Q: How do I know this is the right place for my child?

A: Our commitment to you and your child is to provide a safe, fun, challenging environment so that you can relax and know that your child is spending time after school being productive. We have defined a unique and balanced after school program that provides one on one academic help from professional teachers and fun sports and games, enriching after school clubs and programs that your child needs and will enjoy. We employ only the best teachers and have extraordinarily low teacher-to- student ratios, so that our support to your child is intense and individualized. You don’t have to worry about those hours after school, when your child is most at risk, because our certified teachers and physical education instructors will keep your child safe and excited about learning.

Q: How do you develop and teach your academic help curriculum?

A: Experienced educators and child psychologists developed curricula at Springboard after many years working with children and consulting both research and practitioners. The study skills curriculum is designed to assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of your child and then build lesson plans that will rebuild areas your child struggles in. Springboard teaches each student the foundation for learning- a critical set of skills that includes organization, project and homework planning, note taking, outlining, and test taking proficiency. In all, the curricula is designed to support sustainable changes in skills and knowledge, so that students can realize our core values of Individual Responsibility and Achievement, meaning they can produce high quality work accurately, effectively, and independently. Springboard also has a more focused program named Springboard Intensive. It is Grade-level tutoring that covers the entire range of grades K-12 and is customized to meet the specific needs of individual students. Taught on an individual basis, it is designed to provide very focused help for students that are either behind academically or for those students that want to accelerate beyond their current grade level. For example, Springboard’s reading comprehension curriculum for students in grades 4-8 breaks each aspect of reading comprehension into its core components, allowing students to develop mastery in the variety of sub-skills necessary for overall reading comprehension. Once students have developed mastery in the core reading components, more complex reading curricula are used that require students to draw upon these sub-skills and “put it all together.”

Q: What makes your Schools different from Private Tutoring Companies or other After School programs?

A: Several things…

1. Springboard identified the shortcomings in traditional after school programs and created a remarkable learning environment that supports your child’s growing needs. Most after school programs are babysitting with kids running around gyms etc. They have high student-to-‘whomever’ ratios and provide neither safety nor genuine challenge. The absence of professional teachers and instructors who know both the developmental needs of children and the content to challenge your child results in boring, busy work being assigned in after school programs. At pick-up time, when parents and kids are tired, they still battle over grades, homework and school.

2. In many cases a student in the 6^th or 7^th grade comes to Springboard with average or worse grades. Using our Springboard Intensive Program, Springboard uses sophisticated academic assessment software to examine all the way back to 1^st grade if necessary to find those concepts and subjects that your child missed or misunderstood. Springboard then develops lesson plans to rebuild those areas to bring your child to grade proficiency. Tutoring agencies do not or cannot do this. It would be extremely expensive, take a great deal of time and tutoring by itself does not solve this crucial problem children face.

3. Cost. Tutoring companies can charge $75 – $150.00 per hour. Many parents cannot afford this, particularly when you realize it can take months working with a child to help bring them to grade proficiency. A parent could spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to accomplish this. With the help of the Springboard Foundation, Springboard costs as little as $2.60-$5.90 per hour. (More for Springboard Intensive)

4. Transportation. Springboard operates in many instances right in the school. Your child does not have to travel anywhere. And you do not have to worry about bringing your child to some expensive tutoring company at 6:00 or 7:00 at night and wait.

5. Springboard works with your child’s teacher to better understand where he needs help. This is such an important thing. Springboards teachers meet with your child’s teachers and receive crucial first hand information about the needs of your child. This input provides important information as to how best to help your child.

6. Springboard “Smart Summer Fun Camps”. Unlike most camps, Springboard adds an academic component to its fun summer camp. There are lots of fun sports, games, swimming and field trips, but kids at Springboard camps also have a two hour academic segment, where they receive academic help in areas they struggled with during the school year or they have some time to get in some important summer reading. This important segment helps prevent ‘summer brain drain’.

