By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent
Understanding children’s academic needs and learning styles can be quite complex as it’s not a one-size fits all approach.
For parents, there are myriad questions and concerns which may arise in any given school year, but ultimately how do parents know what’s best for their children; how do they know what tools or services exist that can help maximize their children’s education or cope with a learning disability?
Sometimes parents need more than the aid of a classroom teacher or a school guidance counselor.
That’s where the business of educational consultants come in.
“Would my child perform better in a smaller class environment?” “Does my child require a more hands-on approach to learning?” “Would a tutor help my child catch up or even get ahead?”
These are just a few of the critical questions that educational consultants review with families every day.
In Greenwich, there are three educational consulting companies offering a multitude of services, including child behavioral assessment, tutoring services, day and boarding school placement, test prep, crisis intervention and much more.
The largest of the educational firms in the area is the Greenwich Education Group (GEG), located at 6 Riverside Avenue, with additional offices in Stamford.
Since 2003, GEG has been providing students with the educational support they need for academic growth, enrichment and life-long learning through conventional and non-conventional programs.
GEG serves over 1,000 students per year with its full-time staff of 107 employees.
Their database of connections and relationships in the field of all things education enables them to offer a comprehensive array of academic resources, encompassing both targeted counseling, advisory services as well as unique, highly specific day school programs.
In addition to day/boarding school placement and test preparation, their tailored advisory services include gap year assistance, therapeutic school and program placement referrals, homeschooling, gifted program identification, diagnostic assessment, social skills support, and parent education and strategies regarding learning disabilities, ADHD, ASDs and stress.
Vicky Newman, GEG’s founder and executive director, began her career as a teacher in the Stamford Public Schools and went on to teach in the Greenwich Public Schools.
Newman quickly recognized the need for individualized programs in order for each student to thrive to the best of his or her ability.
As evidenced by the firm’s steady success and immense growth, Newman has worked tirelessly to expand and evolve the company so that it can quickly adapt to the ever-changing needs that Greenwich students continue to face.
“I get to do what I love and love what I do every day. We have such an incredible team and have grown out of hard work,” said Newman.
While their menu of services is vast, what is unique about GEG is that they have also developed four accredited, co-ed independent day schools under their domain, in order to meet the needs of students which Newman felt were unable to be met anywhere else.
These schools include the following:
Beacon – provides individualized instruction in a supportive community for students who thrive in one-on-one or small group instruction environments (grades 3 to 12).
The Spire School – provides customized instruction for intellectually capable students who are struggling with depression, anxiety, ineffective coping skills and other emotional challenges (grades 6 to 12).
Pinnacle – ensures the academic, social and emotional success of students diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders, non-verbal learning disability and/or ADHD (grades 3 to 12).
Links Academy – an accredited short and long-term school providing the educational support and academic continuity that students require to remain on-track, catch up academically, and accelerate their learning (grades 6 to 12).
GEG also offers individualized learning programs for their students through their own Collaborative Center for Learning and Development.
This past April, Newman and her husband Peter, who serves as the firm’s CEO, received the top honor of the Small Business Administrations’ People of the Year Award in Connecticut.
Another Greenwich firm offering educational consulting services with a great track record is Browns Educational Consultants, run by the husband and wife team of educators, Jim and Robin Brown.
Their offices are located at 19 East Elm Street.
Browns Educational Services include school placement, educational advising, academic tutoring, ISEE/SSAT preparation for K-12 as well as college planning and guidance, test prep and informal academic evaluations.
Jim Brown has more than 20 years of experience working with kids who possess exceptional academic ability as well as those who are faced with learning challenges.
Brown was a teacher at Eagle Hill, dean of students at Hackley School, head of middle school at the Browning School, and was the assistant head of school at the Stanwich School.
His wife and business partner, Robin, worked as a learning specialist at the Rye Country Day School and was the “go to” learning specialist at Brunswick School. She also served in a variety of roles at the Stanwich School.
Her extensive training and expertise in reading and writing programs such as the Orton Gillingham approach, The Basic Writing Program, Great Leaps, and others have proved to be a critical asset to their client base.
The Browns take great pride in the fact that many of their 10 full-time staff educators have been with the company since its inception and are highly trained in their areas of expertise.
For example, Amy Mancini specializes in working with kids struggling with executive functioning issues, while Honor Simeone has a seemingly innate ability to draw information out of students in order for them to develop a deeper, richer understanding of concepts.
“Our goal is to help kids get the most out of their school experience, public or private, whether it be through innovative enrichments programs or tutoring,” said Jim Brown.
And with a new satellite office in Greenwich, is the consulting firm New York Admissions.
New York Admissions is one of New York City’s leading admissions consulting firms servicing families in New York City, Greenwich and Westchester counties and abroad.
Recently the firm has opened a Greenwich branch spearheaded by longtime educational consultant and Greenwich resident Andrea Lefkovits.
New York Admissions works hand in hand with their families to streamline and navigate the school admissions process and has a well-earned reputation of helping their students gain a competitive edge.
Their services include admission consulting for top schools including private, selective public, specialized public high school, boarding, nursery and special needs.
They also focus on relocation services, tutoring and special needs guidance.
Dana Haddad, CEO and founder of New York Admissions, says the best part of her work is seeing the kids truly thrive in the right environment, which can only come from gaining a true understanding of the child.
“We start out by asking kids to design their dream school,” said Haddad.
“But then we take the stress and guesswork out of the school admissions process and work closely with every family to get their children into their top-choice,” added Haddad.
Haddad was a former admissions director at Horace Mann School and Claremont Preparatory School and a former teacher in New York private and public schools.
During her time at Horace Mann, she met Lefkovits, who was head teacher at the time.
Haddad and Lefkovits quickly formed a friendship that grew out of their shared passion and commitment to instilling a lifelong love of learning for students.
Lefkovits joined New York Admissions as an educational consultant to their overseas clients while living in London for 3 years with her family.
While in London, she also consulted at the American School and the prestigious Avenues School.
“What sets us apart is that we truly spend a lot of time making sure children are at the right school for them,” said Lefkovits.
Haddad and Lefkovits shared their view of the three most important things for a child to obtain from their education:
1. A lifelong love of learning
2. A strong sense of self-esteem
3. Exposure to new experiences
Parents may schedule a consultation with any of the firms mentioned in order to identify and assess which educational services might benefit their child and contribute to a more robust academic career.
The common thread from this reporters’ interviews with each firm was the importance in crafting the right path for each child in order to foster a love of learning that will take kids not only through a successful academic career, but will ultimately pave the way for a lifetime career of success and fulfillment.
Visit:
Greenwich Education Group (GreenwichEdGroup.com)
Browns Educational Consultants (Brownsec.com)
New York Admissions (NYAdmissions.com)
