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Learning (cleverly disguised as fun)

What are so many local parents and children so happy about? It’s called FasTracKids and it’s causing sensational response right here in Peachtree City. (You’ve probably seen the sign as you drive by on Ga. Highway 54. The building is right up against the highway in Willowbend Center.)

Based on research by renowned educator Johann DeBeer, the FTK curriculum was designed and developed by a team of early childhood experts at a cost of over $2 million. Its results-oriented success lies in its ability both to target the learning window of opportunity that exists in all young children and to get to the heart of what motivates young children to learn.

Sound simple? Well, yes and no. We all know from observing kids ages 3-7 that wherever they are, they’re the ones having fun, devising interesting games while they wait at the post office, eat at a restaurant or pass the time throughout the day. They can’t seem to help themselves. They’re natural learners, exploring their world with non-stop energy, soaking up their days with experiences and discoveries that may seem mundane to adults, but can be made fun and stimulating by their rich, young minds.

Since they have over 3 trillion brain cells at birth, young children are naturally hungry for a wide variety of experiences and stimulation with which to nurture their developing brain structure. Children seem to intuitively understand what the brain research in the late 1990’s has taught us about early childhood education. In simple terms, when we nurture young brains with diverse stimulation, the brain cells receive the message that they have a role to perform. The brain cells respond to this stimulation by permanently wiring into the brain, thus creating a strong foundation which makes future learning easy and accelerated.

The FasTracKids course consists of two-hour sessions once a week spread over 24 months. During these weekly classes the approximately 60 students enrolled at the Peachtree City FasTacKids experience learning as fun, challenging and rewarding.

“FTK provides CD-rom-based ‘lessons’ on subjects ranging from economics, biology, earth sciences to speech, drama and art, goal setting and life lessons to creativity. The lessons are projected onto an interactive white board controlled by touch. Thus the teacher controls the pace of the class, involving children in discussions on every topic covered in the lesson,” explained Monica Hollar, co-owner of the Peachtree City FasTracKids.

Hollar holds two master’s degrees, speaks five languages and has a dedication and passion for teaching young children that makes her a natural and well-loved FasTracKids teacher.

“We introduced the program in Peachtree City last April and have seen wonderful results. The parents have reported a noticeable improvement in the comprehension, reasoning ability, information processing and communication skills as well as the academic performance of their children. Many of our children attend our classes along with a sibling, which is the highest from of flatter an educational program can claim,” she added.

The information on a particular subject is enhanced with fun experiments, role playing, art projects and imaginative activities. Understanding that children have short attention spans, a technique called educational zigzagging is used to frequently vary the activity. This strategy ensures that the children have the many opportunities they need to explore concepts, think creatively and practice their reasoning and decision making skills.

The entire course is student-centered. During every session the children talk about what they have learned about the different subjects. These “presentations” are recorded on video. Watching themselves on video has helped tremendously to improve their communication skills, self esteem and self confidence.

Parents can follow their child’s progress through the FasTrackids parents Web site, which explains the current month’s activities and offers suggestions for extracurricular parental support.

Here is what a few parents and children have to say:

“This is the best thing we have ever done. My kids love it. They can’t wait to show me their papers and tell me what they’ve learned. They always want to come here!”

“This program is something that every parent would want for their child. When you start with a strong foundation, you can create a great educational future.”

When learning about sequencing and patterns one day, Sara exclaimed, “We don’t see these kinds of things at our school and I go to private school.”

Mercedez has grown so much over the last several months since she’s been coming to FTK. She used to be very clingy, but now after attending FTK she is very open to other people and less fearful. She’s very happy to be engaged in learning every day.

FasTracKids is at 316 Willowbend Road in Peachtree City. For more information, call 770-487-1707.