The research

1,200 students. 8 years. 3 research methods.

Between 2015 and 2023, every graduating child across the family's six centers was tracked using three documented methods. Here's what we measured, how, and what came out.

A child reading aloud from a book they are holding, with a teacher beside them

The headline numbers

30+
Years operating
6
Centers
1,200+
Students tracked
95%
K-ready graduates
The methodology

Three research methods, eight years of data

Method 1 — Portfolios

Every child got a portfolio: writing samples, art samples, milestone artifacts, photographs of activities at major developmental moments. Documented across the full enrollment cycle.

Method 2 — Milestone Tracking

Age-specific milestones tracked per child: motor skills, social-emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, math foundations. Not rigid — directional. Each child's trajectory was visible in real time.

Method 3 — Phonics Testing

For children 3 and older: structured phonics assessment. Letter recognition, sounds, blends, helper words, sentences. Used to place children in the right reading group and track progression.

What "kindergarten-ready" means

[MIKE: methodology footnote needed.] Specifically: what defined "ready"? Letter recognition + counting + 3-step direction-following + scissor skills + social-emotional baseline? Or a specific district screening tool?

For E-E-A-T credibility, this footnote is critical. Without it, the 95% is a marketing claim. With it, it's evidence.

Inside the numbers

What the data showed

6-8 month reading

4 and 5 year olds learned to read in 6 to 8 months when grouped by ability and run through the phonics methodology. Not "early readers" — typical kids in the right system.

Kids writing books

Multiple cohorts of 8-10 children produced their own bound, illustrated books by year-end of the pre-K cycle. Real authorship, real reading.

2nd-grade standards

Top quartile of graduates reached 2nd-grade academic standards by the time they entered kindergarten. Not gifted — well-prepared.

Want to bring this rigor to your center?

The portfolio + milestone + phonics testing approach is part of what Mike installs in on-site engagements. Book a consult to talk through it.

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