurant or out of their house if you're not doing these things," she said. "But it brings a sense of class, and you come across as a more confident and mature person, and some would say more intelligent if you know the rules of the table.
"You never know who is watching," Butowsky continued. "At a job lunch interview, a boss takes notice of these things. How you treat your server would tell a boss how you might treat your colleagues. And who would get chosen for a job? Someone who is stuffing their face, or someone who is observing the rules of the table?"
Proper table etiquette also can create favorable impressions on dates and help attract and keep a partner, she added.
"This was a great benefit because youth should start off with knowing how to properly set a table and things like that, so they can do it with their own families when they have them," said Valley Day student Naila Beatty, 17, of Philadelphia.
"You never know when you're going to have that really important dinner, or that important opportunity to impress someone at a table," said Bonnie Kovitch, 17, of Bristol Township. "It's just common courtesy."
Valley Day School students get lesson in table etiquette
Tuesday, Dec 26, 2017 at 12:00 PM Dec 26, 2017 at 8:22 PM by Chris English
Students visited the Salute restaurant in Falls to enjoy a lunch and learn table etiquette.
Who really cares what plate to put the bread and butter on, or on which side of the plate to place the soup spoon and knife?
Lisa Butowsky does, and so do the 11 girls from Valley Day School in Falls who visited Saluté Ristorante on Wednesday to enjoy a lunch and class in table etiquette from Butowsky, owner of the Hilltown-based company Your Charming Child.
While dining on chicken Parmesan and other dishes, the students learned proper utensil placement, what liquid goes in what glass, and the respectful and courteous way to place orders with waitstaff.
Among the many other lessons were, "don't talk with your mouth full," "take small bites," "don't reach too far for something on the table," and "engage in pleasant conversation with your dining mates between bites." As a special holiday touch, Butowsky also taught the girls how to fold their cloth napkins into the shape of Christmas trees.
The students were all members of the Girls Club at Valley Day, an alternative school that serves students with various social, emotional or disciplinary issues from throughout the Delaware Valley. Supervised by Valley Day therapist Stacy Maurer, the club engages in various activities both in school and in the community.
"I don't think table etiquette is ever old fashioned or outmoded," Maurer said. "I think it's all part of being healthy and productive parts of society. Food tables bring us all together, no matter what culture we're from, and being comfortable in that setting is an important life skill."
Founded by Butowsky in 2013, Your Charming Child conducts classes in table etiquette and other social skills for individuals or groups like the Boy and Girl Scouts. Butowsky said Wednesday was her first class with a school group.
Individual classes are $60 an hour and group fees $225 to $250 an hour, depending on the size of the group, she said.
Proper table manners make a favorable impression in all kinds of settings, including at restaurants, dinner parties, wedding receptions and banquets, Butowsky said.
"No one is going to kick you out of a restaurant or out of their house if you're not doing these things," she said. "But it brings a sense of class, and you come across as a more confident and mature person, and some would say more intelligent if you know the rules of the table.
"You never know who is watching," Butowsky continued. "At a job lunch interview, a boss takes notice of these things. How you treat your server would tell a boss how you might treat your colleagues. And who would get chosen for a job? Someone who is stuffing their face, or someone who is observing the rules of the table?"
Proper table etiquette also can create favorable impressions on dates and help attract and keep a partner, she added.
"This was a great benefit because youth should start off with knowing how to properly set a table and things like that, so they can do it with their own families when they have them," said Valley Day student Naila Beatty, 17, of Philadelphia.
"You never know when you're going to have that really important dinner, or that important opportunity to impress someone at a table," said Bonnie Kovitch, 17, of Bristol Township. "It's just common courtesy."
Voted "The best of bucks and montgomery counties for tutoring services - Sept 2013
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The News Herald, Bucks County, PA
Celebrating "the best of" honorees, March 2014
The Hoboken reporter, hoboken, nj
hoboken business offers etiquette classes for children. Teaching kids table manners and beyond through role play and costumes
Read more: Hudson Reporter - Hoboken business offers etiquette classes for children Teaching kids table manners and beyond through role play and costumes
If you’ve ever seen a child behaving improperly, whether it’s not holding the door open for someone or playing with their phone at a family dinner, you can understand why Donna Bostany and Lisa Butowsky, certified etiquette instructors, feel the need to bring back the teaching of manners to children.
Bostany and Butowsky teach etiquette classes for children in Hoboken. The classes are for children age 4 to 12 and cover social etiquette, communication skills, and table manners.
Bostany has been a resident of Union City for 16 years and owes her interest in etiquette to Butowsky, her sister, who has a degree in early childhood development and has been working with children for most of her career. Bostany believes that children are the best resources for the future, and that if people can affect and help them, the results will be very rewarding.
Butowsky and Bostany got involved with Your Charming Child because they observed children’s behavior and saw a lack of etiquette, affirmed by lots of other parents. They decided that they would fix the issue one child at a time. Butowsky also spoke of her desire to contribute to society through the kids. “It works, you can see it,” Bostany said.
