Educational Connections founder Ann DolinDear Parent,

All too often, parents of school-age children find themselves cast in the conflicting positions of positive and nurturing role models, academic subject specialists, and homework police. The tension that this creates between parents and their children can be one of the most trying aspects of parenting.

My discovery of this divide came first as a teacher when my students' parents were honest enough to share with me what was really going on in their homes. Later on, as a tutor, the principal concern I heard parents express were the problems with helping their children with their homework.

In 1998, I made the difficult decision to leave my public-school classroom teaching position in Fairfax County, V.A., and started Educational Connections Inc. In the beginning, I was my company's sole employee. Since then, the company has grown to employ more than 120 instructors throughout the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area and beyond and has successfully worked with over 10,000 students from kindergarten to college.

I learned a number of important lessons in Educational Connections' early years. First, even the brightest students sometimes need extra help. And when help is needed, nothing beats one-to-one instruction. Next, for a number of reasons, students are often more willing to accept help from a person outside the family circle than they are from even the most patient and sympathetic parents. Third, area schools are competitive and subject matter can be challenging. After all, how many of us remember all the steps in cell division or how to factor a polynomial? It didn't take me long to learn that students get the best help from tutors who are specialists in an area and know the curriculum well, especially when they get past middle school. Finally, many of my students were never taught the basic skills needed for classroom success, such as organization, time management, and efficient study methods.

Improvements take place very differently in every home because each child has a unique set of skills and abilities. For that reason, there is no one cure-all for educational challenges. But we at Educational Connections have worked diligently since 1998 to find the best ways to help all of our students learn. We only hire instructors with the education, experience, and the personality your children need to flourish in class. We keep on top of the most effective, research-proven instructional methods. And we never stop training our instructors and staff.

Please call today to talk to one of our program managers about what we can do to help your child prepare for academic success.

Sincerely,

      Ann Dolin, M. Ed.