Learning differences less of a challenge with TLC

Jean Sheridan is enthusiastic about The Learning Center of Southwest Iowa. And, for good reason. Students who have struggled are finally getting the help they need.

The Learning Center of Southwest Iowa is a 501c3 nonprofit organization designed to provide children who learn differently with supplemental screening and tutoring services and support needed to achieve academic success.

Pilot program

The Learning Center launched a pilot program in July on the campus of Southwestern Community College. There, they have served 17 elementary and middle school aged students from Creston. To make room for growth, Greater Regional Medical Center has offered space at the former public health building, 1715 W. Prairie St., Suite No. 4.

“One of the things that was most exciting for me at this point in the development is the response we had from parents,” said Jean Sheridan, board president of The Learning Center of Southwest Iowa.

Sheridan said the response from parents was so poignant — that they finally felt they could do something to help their children.

“They felt so helpless,” Sheridan said. “They saw their students struggling, saw their hurt and feeling like they were failures. This, for them, even in just a few months, has given them the kind of hope to make it better for them.”

Sheridan said, when one person is struggling, it affects the entire family.

“We hope to provide family support for families with young people struggling ... with learning differences,” Sheridan said. “I was so touched by the parents who were willing to step forward to say, this is what we found and this is why we are grateful.”

The need

The board of directors shared the following statistics with attendees at an informational meeting:

• 1 in 5 students in classrooms today have some form of Dyslexia

• 50 percent of children with Dyslexia will have difficulty with math

• 7 percent of students have Dyscalculia, a math disability

• 11 percent of children have ADHD

• One in 68 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a 30 percent increase from 1 in 88 two years ago

“We looked out the window and didn’t see anything out there, right here in Southwest Iowa,” Sheridan said. “Then, we looked in the mirror and said, ‘why can’t we do this?’”

Sheridan said a number of individuals in education, economic development and parents, rallied to make the center happen. Collectively, they felt, if centers like this existed in other communities, they could make it happen here in Union County.

After conducting research on various multi-sensory teaching approaches, feasibility studies, interviews with successful centers, the team of volunteers reached out to some community leaders and school administrators and school boards to present the idea.

“I come from the public school background, and, I know schools are doing everything they can for these kids,” Sheridan said. “What we have on our side is time, the intensity and duration of instruction that we can give them. We aren’t limited by the structures that schools are limited by. They only have so many hours in the day. But, we can meet them half way.”

Students can be directed to the center by parents or school staff. The two teachers on site at The Learning Center meet with students after school, on weekends and during school vacations, if necessary.

Early approach

“Sometimes when you don’t catch it and help them when they are little, they get so down on themselves,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan said the school experience is what shapes the self-image of young people.

“If you can do anything that makes that more positive and more successful, then they will go on to be much more successful adults,” Sheridan said. “And, as a community, that’s what we want for everyone.”

To learn more about The Learning Center of Southwest Iowa, contact TLC Elizabeth Green at (641) 782-2264 or email the learningcenter2014@gmail.com.