THE FOLEY FAMILY ONLINE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

With their daughter starting kindergarten and the COVID-19 pandemic underway, the local options didn’t seem appealing to the Foleys. They found a better way forward at Connections Academy.

Connections Academy student Ava showing her artwork

Type of a Learner

COVID IMPACTED

SCHEDULING NEEDS

Making the Right Choice for the Family

Like many families in 2020, the Foleys were nervous about sending their daughter to physical school. Their local district offered a virtual option but, with Ava starting kindergarten, her mother was worried about choosing an online learning experience that had just been launched and was still in development. Plus, both Ava’s mom and dad worked full time, and they worried that they would struggle to help Ava while following the local school’s schedule. They wondered if there was a better option.

Finding a Different Kind of Online Public School

After asking around her social media groups, Ava’s mom learned about Connections Academy. It turned out that online schooling didn’t begin with COVID-19. Connections Academy had been teaching students virtually for 20 years, and everyone who mentioned it gave the school resounding praise.

While traditionally brick-and-mortar public schools were still figuring out what worked online and what didn’t, Connections Academy was giving kids and their families what they needed to thrive. Ava’s mom jumped at the opportunity to enroll her daughter in the school’s online kindergarten. And she says she’s been thrilled at the decision.

Ava learning online at Connections Academy

Flourishing in Kindergarten

From the very beginning, Ava loved her kindergarten class. She’s always excited for her LiveLessons®, can’t wait for her video calls with her teacher and enjoys participating with her classmates. She even joined some of her new friends on a virtual field trip to the local aquarium.

On top of all that, she’s learning a lot.

"I can't believe how far she's coming with her reading and writing," her mother says.

She says that Ava has had speech issues, and she was worried that her daughter would struggle to read and write. But, at Connections Academy, Ava’s found all the support she needs, including being part of a small reading group.

A Schedule that Works for Everyone

In addition to being great for Ava, Connections Academy has been the right choice for Ava’s mom and dad. The school provided Ava’s mom with the resources she needed to take on the role of Ava’s Learning Coach. And the more flexible school days have allowed her to fit Ava’s school schedule around her full -time job.

"The flexibility of the program has been super helpful," she says. "I love how everything is laid out and easy to follow, and how there are so many helpful resources as well."

She notes that she also gets plenty of help from teachers and staff. "We always get prompt replies to emails we’ve sent," she says.

Thanks to so much support, Connections Academy has been the right choice for the Foleys.