Importantly… Springboard has found a better approach. The Springboard After School program both supplements and complements the work of the public school by offering services that address strong academic, creative and physical fitness needs. Our mission at Springboard is to provide a “Private School” opportunity for public school kids, at a price far, far below the cost of private school or tutoring companies. Springboard is a one-stop location for the full set of challenges that children need. Our “state-of-the-art” recreational facility is designed to engage students’ physical and creative needs, includes a climbing wall, dance and karate studios, a music lab, robotics and drama labs. Springboard’s Homework Program offers the study skills and structure for students to complete their homework assignments with care and accuracy. Our Springboard Intensive Program provides students with individual tutoring instruction in reading comprehension, vocabulary development and mathematics to ensure that each student demonstrates academic accomplishment at or above grade level. Our High School Program focuses on study skills, test prep and advanced reading and mathematics tutoring to give students the best opportunity to get into the college of their choice.

At the end of the day, parents can be assured that their children are spending productive time after school to complete homework, strengthen their bodies, and make critical progress academically. Most importantly, we achieve our success because kids want to be at Springboard.

Q: How long have your Schools been operating?

A: The Springboard schools and the Springboard foundation was founded by Kevin Flynn and opened in October 2006. We are financially strong and committed to providing children in public school the same after school benefits that children in private school receive every day. We are constantly developing new program options to challenge and support your children.

Q: What security measures do your Schools utilize?

A: Access to our Schools and most schools we operate in are through state-of-the-art keypad security system. All children are always in the presence of teachers. Children may be released only to parents or a parent-designated individual. However, such designations may never be made over the phone or in an email. Our Schools have emergency systems in place and we practice evacuation measures with our children in conjunction with the local fire department.

Q: Is Springboard expensive?

A: No. Springboard After School is priced to extremely low to make access to Springboard academic help and fun clubs available to most families. Depending on services, Springboard generally costs between $2.60 – $5.90/hr.

Q: My son has baseball practice at 5 pm two days a week. Can he come before practice?

A: ABSOLUTELY! Your son can focus on the areas of Springboard you feel he will benefit the most from. For instance he might attend academics immediately to get his homework complete then join in one of the after school clubs until he has to leave.

Q: We have a hectic schedule. How flexible is your schedule?

A: We provide many options for our programs. Using our online scheduling program you can select the programs and times that fit your schedule. Our intention is to work with parents to accommodate their schedules and to meet the needs of their child.

Q: Are your teachers certified and qualified?

A: All our teachers are either certified or professionally trained to provide instruction in the course they are assigned, including creative arts, physical and academic tutors. Our teachers are required to continue their education through workshops and seminars sponsored by Springboard.

Q: My child does really well in school, but does not feel challenged in math. Can you help him?

A: Yes, we can help any child grow beyond where they would otherwise. We begin by offering skills to become more self-directed, so that students may learn to identify their own challenges and pursue them. Our professional, enthusiastic teaching staff can work with any level student and the unique variety of challenges ensures something for everyone. For example, perhaps your son would rather get extended math and engineering challenges by spending time building a robot or solving interesting problems in Destination Imagination

Q: I want my daughter to be ready for the SATs; do you do that?

A: Yes, Springboard offers Springboard Intensive, a program designed to work with students in scholastic areas they struggle in and will provide unique and critical study skills curriculum in conjunction with SAT tutoring. Your child will learn test-taking strategies specific to the SATs, practice past SAT exams, study content that Springboard researchers have identified as likely to appear on the next SAT exam, but she will also become more proficient in the skills essential to sustaining her academic growth, such as developing personal study guides, creating homework and study plans, note taking and outlining.

Q: Can you tell me about the Physical Education programs and the after school clubs you offer?

A: Springboard offers interesting and challenging physical activity programs utilizing its “state-of-the-art” recreational facility, designed to engage students’ physical and creative needs, including a climbing wall, dance, aerobic and karate studios. Springboard also offers similar programs If Springboard is located in your child’s school we utilize the schools facilities, gyms, etc.

Springboard offers in many schools (please check yours) after school clubs that are designed to challenge and engage children. These clubs include;

• Art – History of artist, styles of art, intro to drawing, etc.

• Drama – Theater, basics of acting

• Dance – Introduction to styles of dance

• Destination Imagination – Fun team challenges and competition

• Chess – Learn the intricacies of playing

• Science & Robotics – Introductory elements and kits to build robots

• Digital Photography & Manipulation – use of software to enhance photos

• Languages – Introduction to languages of choice