The Kumon Math & Reading Center of Foothill Ranch is a tutoring service designed to advance your child's comprehension and appreciation for learning - providing an edge throughout school.
Question & Answer
1. Tell me a little bit about your business? What makes it unique?
We, at Kumon Math & Reading Center of Foothill Ranch, believe a strong foundation is essential to academic and personal success. No matter what you do in life, you have to learn the building blocks of your trade. For students, it is learning the basics of Math and Reading. Our mission is to provide children in our local community an opportunity to build and master foundational skills in these areas while developing complimentary study and time management skills vital for future success in our global economy. In May 2013, we enrolled our first student and are currently serving 80 families from the cities of Irvine, Aliso Viejo, and of course all of Lake Forest.
Kumon was created by a dad, who wanted the best for his son. In 1954 Japan, a father and gifted math teacher, named Toru Kumon wanted his young son, Takeshi, to develop a love for learning. He also wanted him to be thoroughly prepared for rigorous high school and college entrance exams in his future.
Short, incremental assignments helped his son to master concepts. Each day, Toru gave Takeshi short, incremental assignments to complete, allowing his son to master each concept completely before learning a new skill. The method was so successful that by sixth grade, Takeshi was solving calculus problems.
As Toru’s son started studying far beyond grade-level, other parents took notice. As young Takeshi Kumon’s ability improved, other parents took notice and their interest in Toru Kumon’s unique step-by-step self-learning method grew. Today, Kumon has helped millions of students in 49 countries.
Kumon study requires a three-way partnership among students, parents and us – Kumon of Foothill Ranch. Students and their parents work hard at keeping up with school as well as Kumon and myriad other activities in their daily lives. To celebrate their achievement and recognize the hard work and continuous effort kids put in their Kumon Study, we host Awards Nights every 3-4 months. We provide achievement certificates to students who complete each level of our curriculum and also to those who are working beyond grade level and are part of Advanced Student Honor Roll. Additionally, our students receive recognition from California State Assembly and we are grateful to Mayor Pro Tem Scott Voigts for presenting these to our students. With lots of food and merriment, it’s a night parents appreciate tremendously and expect as part of their Kumon experience in our center!
2. How did you get involved in your industry?
Education is my passion and I believe it is key to a life of opportunity! I love to learn new things and believe in this critical economy, one must strive to continually improve. I have been a teacher in various K-12 settings. I believe there are ages and stages which we need to be mindful of and provide all our children with the educational opportunities that are right for them. I had known of Kumon prior to becoming a teacher. I knew it was a program that helped students with mastering their fundamentals in math and reading. Moreover, it was a program that required students do the work by actually writing using a pencil; by doing is how we learn and this program gave students the tools to practice by doing. However, I was skeptical of its benefits, until I heard it first hand from the family members and their friends. They told me Kumon helped in making school easier. That it was something the kids just did – everyday! Now, for a child it may seem mundane, but knowing the benefits of sustained practice and learning that Kumon study has had longitudinal success, we decided to pursue the business venture. Knowing that we are providing a service that allows students to improve their math and reading skills and gives them an opportunity to accelerate beyond grade level, Kumon was our way to equity – giving each of the kids in the community what they need!
3. Why did you choose to locate in Lake Forest?
We initially wanted to start our center in the city where we live in order to serve our community. As a prospective Kumon franchisee, I had the option to select from a few locations called Green Dots, in and around Tustin, where I currently live. However, it seemed all signs were pointing toward Lake Forest as retail locations in Tustin were quite limited and serendipitously, we were able to secure a lease in Foothill Ranch within a few short weeks towards the end of 2012. The fact that the city is so business friendly made it that much easier for us to move forward with our plans and begin our lease in February of 2013 and we couldn’t have been more pleased. We have had tremendous support from the city, local businesses and the Chamber.
4. Any special promotions we can advertise?
Yes! We are waiving $50 Registration for the month of June and for anyone who references this newsletter using code – Business Spotlight, we will waive $30 materials fee as well at enrollment.