In many cases, smart students can master the simpler “process” / rigor of elementary school, and then as they enter a new school or a new level of demand, their lack of Executive Function skills overwhelms them.

We understand this question. It is a lot to digest! Our center is unique in that our programs work together to steadily and purposefully help improve Executive Function skills and homework success. Students can start in any order depending on their situation, the time of the year, and their interest.  To build skills we offer 3 approaches:
1. ACQUIRE the fundamental skills by signing up for the Study Skills and Strategies Course.
2. PRACTICE skills we will model and they will use in our Homework Center — on nightly work, as many evenings as is practical for your family.
3. PERSONALIZE the creation of a weekly plan and work strategies with 1:1 Coaching. This is for students that need a bit more personalized assistance from a highly trained special educator who specializes in Executive Function.
All that said, we know that every child is unique, so if you are unsure, please email or call us!

We understand that many students resist “getting help”. While each child is unique — and we are more than happy to provide specific advice for your child — we have had great success with parents telling students:

• We help them have a plan and feel more confident about going to / doing better at school / getting homework done / having strategies to do better on tests / reducing test anxiety/etc.
• Kids like to feel in control. Here they will be taught a study process that will give them the skills to feel more in control of their schoolwork and make the process of planning and completing homework easier.
• If they want to get their homework done “fast”, being in a place that has the experts you need if you get stuck and NO distractions, will leave them with more free time. Being at home, stressing about getting started and/or the pull of electronics is just a distraction that slows you down.
• Whether in 1:1 Coaching, in our Class or in our Homework Center, we won’t single them out or put them on the spot.
• “You can can’t say no until after day one…try it and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back.”
• “When you are at home, I nag you, but if you go there, I won’t!”

Whatever the approach you take, like exercising, it may be hard to start, but once you do — and after you are done — you feel much better and are always glad you did!

Some other questions you may want to consider:

• Does your child sometimes avoid work? (and/or forget to bring needed supplies for work)?
• Does your child have a hard time getting started on their work?
• Does your child have a hard time remembering to turn in their work?
• Does your child make a plan for how they are going to complete their work?
• Does your child break down long-term assignments in to nightly “chunks” to ensure the work gets done (evenly) over time?
• Does your child sometimes appear “lazy” regarding homework?
• Have your child’s grades dropped?
• Do you and your child fight about homework?
• Is your child currently showing signs of stress due to their homework / workload?
• Does your child have anxiety during tests and therefore not do their best?

If you have answered “yes” to any — or many — of these questions, we can help!

Our pricing can be found here.

Here are some details that we hope you find helpful:

– The Homework Center will be open from early September through mid-June. You can sign your child up via email, online (once you have created a MindBody account), or by calling us at 571-321-5800.
– 1:1 Coaching is available throughout the year (both summer and school year).  To match your child with a coach, we have an initial phone call and finalize days/times personally.  Please  email or call us at 571-321-5800 to arrange for 1:1 coaching.

Upon entry in to the Homework Center, the students will be assigned a Homework Center Coach. That Coach will ensure that they complete their Work Plan (see sample). The Homework Center will always have HWC Coaches (at a 5:1 ratio to students) who have strong competencies in Humanities, Math and Science, so if your child gets stuck on a problem and/or approach, they will receive content-specific assistance.

The HWC Coaches will also ensure that work is being done and that breaks are adequate, but not *too* lengthy 😉

Upon leaving the Center, the HWC Coaches will “check out” each student, ensuring that they finalize their Work Plan. This Plan will provide details on the work that they have completed, work that is still “in-progress” and work that is incomplete. They will also note any areas that the student has struggled or seems to represent trouble areas in initiation or completion. The Work Plan will then be emailed home to the parents for review.

As outlined on our website (See: “How Will You Know It Is Working?”), we provide:

1. AN INDIVIDUALIZED ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT: Upon entry in to our program, and as part of our Essential Study Skills Course.

2. A DAILY/NIGHTLY STUDY PLAN: With each visit to the Homework Center, our students create a study plan which reinforces the habits of planning, allows measurement of completed work against predicted work and provides visibility to coaches, parents and other key stakeholders.

3. A QUARTERLY PROGRESS ASSESSMENT: Each student who has a monthly membership in our Homework Center will receive a Quarterly Assessment outlining their progress in the 10 key Executive Function Skills that are critical to Effective Learning:
• Managing time
• Organizing thoughts and materials
• Paying attention
• Planning and prioritizing
• Getting started (task initiation)
• Staying on track
• Remembering what to do and when to do it
• Problem solving
• Reflecting on past behavior and outcomes
• Managing feelings and emotions

Overall our goal is to improve their ability to be independent in “making and working” their plan.

• Students do not bring anything with nuts or sugary snacks.
• They only bring food for themselves.
• They do not bring drinks other than water.
• They eat in our cafe area, not in the homework area.

We will provide our meal options ahead of time. Please call or email for additional information.

• Pulcinella’s (across the street) – 703-893-7777
• Moby Dick’s (across the street) – 703-448-8448
• Chesapeake Bagel Bakery (one block away) – 703-506-0536
• Subway (across the street and one block up on Elm St.) – 703-506-8300
• Ichiban Sushi (one block away) – 703-448-9117
• Chipotle (a few blocks up Old Dominion) – 571-533-1815

To download a map of the area and local eateries, please click here.