Marketing Director Kevin Rockmael said he thinks private centers have been popping up over the last decade because, plainly and simply, people want them. Parents are often looking for additional places where their children can learn, so we found that we've been welcomed in every community that we've got a center in. Not all students at her center need to improve immediately, she said, adding that there is approximately an equal split of students who need the help and students who are there to improve. This particular program assesses kids' academic strengths and weaknesses before they even start tutoring, so the teachers can create customized learning plans for each child. From there, the kids work with the same instructors, without rotating or switching, until they have mastered the needed subjects.
Students attend tutorial sessions twice a week for an hour at a time after school.
The center is open from 3 to 8 p.m. during the week and is also open on the weekends. The Camden Avenue center is currently serving students from the Campbell Union, Cambrian, East Side Union and San Jose Unified school districts and a couple of local private schools. Stuart mentioned specifically that students from Fammatre and Bagby elementary schools and Price Middle school are enrolled at the center. Stuart visits the teachers of students who are in the program to ensure their success. She is expecting the center to grow quite a bit as parents spread the word.