After receiving positive feedback at the NAEYC Conference this past fall, we learned a few things:

1. Our concept was well received
2. Our product was aesthetically pleasing and considered “innovative” in that it’s quite comprehensive
3. We offered only two products—the Family Kit and the Teacher Kit
4. Our prices were out of the price range of most teachers, so they needed to get school approval to use school funds
5. Several questions were common:
   • “Can we buy just your guessing game cards?”
   • “Do you sell just the map of Scholarville with reinforcement stickers?”
   • “Would you sell us your character cards?”
   • “I’m tired of the phonics program we are using…do you sell just your phonics component?”

So, in an attempt to share our products with everyone, the individual parts of our whole kit are available to all of our customers.

Many parents and teachers alike are in search of a quality “phonics only” program to enhance their children’s reading readiness skills and they have found this kit component very useful. We have been approached by advocates of the Down Syndrome Association, ESL teachers, preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, and non-profit agencies, all expressing their admiration in our phonics component and how there is nothing else out there like it!

The town of Scholarville and all of its community members are “one of a kind” watercolored line drawings that have been created by an amazing artist and educator. Scholarville is unique, multi-cultural, engaging, motivating to children, and a perfect springboard into the world of letter and sounds! Their action is evident and their affiliated motions help ALL learners grasp the letter/sound connection!

The Guessing Game is a favorite of all students! It is perfect for vocabulary development and beginning sound reinforcement.

Each piece is important in and of itself, and when combined as a whole kit you have an exemplary kindergarten readiness program!

Click here to learn more about our Kit Components.

Just to be in the nation’s capital, where great policies are made and such history is represented, is awe-inspiring. But add to that a convention center filled with over 22,000 people—all gathering with one common interest: the education of young children. Policy makers, preschool directors, child psychologists, occupational therapists, computer techs, musicians, curriculum designers, authors, children’s literature advocates, distributors and teachers all convening to review key topics in early education and to visit the exhibit hall displaying a multitude of products relavant to the education of young children (there was eye candy everywhere you looked!).

I met people from near and far: China, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, India and many representatives from each of our prospective states. All appeared to be greatly drawn to the Scholarville map—I heard many reactions that described it as “creative,” “unique,” “artistic,” “original,” “multi- cultural,” and “clever.” I even had a man from India take a photograph of it noting that it provided “so many concepts displayed in one small map.”

The feedback was incredible and I can’t help be motivated upon my return. I was flattered to hear that the kit is considered unprecedented and that home daycares are in need of educational materials—they provide quite an expansive market, actually.

In walking the rows and rows of great booths, I was on a mission to establish how Pre K Scholars differs from all of the others offerings. I’ve had a sense of this all along, but my searches confirmed what sets us apart.

Pre K Scholars provides:

1. More than phonics.
2. Completely integrated—fine motor, writing, reading, letter value, letter recognition, number value, number recognition, number writing, basic math, basic science, social studies, colors, shapes, simple science and much more all embedded in one program.
3. A progressive discipline—each week skills are built upon the skills from the previous week. Letters are introduced with a bigger picture in mind.
4. Artistry in the materials that is original and created by well-respected artists.
5. A primary focus on preparing children for the kindergarten of today.
6. Home-based business opportunities—for those wishing to teach classes out of their home, we offer afterschool enrichment for preschools to let them increase their revenue stream while meeting the needs of parents and students. Likewise, we provide a well balanced program for parents wishing to work with their child one-on-one.

What a treat to be able to express our differentiating qualities to those who stopped by our booth!

While I was manning the booth my father visited the Newseum, a museum pertaining to all aspects of news and television. Feeling inspired to be a reporter himself he filmed a short clip, which I’ve included below.

Amy Hunt, who teaches Pre K Scholars classes in Ripon, California wrote this morning:

“Hi Amy! I looked at your new website and LOVE it! How do I get my class posted and enter my profile information? I’m assuming you will let me know! This will be great. I still need to fill my class for fall. Thanks for looking out for us teachers!”

Immediately following that email I received a second one indicating she had already figured out how to register to start a class and create her own teacher profile. It’s easy—and now she will benefit from all of the marketing and publicity Pre K Scholars pursues.

With this milestone reached, we continue search for more talented teachers nationwide. Did you know that 49% of children who do not know the alphabet as they enter kindergarten are middle class or higher? I’ll touch more on that later

It really is profound when you can see the self-worth it restores in many stay at home moms. I hear the dads say, “My wife is so happy to get those monthly checks.” And I hear the moms say, “I am so happy to be teaching again.”

