Contact a CCA Parent

My experience with Commonwealth Connections Academy has been excellent! The curriculum is wonderful. CCA supplies everything needed to be a productive learning coach. My son is excited about all the subjects, even the subject he struggles with. We are never bored with the schoolwork. My son likes to send and receive his portfolio items. He wonders if his teacher will like his work and give him an "A". His teacher always has something to say on each item that is sent in, often with a sticker or a comment on how he did. Routinely his teacher calls every other week on a day that suits both of us. At that point I can ask questions if needed. The teacher may also give a verbal test over the phone to my son.

I find that there are a lot of opportunities for socialization on field trips—once we participated in a Robo Ball competition. From all of the families that signed up, we were put into equal groups. We got to know other students and parents by working together and competing as a team to make our own robot. In other trips to an animal preserve and to Hershey Chocolate World, we were placed in groups to take the tours and interacted with each other along the way. There was a scavenger hunt at the Pennsylvania Capitol building, and again we were placed into teams and worked together to find all the clues to complete the hunt. I feel that all of the field trips offer great opportunities for socialization. Online chess games also offer socialization. The students can interact online through LiveLesson® sessions a few times a week, and the school also offers message boards.

CCA is the right school for us! We feel blessed; thank you.

I chose Commonwealth Connections Academy (CCA) to allow us more family time together. Being my children's learning coach as well as their mother allows me to better "train up a child in the way he should go." As a parent I believe that it is our responsibility to teach our children everything they will need to know in their adult lives. This is a full-time job and is especially important for younger children. Connections Academy provides the time at home for me to take care of all their educational and spiritual needs.

I am able to tailor the lessons to meet the children's needs. We have all learned so much with the challenging curriculum. We have learned about famous artists and their paintings. We also learned the parts of plant and animal cells and even made cell models out of Jello. This was one of my fourth grader's favorite projects because he had a snack when he was finished learning!

Connections Academy incorporates hands-on learning in the lessons to help students remember the information. This also makes the lessons fun for the students. At first the writing assignments seemed to take so much time and seemed almost impossible. It took a little time for my kids to learn the proper steps of the writing process. I was surprised that within the first year they all knew how to write compositions and could complete them in a reasonable amount of time.

If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be teaching my daughter from home I would have laughed. In fact, at one time I was one of those parents that thought children who learned from home were deprived from a "real" education.

We have two daughters: Jessica, 18, who attended a traditional school all the way through graduation. Though Jessica was above average and participated in sports, she still had some issues with teachers and peer pressure from her classmates. So when our youngest daughter, Alix, 8, was beginning school we were a little concerned.

Alix started kindergarten at the age of 5. I volunteered three times a week in her class and could see that she was not progressing, so after much thought and discussion we decided to have Alix repeat kindergarten. She did well after that, but then she started first grade. The second day of school I received a call from her teacher, who said that Alix might have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After a few months, several meetings with her teacher, and doctor visits, we discovered that Alix was borderline ADHD. One evening while waiting for Alix to finish her ballet class, I was talking about school with the other mothers who were waiting for their daughters. I found out that 8 out of 10 parents in that waiting room either home schooled their children or enrolled them in a cyber charter school. At that point I decided to look into cyber schooling as an option for Alix, and I found CCA. It took me a few months before finally enrolling Alix in CCA because I was still nervous about having so much responsibility for my child's education in my hands.

This is why CCA is the perfect solution for our family. CCA's curriculum is state of the art and they provide you with detailed lesson plans to follow and suggestions. A certified teacher calls every two weeks to check on your progress, and if there are any questions you can call the teacher at any time. Also, you submit a portfolio every two months and have access to many learning tools from CCA's online “Virtual Library.”

Alix was performing below average for her age group before enrolling at CCA. Six months later with CCA and she was above average. I feel that the one-on-one attention and the support from CCA are what make the difference. Her teacher cares about her and takes time when talking with her over the phone or when we see each other. There is a bond with her teacher. I know that my daughter is receiving the best education possible, building a foundation for the future. This is my second year with CCA, and I will stay with this program because I feel in my heart this is the right choice, and for me and Alix this is the educated choice.

I am a second-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. I am also an instructor. My seven-year-old son is a green belt with two stripes. We attend morning karate class twice a week, along with another Connections Academy student and other traditional homeschoolers.

This martial arts training gives us discipline. Our focus is not on kicks and punches. It is on how to become a better person—and what is inside of you that makes you that person. Commonwealth Connections Academy focuses on these same goals. We are not set on getting a letter grade. We are striving for learning the most we can in the way that works the best for us.

