In conversation with our founder - Part One:
Founder, Ken Sazama, with his sons.
Why did you start the Joy Lab Academy?
When people ask me why I started the Joy Lab Academy, my answer comes back to three things: a belief in children, a personal need, and a calling I couldn't ignore.
First and foremost, I believe deeply in child-centered education. Kids are brilliant and intelligent on their own terms — our job as educators isn't to mold or sculpt them into something we think they should be. Children arrive in our classrooms already full of curiosity, creativity, and potential. Our role is to give them the vessel to flourish, and then get out of the way and let them do exactly that. At Joy Lab Academy, we pair that philosophy with strong academics and excellent teachers who genuinely understand their students — educators who know how to create the conditions where young people don't just learn, but truly blossom.
Admissions are now open!
Second, I'm a father. I have two boys, ages 8 and 12, and for years I searched for a school that felt like the right fit for them. A place where they would be seen, challenged, and celebrated for who they are. I couldn't find it — so I decided to build it. Joy Lab Academy is, in many ways, my dream school for my sons. And I suspect there are other families in Jamaica Plain who have been searching for the same thing.
And third, this is simply where I'm meant to be. I have a master's in education from Harvard, and years ago I stepped away from the field to pursue a career in real estate — a business I remain deeply passionate about and continue to work in today. But alongside that work, something kept pulling me back to education. I kept returning to a quote from the writer Annie Dillard: how you spend your days is how you spend your life. That line has a way of cutting through the noise. When I'm honest with myself, one of the most meaningful ways I want to spend my days is here — leading, building, and serving the students and families of Jamaica Plain through the Joy Lab Academy.
We’re located at Hope Central Church in Jamaica Plain.
Some choices aren't really choices at all. This was one of them. And I can't wait to see what we build together.