One mom in particular outwardly exemplifies this business enthusiasm. Amy Hunt is a stay at home mom and former teacher from northern California. After hearing about the Pre K Scholars Program from a friend, Amy grew curious and emailed for more information. We had several email exchanges to answer her questions address her initial fears. After deliberating for about a week, Amy decided to GO FOR IT!

Amy began recruiting and initially was only able to find one student. But this did’t stop her from teaching the class—she proceeded with one student. It didn’t take long at all for word to spread of her course, and six months later, she has created her own website, www.prekconnection.com, she has been featured in her local newspaper, and she has summer and fall classes all lined up. Read Friday’s story from The Ripon Review.

Amy’s is not the only PKS success story, but it’s one worth sharing…

Many of these inquiries come from former teachers who miss working with children. Almost all say, “It would be a perfect fit…but can I ask you this? And what about that?” I am ALWAYS happy to answer any questions, but I thought it would be nice if they could hear firsthand from a stay-at-home mother of two, and former teacher, who decided to purchase the Home Based Business/Teacher Kit and teach the program with a friend.

1. How long have you been teaching your class?
   “I have been teaching my class with a partner for almost 6 months.
2. How many students are you teaching?
   “We have 8 students in each of our 2 classes that we teach.”
3. How did you recruit students?
   “We recruited our students mostly by word of mouth. We did send an initial flyer, but most of those people had shown interest prior to the mailing.”
4. How did you prepare your home?
   “My partner’s home is perfect for teaching this class. We made sure that we had a sitting area and two work spaces for children to work in small groups. We also made sure we had all of the tools listed in the Instructional Guide that came with the kit.”
5. What feedback have you received?
   “We have heard from many parents that their children don’t want to go to their preschools anymore; they would rather come to our class.”
6. What one piece of advice would you give a prospective buyer of the HBB/Teacher Kit?
   “Buy it! It has been such a joy to get these children ready for Kindergarten.”
7. What’s the biggest pleasure you’ve received from the PKS Program?
   “After teaching our 18th class today, I feel like our kids have the head start needed to have a successful kindergarten experience. They are ready and we had a huge part of that!”
8. Do you consider your HBB/Teacher Kit purchase a good investment?
   “YES!!!!!! It paid itself back within the first month, with having two classes. I feel like I am really contributing to our local schools and our family.”
9. As your classes come to an end, do you plan on teaching subsequent classes?
   “Yes, some parents are wanting some additional activities/classes over the summer.”

As we talk with moms and teachers to get feedback on the Pre K Scholars program, I will post more of their responses. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is interested in learning more, we welcome you to send questions to info@prekscholars.com. The Pre K Scholars website also offers detailed information on both the Home Based Business Kit and the Family Kit.

Why is positive reinforcement limited to children? Don’t we all enjoy a “pat on the back?”I think that positive reinforcement is encouraging no matter what age you may be.

In our marketing endeavors for Pre K Scholars, we have asked both teachers of our program and parents of children who have taken or are currently enrolled in the program to give a testimonial on what they think. Several are outlined below—as they continue to come in, I can’t help but feel the inspiration and encouragement of “positive Reinforcement!”

Testimonials for Pre K Scholars:

“Our daughter was in a developmental pre-school for 3 hours a day and only 3 days per week. We were concerned that she wouldn’t be ready for full-day, academic kindergarten. The Pre K Scholars program prepared her so well – she knew her letters and was beginning to read by the end of the program – we were so impressed by her progress!!”

-Becky

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“My teaching partner and I have been teaching the Pre K Scholars course for 9 weeks. This program has been easy to implement. The instructor’s manual was so well written that we were able to use it as a guide and set up our program quickly and efficiently. Our students have been completely engaged from week one. Every student is excited to come to class. Because the students are so enthusiastic they are motivated to learn. I am so surprised how far they have come in only 9 lessons! One can easily see the growth in each individual child by looking in their student notebook. This program has inspired and energized me back into a passion for teaching. The student’s success give me such a feeling of accomplishment. Each week I cannot wait to go to class to teach the next lesson. Next fall we know we will have no problem filling up more classes because this one has been so successful.

Thank You, Missy Ruiz (Pre K Scholar teacher)

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As a former teacher, I absolutely love “Scholarville” and how the letters of the alphabet are incorporated into the community theme. After teaching one day, I’m amazed at how easily learned the letters and sounds are with the use of kinesthetic arm motions. It’s fun for the students and teachers!

-Amy Hunt
Pre K Scholars teacher

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The Pre-K scholars program has been a wonderful experience for 2 of my children so far, with enrolling my third son in a few years. It has given them a wonderful foundation for kindergarten and I highly recommend the program to any pre-K student. Being a developmentally focused mom, the program has been fun, educational, but completely appropriate for the 4.5-5.5 age range.

