“To fully understand the magnitude of how extraordinary Community Learning Center Academy has been for my family it is imperative to know our background.”

“At this point in time last year, our morning school routine had become an absolute nightmare for us all. There was lots of crying and fighting with screams of ‘I don’t want to go to school! I hate school!’ from all of my children as we’d get ready for our day. Every morning I would have to physically take them to each of their classrooms and force them to sit in their seats. Then I’d leave them there, crying, all the while it was breaking my heart. It was as if they all had reverted from fourth and second grades back to their first day of Kindergarten!”

“School had gotten so bad for them that they had simply reached their breaking points. My children HATED going to school knowing they each would encounter AT LEAST one bully throughout the day along with their dismissive teachers’ and administrators’ attitudes.”

“Oftentimes the children in their classrooms were so unruly, the noise volume sounded like a fully packed concert hall. I, myself, observed these children time and again picking up chairs above their heads and throwing various miscellaneous objects (including the chairs) around the rooms and at other children without much recourse, if any, to the misbehaving children. At best, the offenders would receive a verbal warning from the teacher, wait for her attention to go elsewhere, and resume whatever they were doing. All of this chaos was ‘typical’ morning class time BEFORE class had begun!”

“On a daily basis my children would tell me, ‘Mom, I don’t know why teachers say this is a ‘bully free’ school, because it’s NOT!’ as they’d burst into tears, begging me not to bring them back. Every time I’d complain to teachers or office staff, they’d tell me that if my children did not report incidents to their teachers when they occurred the school could do nothing about it. I was left at an impasse because my children were too afraid of the consequences and repercussions of them reporting their bullies.”

“Enduring that environment year after year took its toll on my children, their academics, and their social skills. My oldest became socially withdrawn and my twins went year to year, from grade to grade, falling further and further behind because they do not learn according to public school standards. Because they qualified for I.E.P.s their teachers would promote them stating, ‘They’ll catch up.’ I even spoke with their Assistant Principal and their Principal individually, and they both stated that legally the school system will not hold children back a grade until the child fails the third grade, because that’s county law.”

“By the end of last school year, my twins were two full years BEHIND their actual grade level. TWO FULL YEARS!”

“I was beyond frustrated, to say the least. So, I decided to be proactive. I had heard of the Step Up for Students Scholarship Program and applied for each of my children. They were accepted and through that program we found CLC. My children and I went to visit and tour CLC, and we instantly fell in love with it! We registered at CLC that very day and it honestly was the BEST decision I could have made for my children!”

CLC has made such an enormous POSITIVE impact on and in my children’s lives. Their anxiety levels, stress levels, and fear of their learning environment have decreased dramatically. Their tears are gone. Their grades are going up. They actually ENJOY school now, and…. best of all…. my oldest is coming out of her shell and my twins have gone up an entire grade level!”

“In just one school year my children are blossoming academically, emotionally, and socially and are learning it is quite ok to be themselves. CLC staff are supportive and caring, perfectly balancing life skills with scholastic self-discipline. CLC provides a quality education with an old-school back-to-basics approach (no common core!) in a safe, healthy environment that allows children to grow and learn at their own pace.”

“Thank you, everyone at CLC, from the center of my heart!”- L.Y. (parent of three CLC Academy students)