Testimonies
Rene
"My daughter has been labeled 'learning disabled.' Expressways to Learning® has brought joy to her eyes and confidence to her schooling. Five months ago it was nearly impossible to get her to read anything. Now, I sit in the next room listening to her read chapter books with expression and no stumbling with words. I can hardly believe the progress she has made in such a short time."
- Karen
Bethany
"When Bethany was in 2nd grade she struggled in reading, comprehension and application, and math. She would get frustrated a lot. Her self-esteem and confidence began to decrease. She wasn’t doing well at all. She really worried about moving on to 3rd grade. Her father and I, along with her teacher felt that repeating 2nd grade would be of great benefit for her along with the help of the Abba’s Child Learning Center program to help bring her grades up.
"In a little more than half a year’s time her grades went up 2 grade levels. Her confidence and self-esteem just flourished. She began to get excited about school and about learning. She was reading and comprehending and was able to apply what she read. And her math is improving as well. She continues to do well and is so much more confident within herself.
"Thank you, Abba’s Child Learning Center."
- Cheryl
Cotton
"When my son first enrolled in Abba’s Child, he had no prior classroom experience except Sunday school. He was a home-schooled kid from Alaska. He tested too low for Bethel’s Christian school and so we were directed to Abba’s Child. I had also been Cotton’s Sunday school teacher and knew that his attention was easily distracted when other kids were around.
"Through Abba’s Child program Cotton was able to work one on one with their instructors until he was able to develop his own discipline to stay on task. As if that wasn’t a miracle enough, about 2 weeks after beginning the program Cotton went from shakily and nervously riding his bike to stunt rider - a giant leap that I attribute to connections in his brain being established that reflected in his coordination. Of course his academics, specifically comprehension and coordination in hand writing, flourished but what amazed me most was the program’s effects in areas I normally would never have associated with his learning difficulties. After being in Abba’s Child for a couple of months I noticed his memory improving and his ability to remember multiple instructions improving.
"The most important improvements to me were in his view of himself. You see Abba’s Child is not just about helping your child succeed in academics but also, through genuine interest in my child’s success as a whole person, Cotton left the program convinced that they believed in him and therefore he believed in himself. This I attribute to the prayers and daily actions of the staff that consistently called Cotton to a higher standard both academically and socially. I recommend the Abba’s Child program to any student. We are forever grateful for this program and their staff."
- Rena'
Jeniece
"My daughter is, and always was, a bright, talented, and curious one! Nonetheless, by the beginning of 2nd grade, my daughter was showing signs of academic difficulty. Throughout that school year she fell further & further behind her peers in her ability to read, write and spell at grade level. That year, there were teacher & principal disruptions in the school, so at that point we were certain her difficulties were due to instructional problems. My daughter started going to a new school in 3rd grade, but her difficulties continued, and even seemed to worsen as time went on. Teachers called for Student Study Team meetings, which acknowledged her troubles & identified how her learning challenges were manifesting, but her difficulties continued, as no one could really identify WHY she was struggling so! She was bright, enthusiastic, outgoing, but some were convinced she was lazy, daydreaming, or just not trying hard enough. We tried a national tutoring chain, which helped a tiny bit, but still, any progress she was making at the tutoring center was not transferring to daily academic application. Fourth grade—same story. New tutor between 4th & 5th grades. Also by this time, she should have been able to tell time, directionality, and been more knowledgeable about many ‘math’ concepts: money, math facts, etc., yet she couldn’t seem to retain anything from the countless hours of practicing & drilling we did!
"I asked for her to be evaluated by the school for learning disorders—it was not making sense that this bright & talented child should be struggling SO hard, just to barely scrape by at school! The results came back that she was bright and talented and did not qualify for special ed. as she apparently had no specific learning disorders, but she did have a significant gap in her phonological awareness skills. This was not new news!
"My daughter did get one-to-one [aide] help frequently during class time; we tried different reading remediation ‘programs’ at school, but progress was sketchy at best. Her grades were barely passing, and it was only with extraordinary effort on her part, and extreme assistance during homework at home. Not only was this exhausting and frustrating for my daughter, it was just as much so for me. Homework was a nightmare every day; we had meeting after meeting at school; she was an enigma to the school staff, and I didn’t know how else to help her.
"After we had used literally every resource available in Redding at that time, I was at my wit’s end. One night I opened the Shasta Parent magazine and saw the ad for Abba’s Child Learning Center. I’d never heard of it, but at least it was a new resource to check out! I called Judith D’Amico, told her of the academic struggles and pursuits, and she said she wanted to assess my daughter. While I wasn’t delighted to have my child go through yet another set of ‘tests,’ we both desperately needed help. My daughter was assessed, and for the first time ever [this was 5th grade] her auditory processing ability was assessed, along with many other pieces. At 11 years old, she was testing out with a 7-year-old child’s capabilities in that processing mode. This was shocking and revealing! We’ve also since learned that she manifested classic signs of dyslexia.
"At this point, I was absolutely willing to try the program at Abba’s Child, as it was obvious that my daughter was not just ‘being lazy’ and ‘daydreaming.’ After all, she was only retaining a minute percent of what she was receiving auditorily! After working with the program for approx. 8 mos, her auditory processing ability tested at her appropriate age. Additionally, her other scores rose significantly, as did her grades at school, AND her confidence level in her own capabilities! Sixth grade went tremendously better; homework was not a nightmare every night! And, in seventh my daughter made the Honor Roll for the first time ever, and was thrilled to have earned her place participating in the Honor Roll Trip that the teachers treat the students to!
I saw the powerful difference that Abba’s Child Learning Center made in my daughter’s life. I know the positive impact this program has on not only the student’s skills, but on the family dynamics as well. When a student struggles, the whole family is impacted, not just the child.
As a result of my daughter’s successful and positive experience with this Learning Center, I chose to leave my own Kindergarten classroom at the end of the school year, to come to work as a teacher at Abba’s Child. I wanted to help other students develop themselves in a very identifiable way, just as my daughter was helped. I believe in the program; I know it can make a difference, for students of ALL ages. I want others to know that there is hope and there is help."