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Our mission statement: “At Basic Steps Learning Center, we aim at providing a safe learning environment with high expectations to all learners so that they can achieve their full potential and have high hopes for their future.”
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Message from the Founder and Program Director:
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Basic Steps Learning Center website!
Let me share a little bit about my background. My name is Kany and I moved to Seattle from New York City about 9 years ago. During these 9 years, I received a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. And just recently, I have completed my doctoral program in educational leadership at Seattle University, with an emphasis in educational psychology. My dissertation study was about how to better motivate students into learning and help them be hopeful in their academic path. This study has recently been self-published on Amazon.com and the title is: “The Role of Hope in Students.”
I have over 7 years of academic teaching experience. I’ve taught children as well as adults throughout my teaching career. My students’ ages range between 3 and 65 years old. I’ve been an elementary school teacher in several countries around the world and most recently at Tukwila Elementary for 2 years. I am also currently serving as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor at a Lake Washington college, which I have been doing for the last 5 years.
Now that my oldest daughter is 3 years old, I have decided to leave my teaching position at the elementary school to be closer to my children. In fact, running my own preschool program allows me to fulfill my passion in teaching and enjoy the role of being a mother.
After years of teaching students of all ages, I truly understand what young children need in order to be prepared for their first steps into academia. Opening Basic Steps Learning Center has allowed me to focus on teaching children, including my own, the necessary literacy and social skills to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. What makes my program so different from other daycare centers and preschool programs is my commitment to offering a combination of quality education, flexible class schedules and most of all, affordable tuition.
Currently, the preschool classes are offered at our school located in Plaza by the Green, a retail plaza 5 minutes from Kent Commons and ShoWare Center in downtown Kent, Washington. Starting January 2013, we will have four different preschool classes from Monday to Friday (8:30-12:30pm). To find out more, please visit the preschool site here.
In the near future, Basic Steps is planning to offer after-school care, which includes homework help and tutoring sessions for 6 to 12 year-old children. Students in the program will receive an individual assessment and customized curriculum to ensure that their needs are met and reach their full potential. To design a well-fitted curriculum that help students learn the necessary skills to be successful in school, Basic Steps will work with parents and teachers closely to learn about the students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Thank you for visiting our website! For more information about our educational programs, feel free to contact me here.
Best regards,
Dr. Kany Joa