abcMENTORS was started out of a need for something different. Some students need smaller, focused environments with few distractions. And many children struggle with the social issues plaguing our large schools today such as drug use and bullying. As students begin to fall through the cracks, the teachers and administrators do not always effectively communicate the issues until it is too late to reverse the harm.

The "not so typical" school day

1. Certified Instructors
   
2. reinforces public education
   
3. one-to-one daily instruction
4. FLEXIBLE learning SCHEDULE
   
5. no more homework battle
6. positive learning environment
7. promotes educational success

A DIFFERENT

EDUCATION

abcMENTORS is a unique learning environment

Our goal is to create a warm, open environment where students feel safe and confident with their learning. We challenge every student to surpass his or her own personal best and help them over the hills and through the valleys of these growing years. abcMENTORS is proud of the diversity of its students and we take every opportunity to celebrate those characteristics that make us different. We welcome all who come through our door.

The real world allows us to find careers that fit our personal needs and goals. Unfortunately, the traditional public school system does not allow the same flexibility for our children. Many kids struggle with the large classroom sizes and soon fall through the cracks. Others may find themselves the target of social bullying and are just seeking a peaceful learning environment.

Founded by Dana Yates, a California Multiple Subject Credentialed teacher, she found that the huge school of 1000+ children did not fit her own child's needs. Dana's son struggled with ADHD and medication was no longer a viable option due to side effects. The expense of private schools offering smaller classroom sizes seemed out of reach and there was still no guarantee that her child would excel.

Out of a need for something better, Dana went searching for other options and decided to try California Virtual Academy (CAVA) which instructs students through the website K12.com. The daily visibility of work completion alone was a huge turning point for her son. Add the reduced distractions in the work environment and he was setup for success. But every day he told her how he missed his friends and craved the social aspect of the large public school. Dana also found that she never got a break...the school was always in her house spread out on her dining room table or into the living room.

Still determined to find a solution, Dana again went looking for an option for her son. One to one learning with group activities sounded like the perfect solution, but it was more than double most private schools. Private schools sounded great, but her son wanted to participate in sports. And through the online public school system, he had an opportunity to join his local school's team if the school agreed to the exception. Back to the drawing board... But then Dana was introduced to a new problem: her FRIENDS were having similar issues with their children! And she learned that many online students were simply Googling the answers causing them to not only miss critical learning components, but they were breaking their school's rules in the process.

A teacher first with an entrepreneur's heart and mind, Dana decided to establish a learning coach business. abcMENTORS was born! Led by educators, our parents enroll their children into an online school program such as CAVA. The school sends all of their books and learning materials. Your child will work in the online school system using our computers and with our oversight and assistance. You will have real-time tracking of your child's daily progress. No more wondering what your child did every day! Our role is to become your child's learning coach.

We want to mimic the "real world"

In the real world, we keep our jobs for doing a great job. In the real world, we are promoted or receive increases in pay for doing a great job. At abcMENTORS, we try to mimic this by encouraging our students to do their best on the first try. Every day your child will receive points for each assessment that they pass. Extra points are given when the child passes the first time, but any pass will receive some points. Points are then exchanged for fun prizes! Your child will have an opportunity each week to trade points in and go home with a reward for a job well done.

Customized learning schedules

Every week, we review your child's upcoming assignment schedule. We will rearrange your child's online schedule to optimize his/her learning success. If your child struggles with math and learns best in the early morning, we will create a schedule where math is one of the first learning subjects. There may be times when we will stack 2 in a row of the same subject to better reinforce a challenging subject. Our team will constantly review and tweak your child's education schedule to set them up for success. Our goal is to optimize learning for each child's needs so that they feel empowered for success.

A positive child is open for learning

We start each day on a positive note. We will teach children breathing and relaxation techniques so that they are in a relaxed mental state before starting their day. We will also do a circle share where each child will say a positive comment about whatever interests them. It can be something great that happened to them at home, it can be about a prize they are trying to earn, or even about a friend. We make a point of focusing on positive comments so that your child will always begin the day in an optimal learning mindset.

Organized, safe, and supervised learning

One of our goals is to teach your child how they learn. Children that have insight about their own strengths and challenges are setup to be successful adults that understand the work environments that fit their needs. We teach your child to organize their work and provide them with the tools to sort their own materials. The computers that your child will use have been locked down to prevent viewing inappropriate content. Computer screens are positioned so that adults can quickly see what your child is working on. If we see a child stuck on the same screen for a period of time, we will intervene before the child reaches maximum frustration and will provide extra instruction on that topic. Each child will receive a minimum of 1 hour per day of one-to-one instruction either at the computer or side by side at a desk depending on the subject need. We describe it as online learning meets learning coach meets private tutor.

Outdoor time
Our kids work hard, so we encourage physical exercise and outdoor breaks. Weather permitting, we will spend at least 1 hour outside every day during the learning schedule. We will walk to different outdoor locations (such as hiking trails and parks) close to our facility for exercise and fun. Signs on our door will point you to our current location if we are not in our facility, but you will also have our daily schedule in advance. Lunch is often eaten outdoors to encourage fresh air, exercise, and a much needed mental break.

No online cheating or shortcuts

Our environment greatly reduces any opportunity for online cheating. Many students enrolled in online education have determined that if they Google the question, the answers will pop right up on their screens. While this breaks many school rules, the ultimate failure is that the child did not learn! Our computers are setup to block most answer-sharing websites. And because the screens are rotated for quick visibility to your child's activity, our teachers will know when there's cause for concern and will quickly remedy the issue, getting your child back on track.

Flexible schedules

Our doors open at 7:00am every day. Our circle discussion begins at 8:00am and we encourage all children to arrive by that time when possible. But we also realize that online learning is all about flexibility, so we will work with families to offer more flexibility when desired. Optimal success is found when children have consistent schedules, so we do encourage families to determine their best schedule. The daily learning schedule ends at 3:00pm each day, but in support of our working families, children are welcome to stay until 6:00pm. After school hours provide educational games, art projects, educational movies, fun video games, and more.

End the homework battle

Your child will work hard all day long with abcMENTORS. Because of this, children will rarely have extra work to complete at home. Most online school programs that we work with are mastery-based. Your child must pass with 80% or better to receive credit and in most cases, children will be allowed multiple attempts to pass a failed assessment. As your child progresses through the school year, you will have real-time access to their daily learning achievements. If we identify any concerns, we will notify you immediately in person, by phone, or by email regarding the issue. Our goal in your child's education is to promote their success and we want to keep you informed as early as possible if there are any concerns so that we can work with your child to steer them back to success. In some cases, homework may be needed to help your child catch back up if they are not working at their optimal level, but this is not typical.

Field trips
Every 4-6 weeks, we will go on a field trip! Field trips are included at no extra charge and your child will be given a special field trip shirt to wear. Some of our past field trips have included visiting Alcatraz and the Academy of Sciences. All of our field trips end up being fun, but we also recognize that our kids just need a release once in a while! So each semester we do a "fun" field trip such as spending an afternoon at a swimming pool or going to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We encourage our parents to sign up for at least 1 field trip every year, but it is not required.

Fairfield CA

707-731-7220