Today we’d like to introduce you to Elise Kwenin.
Hi Elise, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It all starts back in childhood and my early experiences of learning with my mom. My mom always made learning fun and exciting. She taught me how to read before Kindergarten and she engaged me and my siblings in learning activities such as themed writing challenges and math enrichment games. At school I felt confident and performed well because I had a strong understanding of the concepts I was learning. Fast forward to college where I decided I wanted to instill that same love of and confidence in learning to as many children as possible and become a teacher. During my 10 years in the classroom I encountered all kinds of learners and experienced tremendous success in learning to lead differentiated activities and engage learners at different academic levels. While teaching I was also tutoring on the side and truly enjoyed the way I could incorporate many of the activities I’d learned and also make sure I was meeting students at their exact level because I was able to meet with them one on one.
This passion for tutoring motivated me to pursue it full time. Advanced Care Academy began as a private tutoring business and is now a full educational consulting business. We provide tailored math intervention or enrichment programs for schools, private tutoring, math workshops for students, professional development for educators and consultation for parents and educators. I truly enjoy any part I can have in helping students have meaningful and engaging learning experiences that build their confidence and understanding in school.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As we continue to grow, the road gets rougher, but with greater challenges come greater opportunities for success. I recently got accepted into the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship Pathfinder program and this has helped me navigate some of the many business struggles I’ve encountered during the shift from working directly with families to working with schools and organizations.
The supply and demand aspect of a service based business has been challenging. I always want to make sure that I can meet the needs of an inquiring client. I also like to make sure that all my interventionists and tutors are feeling satisfied in their work. The balancing act of keeping on enough contractors and evenly splitting clients based on best fit is challenging.
We’ve been impressed with Advanced Care Academy , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Advanced Care Academy is an educational consulting business. We provide math intervention and enrichment programs for schools which includes working with students directly and providing coaching and development for teachers and para professionals. We also provide private tutoring and math workshops for students.
We currently have partnerships and provide services for 3 charter schools in Kansas City. Between our tutors on staff we tutor students from Pre-K to 12th grade in Math or English Language Arts. As the owner, I have a hand in all of the services we provide. My specialty is math! It is my favorite subject to teach because there are so many different ways to explain and teach the content. I love using escape rooms, puzzles, drawing visual models, and playing math games with dice, cards and dominoes. With my workshops, I use these interactive activities to engage students in math content. I’m most proud of taking the leap of faith to leave my full time teaching job to start Advanced Care Academy.
Entrepreneurship is tough mentally because nothing is guaranteed. Moments that I accomplish great growth with a client are incredibly rewarding and make me believe more and more in my abilities as an educator. Something that sets me apart is the breadth of our services. In a partnership with a school I could teach students, coach teachers and work with parents on how they can support their child’s learning at home.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The quality I believe is most important to my success is adaptability. Working in education, I need to constantly adjust whether it’s tailoring math intervention programs to meet the unique needs of each school, supporting families through private tutoring, or guiding contractors who work with me.
Adaptability allows me to listen carefully, respond to challenges with flexibility, and find solutions that help both students and educators succeed. This quality has helped me grow my business, build strong partnerships, and ensure that the students we serve are truly supported in their learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://advancedcareacademy.com/
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/advancedcareacademy
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/advancedcareacademy
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-kwenin
