Johns Creek Learning Center Filling Gaps From Pandemic

JOHNS CREEK, GA — While the pandemic has brought many challenges to all, students have felt the absence of classrooms, interaction and personalized teaching while doing remote learning. That's where Huntington Learning Center in Johns Creek steps in.

For more than 40 years, Huntington Learning Center has tailored tutoring programs to fit students' needs, academic goals and schedules. That is important now, more than ever.

Savannah Harrell is the assistant director for the Huntington Learning Center in Johns Creek.

"While Huntington Learning Centers have been around since 1977, the Johns Creek location opened during the early stages of the pandemic," she said. "Opening during a pandemic has certainly been challenging, but we continue to grow. We believe we are well positioned to help students as we emerge on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis, and to help kids make up any gaps in learning that may have arisen due to the disruptions in the education system."

The center has implemented COVID-19 protocols put forth by the CDC and other government agencies, including:

• Employees wear masks at all times
• Everyone who enters has their temperature checked at the door
• Surfaces are sanitized constantly throughout the day including pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, curriculum books, workstations, doorknobs, windows, and other exposed surfaces.
• Workstations occupying students are at least 6-feet apart
• Social distancing is observed throughout the center

"Business is picking up, and we believe we are in a unique position to help kids get back on track and fill in any learning gaps that may have arisen due to the COVID-19-induced interruptions in the schools in Johns Creek," Harrell said. "Not being able to visit directly with school personnel has been a big challenge. Due to obvious reasons, we have utilized Zoom as the main source of communications with school faculty, but most in-person events that we would normally participate in have been cancelled due to the pandemic."

Even so, the ability to help students with tutoring or exam prep and seeing their confidence grow has been rewarding, she said.

"The gratitude from parents once they see the improvement in their kids’ grades has also been incredibly positive," Harrell said. "The challenges and interruptions due to COVID-19 are unprecedented, and it is nice to be able to help the kids with their education and parents who are so worried about long-term skill gaps that potentially have formed."

The center continues to add teachers as they grow, and will be introducing extended summer hours once this semester is over to offer parents every opportunity for their kids to catch up in school.

"The schools in Johns Creek have supported us throughout the pandemic, and by forming school partnerships with many of them, we are trying to do our part in supporting them as well," Harrell said. "Through the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce, we have also received tremendous support from fellow businesses.

"We are here for your kids. We know this has been incredibly challenging on so many levels, but if you have any concerns with your kids’ education and potential skills loss, we can help. dditionally, many colleges have gone 'test optional' with regard to ACT and SAT entrance exams. But they are not 'test blind,' meaning that for those kids that submit ACT or SAT results in order to stand out against the competition, schools are factoring that in. Many scholarships require an ACT or SAT result in order to qualify, and Huntington offers individualized 1 to 1 tutoring for both the SAT and ACT exams."

Huntington offers a comprehensive academic evaluation which allows staff to develop a customized learning plan to help students build skills and motivation. That is followed up with a conference for the parents to go over the results, and together plan a unique program for each student.

To learn more, visit the Huntington Learning Center Johns Creek website.

Do you know a local business that has been impacted due to the coronavirus? Email Editor Kathleen Sturgeon at kathleen.sturgeon@patch.com to potentially be featured.