My daughter is Maris, she’s 11 years old, LOVES to learn, and LOVES PCS. Maris has been going to PCS now for six months, and I can’t say enough good things about it. There’s just not enough time or paper to document all the wonderful things this program has done for Maris and our family.

I’ll give a little background about Maris and why we’re so passionate about this program. Because Maris is so driven to learn, create, imagine and innovate, finding programs for her can be quite a challenge, because all too often classrooms are just too crowded, each child learns differently and at a different pace, and, quite frankly, she just gets bored with the same mundane material, repetition and teaching-to-the-test model.

We saw the spark in Maris fading, and the heartbreaking moment when we knew we had to do something was when her dad asked her: Maris, is there anything you get excited about learning with your classes? Her immediate and sad answer was a resounding NO. Heartbreaking! Because this is a child who LOVES to learn. For this reason, we decided to pull Maris from public school and homeschool.

Even though we chose to homeschool, we were always searching for extra enrichment programs for Maris, which, again, was quite challenging, because we knew Maris loved STEM-related activities, and there just wasn’t much offered that would fit her needs. When we would find anything STEM-related, it was always offered for the older kids and high school range. Not much help for Maris. I was at my wits’ end trying to find her something.

Then, low and behold, as if someone knew my struggles, a post card came in the mail for PCS! They were offering an Open House. I was thrilled to see it was for the younger ages. We decided to attend the Open House, not without reservation, though, because Maris was worried it would be the same crowded classrooms, everyone working at the same pace, homework, tests…….just another class to her.

We arrived at the Open House, which was to be held from 4:00 to 8:00. Maris was worried and scared. I told her we didn’t have to stay but a few minutes, only to check it out. We met Heidi and some of the staff, and they gradually got Maris out of her shell and working with some of the equipment.

What was supposed to be “a few minutes, only to check it out” became hours, until the Open House was over! The child didn’t want to leave! I saw an amazing transformation in Maris. The spark in her was coming back! Once we left the Open House, Maris couldn’t stop talking about it. She wanted me to sign her up right away and couldn’t wait until her first session. She was so excited that the classroom size of students would be small, she could work at her own pace, no homework, no tests…….just the freedom to learn. Of course, as a mother, I was overjoyed to see my child so happy again about learning in a class.

The real heart-tugging moment was when we met up with Maris’ dad for dinner that night after the Open House. Maris grabbed her dad, eyes full of excitement, and said: Dad, remember when you asked me if there’s anything I get excited about learning? Her dad remembered. Then Maris said: Well, I got really excited tonight! I’m so excited to learn in this new class!

Finally! A program that my child is so excited about where she can learn, create, imagine, innovate, and looks forward to going to every week……..and six months later she’s still excited! This is a program that we love and just can’t be without! I thank my lucky stars for that little post card that arrived in my mailbox six months ago. It was our saving grace. Thank heavens for PCS!

– Kamra and Mike, Parents to Maris