Getting along with others
One of the sections of the classes is social etiquette, which includes lessons like how to behave in society, how to be a welcoming host, and how to introduce yourself. Bostany and Butowsky use costumes and role play to inject fun into their classes.
The children introduce themselves, shake each other’s hands, smile, make eye contact, and even introduce a third person. Other lessons include teaching the other students interview skills and teaching the younger students proper door usage etiquette.
Butowsky spoke of a young boy who put on a crown and a mask and said he was a princess, an example of how the kids become very imaginative and come up with fun and creative names and characters during the role play exercises.
The sisters also created Miss Mistake (TM), a character who acts in all the wrong ways and does all the wrong things. Bostany and Butowsky did not develop the lessons they teach, but added to them after they took a course at The International School of Protocol in Maryland, where they became certified to be etiquette instructors. They also used lessons from a workbook that the kids can bring home so their parents can reinforce what they learn in class.
Bostany and Butowsky spoke about the reasons that parents bring their kids to Your Charming Child. Bostany said they want their children to feel confident and comfortable in social situations.
“There’s nothing worse than a child who’s awkward and shy and doesn’t know how to behave,” she said. She also said that studies have shown that success is directly correlated to social skills. Parents want their children to be successful, and having manners will give their kids a leg up on those who don’t know proper etiquette.
“These are parents who want to give their kids lots of opportunities to succeed,” Butowsky said.
Bostany said she believes that etiquette classes are important for children because we live in a world of social interaction and relationships – with parents, with peers, and in the work place.
“A simple introduction, by looking someone in the eye, shows respect, which is really what we’re after,” Bostany said. Bostany said that after children take classes at Your Charming Child, they become more helpful at home because they learned about empathy.
Butowsky added that well mannered kids are preferred playmates and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors later in their life. She said that proper social skills are essential to exist socially with other people in a society that is “striving to become a population of selfish, apathetic, robots with no need for personal reaction.”
Your Charming Child recently hosted classes at 1150 Maxwell Lane at The Hoboken Man. For more information visit www.yourcharmingchild.com.
If you’ve ever seen a child behaving improperly, whether it’s not holding the door open for someone or playing with their phone at a family dinner, you can understand why Donna Bostany and Lisa Butowsky, certified etiquette instructors, feel the need to bring back the teaching of manners to children.
Bostany and Butowsky teach etiquette classes for children in Hoboken. The classes are for children age 4 to 12 and cover social etiquette, communication skills, and table manners.
Bostany has been a resident of Union City for 16 years and owes her interest in etiquette to Butowsky, her sister, who has a degree in early childhood development and has been working with children for most of her career. Bostany believes that children are the best resources for the future, and that if people can affect and help them, the results will be very rewarding.
Butowsky and Bostany got involved with Your Charming Child because they observed children’s behavior and saw a lack of etiquette, affirmed by lots of other parents. They decided that they would fix the issue one child at a time. Butowsky also spoke of her desire to contribute to society through the kids. “It works, you can see it,” Bostany said.
Getting along with others
One of the sections of the classes is social etiquette, which includes lessons like how to behave in society, how to be a welcoming host, and how to introduce yourself. Bostany and Butowsky use costumes and role play to inject fun into their classes.
The children introduce themselves, shake each other’s hands, smile, make eye contact, and even introduce a third person. Other lessons include teaching the other students interview skills and teaching the younger students proper door usage etiquette.
Butowsky spoke of a young boy who put on a crown and a mask and said he was a princess, an example of how the kids become very imaginative and come up with fun and creative names and characters during the role play exercises.
The sisters also created Miss Mistake (TM), a character who acts in all the wrong ways and does all the wrong things. Bostany and Butowsky did not develop the lessons they teach, but added to them after they took a course at The International School of Protocol in Maryland, where they became certified to be etiquette instructors. They also used lessons from a workbook that the kids can bring home so their parents can reinforce what they learn in class.
Bostany and Butowsky spoke about the reasons that parents bring their kids to Your Charming Child. Bostany said they want their children to feel confident and comfortable in social situations.
“There’s nothing worse than a child who’s awkward and shy and doesn’t know how to behave,” she said. She also said that studies have shown that success is directly correlated to social skills. Parents want their children to be successful, and having manners will give their kids a leg up on those who don’t know proper etiquette.
“These are parents who want to give their kids lots of opportunities to succeed,” Butowsky said.
Bostany said she believes that etiquette classes are important for children because we live in a world of social interaction and relationships – with parents, with peers, and in the work place.
“A simple introduction, by looking someone in the eye, shows respect, which is really what we’re after,” Bostany said. Bostany said that after children take classes at Your Charming Child, they become more helpful at home because they learned about empathy.
Butowsky added that well mannered kids are preferred playmates and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors later in their life. She said that proper social skills are essential to exist socially with other people in a society that is “striving to become a population of selfish, apathetic, robots with no need for personal reaction.”
Your Charming Child recently hosted classes at 1150 Maxwell Lane at The Hoboken Man. For more information visit www.yourcharmingchild.com.
The Jersey journal, hoboken, nj
The river view observer, hoboken, nj
The intelligencer
