040623_Summer Kids Calendar II _DIGITAL EDITION

8 x April 6 — 19, 2023 x www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com
Huntington Learning Center
Getting Students Back on Track for Success
Huntington Learning Center
has established itself as a trusted
learning environment for students in
the Dr. Phillips, Windermere and
now Winter Garden areas. In the
spring of 2022, the center opened a
second location in Winter Garden
to better serve families in that area.
In today’s academic environment,
students are facing more challenges
than ever before, but Huntington
Learning Center is prepared and
equipped to help.
Executive Director Aziz Kabani
explained the problem facing students
is they have been trying to play
catch up each year since COVID-19.
“We’re still dealing with the effects
of COVID-19, and we’re seeing issues
arise because of that learning loss,”
Kabani said.
Students are already at a disadvantage
going into a new school year.
There is a known learning regression
that happens every summer. When
parents take into consideration the
challenges that schools have faced
during the past couple of years, children
aren’t retaining the information
they’re learning as well and are struggling
as a result.
Staying One Step Ahead
Huntington Learning Center is committed
to helping students, not just
get back on track, but continue to
progress.
“Our goal is to always have students
working one grade level
ahead,” Kabani said. “We identify
where their skill level is and build all
the way up.”
Huntington Learning Center does
this through thorough evaluation of
what each student needs and oneon-one
instruction customized to each
child. It also offers a virtual option for
those who aren’t comfortable coming
to the center in person. Virtual
students get the exact same learning
experience online, as well as access
to the same 3,000 pieces of curriculum
that is available in the center.
Whether it’s reading, writing or math,
the teachers are able to continue oneon-one
instruction online at no extra
charge.
“The first thing we do is give the
student an assessment to see exactly
where they fall with their skill level,”
Kabani said. “Our goal is to be able
to identify any setback or any gaps
in their foundational skills. From there,
we develop a program for each individual
child. There are no two students
in our program that are working
on the same curriculum. It’s all based
on specific needs.”
The dedication to each child’s success
and willingness to go above and
beyond are what truly set Huntington
Learning Center apart. The teachers
work in partnership with parents and
schools. They have progress meetings
with the child’s parents every few
weeks, so they are informed of what
skills their child is working on and how
he or she is progressing. They may
reach out to the student’s teachers at
school to collaborate on the best way
to help the student progress, and they
are happy to attend IEP or 504 meetings
to advocate for the student.
All teachers at Huntington
Learning Center are required to hold
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
a minimum four-year degree and
must be trained specifically in the
subject matter they are teaching. The
center has been helping students for
more than 20 years and is accredited
by the Middle States Association.
It is also accredited as a private
school by the Florida Department of
Education.
With the largest SAT program in
the state, their average test score increases
are impressive. A Huntington
student’s SAT test score will on average
increase by 250 points or more,
and their ACT test score will on average
increase by 6 points.
“For some people, it’s the difference
between even going to college
and not going to college,” Kabani
said.
Huntington Day School
In an effort to enhance learning
even further, Huntington Learning
Center opened the Huntington
Day School in 2020. The small,
private school accepts K-4 students.
It is accredited by the Florida
Department of Education, and it mirrors
Orange County Public Schools’
calendar and hours for parents’ convenience.
Many parents will also be
happy to learn that Huntington Day
School is exempt from requiring third
and fourth graders to take the FSA.
Building Confidence
in Academics
Confidence-building is a key element
in helping students excel. All
the teachers at Huntington Learning
Center aim to encourage the students
and boost their confidence.
Parents who come to Huntington
Learning Center are often in a contentious
relationship with their kids.
They feel frustrated and discouraged
at having to fight over homework every
night and not being able to help.
And, the kids are doing what Kabani
calls delayed avoidance. They want
to do everything else except their
homework, because it’s hard. They
want to save the hardest thing for
last, and then it doesn’t get done.
“We want to let students know that
they can do the work,” Kabani said.
“The biggest complaint we get from
the parents is, ‘I cannot sit with my
child and do homework. My daughter
and I get into a fight every single
night about doing this, because it’s
too hard for her, and she doesn’t
want to listen to me.’ When we’re
able to build these skills, the student
is able to work independently, and
it changes the whole relationship
between the parent and the child,
because they’re able to get back
to being Mom and Dad and the
child instead of the teacher and the
student.”
After studying at Huntington
Learning Center, the same children
who struggled to read when they
started at the center are now reading
two or three grade levels ahead.
And, they like it, because they’ve
become good at it. Huntington
Learning Center builds those skills,
and the confidence to tackle learning
challenges and excel at them.
For more information, call 407-290-1111 or
visit huntingtonhelps.com/center/dr-phillips or
huntingtonhelps.com/center/winter-garden-fl. ª