-Wendy Leithem

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“I purchased the program with another former teacher and friend. Everything has gone so smoothly due to the detail and quality of the Pre K Scholars program. The materials are listed clearly and each week has a detailed explanation of what to do for every minute of each class. Both my partner and I are thrilled to be teaching again. We are having fun and most importantly the students cannot wait to come back each week!”

-Jana James Kalinowski

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As a Mom and a former teacher I was so excited when The PreK Scholars Home-based Business Curriculum was made available for me to purchase. The program is amazing! It is incredibly organized and comprehensive – not a single detail was left out! We are currently teaching 2 classes each week and the kids absolutely LOVE it!

-Brenda Lavin, Mom, Former 2nd Grade Teacher

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You know I think this class is amazing. On that front, you can say anything and use my name.

Thanks!
Melinda

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Pre K Scholars gave Courtney a head start and instilled confidence in her ability to read. She started Kindergarten at the top of her class and this program had a lot to do with it!

-Anne Ima

Before starting Pre K Scholars my son was still struggling with identifying his numbers and letters and very rarely wrote his name. Almost immediately after he started the Pre K Scholars program I noticed a remarkable improvement with his writing and letter identification. His writing now is legible and he feels so proud when he can share with his older siblings his knowledge of the alphabet and numbers and write his own name. He also frequently shares his homework (cutting activities, “Go Fish” card game, etc.) with his siblings and friends.

Thanks so much, Amy.
Traci Del Valle

–

“I have been extremely happy with the Pre K Scholars program – obviously because I have my second child in the program right now! I love the fun and interesting homework, plus the cool things they do in the class. It is very creative – something I am not- and the class encourages me to work more with m kids at home. I would definitely recommend this class to everyone I know – it can only HELP your child.”

Sincerely, Janice Hess

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My son loves the class. He gets very excited when he knows he gets to go see Miss Amy. He was having a hard time learning his letters and sounds. Now he knows his letters and is able to remember the sounds for each letter he learns. I can see an improvement after 5 classes.

Rachael Plattner (Parent)

“This was a fantastic course, from start to finish! The material was creative, educational, and fun for the kids. Amy’s program made a huge difference, and really helped to prepare our son for kindergarten. I would recommend this to anyone!”

- Anne Brown

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Here are more comments from moms submitted on class evaluation forms.

• “She learned way more than I thought she would!”
• “Kasey felt like a ‘big girl’ going to this class. She took it very seriously. “
• “She knows her letters now. She’s writing capital and lower case. She’s starting to read. She has good number value.”
• “She was in a developmental preschool this year, only three days per week. I was concerned that she didn’t have any academic schooling and would be behind the other kindergarteners who had more advanced schooling.”
• “My son wants to know if he can do it again next year!”
• “I loved the unique ways Amy integrated crafts and projects to reinforce the letters the children were learning that week. It was also a great experience being able to check out books and have new stories for us to read.”
• “My child LOVED going every week!”
• “Letter recognition applied to everything throughout her day. Sounding things out on her own. Identifying an object and saying the letter it begins with. Printing improved.”
• “They learn a great deal, but in a fun and interactive environment.”

I like to be the creative force within our company—but behind the scenes. The challenge I am facing, though, as others learns about Pre K Scholars, is that everyone wants to see the kits, experience the games and activities. Naturally, there are questions…who better to answer those questions than the creator. Right?

Well, I’m stepping out from behind the scenes and I am beginning to physically unveil our program to all who are interested. What I thought would be “out of my box” and feel “unnatural” has really turned out to be an exhilarating experience.

Two days this week I set up a product display table at a prestigious local preschool that will be offering the Pre K Scholars program as an afterschool enrichment starting in the fall. I was able to show off the Scholarville map, the Scholarville characters, the guessing game, the kit box, the sample lessons. And I answered a common question: “How are you different?”

This I can answer so proudly! A few examples of my responses:

• Most programs are strictly phonics based, but we offer so much more—we are comprehensive, integrated. We reinforce fine motor skills, letter/sound recognition, basic reading skills, handwriting, basic math, simple science and so much more.
• Our program is centered around a town called Scholarville, filled with a diverse group of characters from all nationalities.
• Our Guessing Game introduces vocabulary with presenting clues to the children and requires them to utilize more processing, instead of just showing a pictured flash card. All the while, the program reinforces beginning sounds.

My answers go on and on, as does my pride in the quality of the pre k program we offer. At the end of my two days at the preschool, they had enough students to fill one class and enough on a waiting list to open a second class. I guess stepping “out of my box” isn’t so bad. Especially if it can benefit pre k children nationwide.

Look for our booth at the NAEYC conference in Washington D.C. this November.