Connections Academy understands that we all learn differently. The curriculum is based on a wide variety of student needs. We are encouraged to move at our own pace and to excel in a way that leads us forward. Every step of the way we have school members, teachers, and other parents to guide us. Just like in karate, Connections Academy is about teamwork. We become the person we are meant to be with the help of others.

Education is not easy, but like anything else in life that is worth doing, the end result is worth all of the effort you put into it. Teaching others is the best way to understand what you really know and to find the answers to what you don’t know.

I look forward to helping you in any way that I can.

The education at Commonwealth Connections Academy has brought Donna’s family much closer together, and the curriculum is the best that she’s found for her two children. My family has been able to achieve and excel since being with Commonwealth Connections Academy. I have had two children enrolled in Commonwealth Connections Academy for the past five years. The curriculum is the best my children can get. The teachers with Connections Academy are always there for you and your child. I have a child who has special needs, and CCA meets those needs better than anyone else ever could have. My other child was bored at the regular brick-and-mortar school because she was more advanced.

Since being with Commonwealth Connections Academy, both of my children are able to work at their own pace and on a schedule that fits the whole family. I get great joy out of seeing how happy both of my children become when they hear they did a great job! When my daughter hears her teachers tell her how good of a job she is doing, it really makes her want to do better. My son was on the honor roll last year for the first time since fourth grade, and he is now in eleventh. My children were in a regular brick-and-mortar school, and we will never go back! Because we are able to work from home together, it has brought my family much closer together—and I get to be a big part of not only their lives but also their education.

With Commonwealth Connections Academy, my children get to experience some great field trips, and we have met some wonderful people that also are a part of the school. The quality education my children get is the best I have been able to find. From the enrollment team down to the teachers, my experience with Connections Academy has been a very positive one for my family.

We chose Commonwealth Connections Academy for a number of reasons. Our son had gone to a Montessori preschool and kindergarten. When it came time for first grade, we enrolled him in the local public school. After several weeks there, he was restless, bored, and unhappy. We made the decision to homeschool; however, at the end of that school year, we wanted something more structured. As we began to look at alternatives, including other private schools, we found Commonwealth Connections Academy. We were impressed by the curriculum, its stated mission, and its description of how each student is treated individually.

The enrollment process was not complicated. The enrollment staff was available and helpful in answering questions. The Learning Coach orientation was wonderful in explaining our roles and expectations. Our teacher was enthusiastic and professional. As the school year began, we were able to customize the pace to meet our son’s needs with the full support of his teacher and the school. As a student, our son is fully engaged and not bored. His phone calls with his teacher are fun and also give him an opportunity to share what he has learned and what he is doing. As a parent and Learning Coach, I appreciate the suggestions and feedback our teacher provides, as well as the vast amount of resources available to us through the school’s links. LiveLessons® give us a chance to interact with other students, and the wide range of field trips offer opportunities like no other school experience can.

We are very happy that we found Connections Academy. Our son is thriving. We all feel a sense of accomplishment as we celebrate his love of learning every day.

Connections Academy—when those two words come to my mind, “close-knit family” follows thereafter. When I enrolled my five children into this program, I hadn’t realized the amazingly strong support system that would soon follow. Connections Academy welcomed our family into the program with open arms, enthralling my family with unlimited access to educational opportunities, and allowing my family to feel part of an even bigger family unit. I chose Commonwealth Connections Academy because of the flexibility of educating my children in the comfort of my home, while instilling the morals and values that our family feels very strongly about.

Commonwealth Connections Academy is the perfect combination of a public school and the safety of my home. The staff is top-notch, and the teachers feel like an extended part of my family. They are available through telephone, e-mail, and tutoring hours. Using the curriculum provided by Connections Academy, I can tailor the lesson plans to fit each of my children’s individual strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Two of my children are in the Gifted and Talented program at Connections Academy. For the first time my children aren’t thrown in a corner and told to read a book because they are ahead of their classmates. Their teachers and curriculum at Connections Academy are motivating my children to think outside of their box, engaging them to push themselves hard, to pursue their individual highest level of success.

For my family, Connections Academy is a dream come true. I am constantly pinching myself to make sure that I’m not dreaming. I have been given the ultimate gift in life, my children, and it is up to me to make sure that their educational needs are being fulfilled. Connections Academy is exceeding our educational goals while holding us accountable through state testing and teacher interaction. Miracles really do happen!