My name is Rebecca G. My son, Austin, is six years old and has been attending the Huntington Center in Englewood, New Jersey, since July 2011. I am so pleased to have this opportunity to write about my family's experience at this facility.

Austin began Kindergarten at five years old. The school year started out well even though he did not begin kindergarten reading. He seemed to make progress and was reading well, or so I believed, by December. The teacher seemed happy with his progress and we were thrilled with how much he seemed to be learning. His report card reflected this positive beginning, with Austin receiving mostly 3s and 4s. The second marking period, his grades stayed the same and I continued to not have any concerns about my son—until the third report card came home. Without warning, Austin's grades suddenly slipped. He had been receiving 4s across the board in math in kindergarten, but all of a sudden, he slipped to 2s. This concerned me greatly, not only because his grades had fallen, but because they had fallen so dramatically. His father and I were very upset.

Well-meaning members of our family advised me not to worry: it was the end of the year, and we should enjoy summer and pick this back up in the fall. However, this situation continued to gnaw at me, so I called the Huntington Learning Center. I had seen the center many times when I had passed by taking my children to a nearby martial arts center, and I thought that it might be a place where I could get help for my children, if they were ever to struggle in school. I never expected to need Huntington so quickly.

When I called to make the initial appointment, I was very relieved and happy with the warm reception. The staff's response to my description of Austin's situation validated my concerns. Kindergarten was too early for a child to be struggling that much and they informed me that early comprehension problems can often occur in math before they show up in reading.

We brought our son in for testing in July and were dismayed by the results. It was not just math that he struggled with, but all areas of his work. In some sections of the test he scored well below average for his grade level and Austin admitted that he could not read aloud to himself at all. His father and I were stunned. How could we not have known?

Austin began a tutoring program at the center four times a week for an hour and a half. Immediately, we saw improvement. Index cards with words he could read came home, and a big grin would greet me every time he exited the building. He loved his teachers and they made him feel good about himself. By the time school began in September, Austin had reached, in just two months, first-grade standards in reading and math. As of this writing, his teacher tells me that he is reading at almost second grade level and that he is in the top quarter of his class. His report card reflected this amazing improvement, as he got all 4s in writing and reading, and 3s in math.

Huntington in Englewood took a child who was struggling in school last year in kindergarten and has made him a top student this year at an extremely competitive school. The directors have supported us from day one and continue to enable Austin to achieve beyond expectations. I cannot imagine that any other organization would do such a great job of teaching my child and also including us throughout the process. We meet with his teacher regularly to make sure we are all on the same page. We are and always will be so very grateful for Huntington.

The center in Englewood is a warm, caring, child-oriented environment. I'm such a big fan that I'm continuously recommending them to everyone I know and now have friends whose children attend as well. The program works if you follow it. Young children should not have to struggle so early in school. I'm just so glad that we found a place where we could get such great help for our son. I'm happy I made that phone call.

FROM: Austin