Learning Centers? Are the worth the $$$?

[NJMom]

Hi all,

My second grader is really stuggling in school. He was evaluated last year and they were unable to identify why he is having trouble retaining math/reading skills. He's a hard worker, not a discipline problem (according to his teachers) he's just having trouble remembering all that he needs to know. We have gotten him extra help in school and my husband and I work with him daily. He has a passion for learning and school and I don't want to loose that with him being discouraged. I don't know what else to do to help him. I thought of contacting some of those learning centers such as Kumon or Huntington....but my husband feels that all they want is our $$$ and will charge us an too much to tell us something that we already know. Anyone have experience with these types of centers or any suggestions? :(

Thanks,
NJ Mom

[BucknellAlum]

I don't have any experience with the learning centers, but I was curious as to what type of evaluation you had? In my experience, there are all sorts of resources available in the schools, but sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel to get what your kid needs. (This is not a rap on the school, just an observation that they are dealing with the needs of hundreds of kids and it is easy to fall thru the cracks).

If you had an in-building specialist evaluate your son, perhaps now it is time for the district-wide personnel to be brought in, for example. Personally, I do not think I would accept an answer of "we don't know" from the school, after only one evaluation. I had reason to have my DS tested and I was amazed at the in-depth report that accompanied the meeting afterwards.

Now, if you have run the gamut of all the specialists in your area, etc and everyone is still flummoxed, then perhaps the centers can help, but I don't know that they are going to have an answer if the school's resources are unable to provide you with a plan. Good luck to you both, though, it is frustrating when a kid is not performing at his potential.

[helios7]

Have you considered perhaps hiring a tutor to work with your son? Someone with a background in special education who might be able to help your son learn "traditional" material through multi-sensory methods?

I think that would be a step I would consider before a learning center (although I am biased as I am a tutor of the type I've described above). I will be honest and admit I don't know much about learning centers, but I feel that a tutor will be able to offer a personalized curriculum that can be tailored to target your son's strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure that a center has the ability to do that (and if I'm wrong I stand happily corrected).

Also, did your son receive a full neuropsych evaluation? You might want to consider one, if the answer is no. They provide a complete picture of your child (both strengths and weaknesses) and might provide you with more clues as to why your son is having such difficulty. Is it language processing? Is it a difficulty communicating what he knows through expresive language? Is it a memory issue? You might want to peek at Mel Levine's book A Mind at a Time if you haven't already. It focuses on various learning issues, and provides strategies for increasing success.

Hope that helps.

[TKay]

I have no personal experience with learning centers, but will tell you what a friend of mine found out. In her area, it's very competitive. She says almost all the kids go to Kumon--even if they're not having trouble in class. She visited the center and checked it out. She said (and again, I'm going by what someone else told me) that the centers stress repetition of the basics. Like with math, the kids practice basic math skills until they are absolutely ingrained in their brains. She said the idea is that when you get to higher math, kids often fail because they mess up the addition or subtraction involved, not because they don't grasp the higher concept.
What my friend ended up doing was getting her own practice books for her dd to use. She has to do a certain number of practice pages a day, which I guess is pretty much what the centers do as well.
I'm not sure that answers your question, but it does offer you an alternative. Since you already work with your ds, maybe you're doing this anyway. Flashcards are good for this kind of repetitive practice too. I have a second grader also. I think it's a very good sign that yours has a passion for learning.
Good luck and let us know what happens. If you do visit a center, I'd be curious to see what you find out.

[NJMom]

Have you considered perhaps hiring a tutor to work with your son? Someone with a background in special education who might be able to help your son learn "traditional" material through multi-sensory methods?

I think that would be a step I would consider before a learning center (although I am biased as I am a tutor of the type I've described above). I will be honest and admit I don't know much about learning centers, but I feel that a tutor will be able to offer a personalized curriculum that can be tailored to target your son's strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure that a center has the ability to do that (and if I'm wrong I stand happily corrected).

Also, did your son receive a full neuropsych evaluation? You might want to consider one, if the answer is no. They provide a complete picture of your child (both strengths and weaknesses) and might provide you with more clues as to why your son is having such difficulty. Is it language processing? Is it a difficulty communicating what he knows through expresive language? Is it a memory issue? You might want to peek at Mel Levine's book A Mind at a Time if you haven't already. It focuses on various learning issues, and provides strategies for increasing success.

Hope that helps.


I will definetly look into getting him a neuropsych evaluation. I had no idea this was available..thanks so much for your advice! I greatly appreciate it!

[MaryMac]

I would agree with the suggestion of a neuropsych for your son. We had an independent evaluation from a neuro-psychologist and she was able to not only diagnose my son's disability, but give us the tools we needed to allow us and his teachers to help him succeed.

As for Kumon......I only know two things about them. The only child I know that goes there attends because his school wasn't challenging him enough and he went there for a more supplemental instruction, not real tutoring. When my daughter was in high school she had two friends who were Kumon "tutors". For that kind of money I would look for a more trained individual to help my son.

I wish you luck as I know how frustrating this can be. You will eventually find what will work for him, sadly it may not quickly. Just keep trying and have patience.