Lots of Love for KoolMinds Idaho

Eric and I found KoolMinds 6 1⁄2 years ago, when we were looking for a program for our son. He was struggling with school, and we were looking for something to help with his attention and focus. We came across the Brain Works cognitive skills program, and I fell in love with how it worked, and the progress that we saw in our son in such a short amount of time. He no longer had to stay in for recess to complete his work, He was able to pay attention in class, and his confidence grew immensely in his ability to learn.

Eric is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and has worked in children’s mental health for about 9 years. He loved that the program could give an alternative to the symptoms of ADHD without having to medicate. After we completed the program, I asked Andrew how we could bring the program to Idaho. I felt that it could benefit so many more kids, and we didn’t have a lot of resources in Twin Falls, so I felt it could be a huge asset to the community.

After some training, we opened our office in February of 2018. We have loved seeing the positive impact on so many students. It has truly been a joy. 

I felt that KoolMinds was different because their program wasn’t like traditional tutoring. At KoolMinds we don’t go over homework, or just teach a concept and then move on. We teach kids how to learn, and how to be effective learners for the rest of their lives. The exercises are fun and engaging, and I love that when the parents get involved it builds relationships as well.

We decided to become licensees because we saw the potential to share what we had found with others. We love to see kids get excited about learning. I have volunteered in the school system for a lot of years while raising 5 kids, and I saw a need that I felt we could help fill. 

Our office in Twin Falls was the first one we opened in 2018. We found an office and within the first week signed up 4 students. We were off to a great start. We quickly saw that we couldn’t do it alone, and hired another instructor within the first year. We then grew to needing 2 offices, and hired another instructor in 2019. We soon found that we were going to need more space, so we were fortunate to find an office that had 4 rooms so we could grow. The first of 2020 we decided it was time to expand to Boise. The Covid pandemic slowed that down, but we had a space, and were working with great kids, so it kept growing.
We now have 10 instructors, and have helped hundreds of students. We hope to see it continue to grow, and serve more communities in Idaho. 

Some of my favorite changes that we see right off with students is their confidence. By completing difficult tasks, they see that they can do hard things, and quickly realize that they are smart and capable learners. We also get a lot of students that see great progress in their ability to focus within the first 6 weeks. We have many students that gain a love of reading as they work through the cognitive program, because their comprehension improves, as well as their reading speed and accuracy. 

I think the biggest challenge is making it affordable for any student to participate. Running a business costs money, and I would love to be able to provide our programs to any student that needs it, but not every family can afford to pay for extra programs for their children. We have tried to make it accessible to more, by applying for grants, and offering financing options. We are always looking for ways to expand our reach, and be able to offer more programs at a lower cost to the families in our communities. 

Build on your strengths, and be willing to find people to help you that have different strengths than you. We are all great at different things, so build a team of people that can work well together and grow together. Having the right people in your circle can make all the difference.