Westerly Learning Center Providing Academic Enrichment Programs for Homeschooled Students

Testimonial

Homeschooling has allowed me to customize my sons’ learning and has given them an opportunity to learn in environments that best suit their skills and abilities. While our family has many different avenues for learning, after our daily home lessons, Westerly Learning Center is without question, the next most important source for our learning.

Testimonial

To us it has been the best of both worlds. Our children have had the opportunity to study at home and simultaneously attend WLC. WLC provides a disciplined classroom environment with healthy competition to encourage students to excel in their studies while providing friendship and fellowship with like minded families. It is a safe, pleasant, Christ-centered environment with an excellent staff and superior academics at an affordable price for home school families.

Testimonial

Westerly Learning Center has been an essential component of our children's homeschool experience. At WLC they've had the benefit of studying with excellent teachers who are passionate about their subjects; they've been inspired to work hard on projects, knowing that they will be presenting them to their teachers and peers; they've learned to meet deadlines, to study for tests, and have experienced the pleasure and responsibility of being part of a caring community. They've been influenced and inspired by some of the best role models they'll ever meet -- all in an atmosphere that is relaxed and nurturing, yet challenging and filled with the joy and excitement of discovery.

I think it's impossible to overstate the value of our children's experiences at WLC. The homeschooling community here is privileged to have such a valuable resource available to us.

Testimonial

Looking back at what Westerly Learning Center has meant for our children, we see two essential elements - one expected, and one unexpected. We expected an excellent learning environment and WLC was exactly that. It helped my daughters learn "how to learn" through observation, analysis, and synthesis through presentations. The subjects were those where home-schooling families are likely to run short on expertise - like High School Biology - and where groups offer better learning - like Speech and Writing. The arts and world languages were other areas we benefited greatly from.

It has been more than ten years since our eldest was at the Center, and she along with her sisters still comment on the quality of teaching offered and knowledge discovered over at WLC. The unexpected element was the life-long friendships our daughters were able to begin and foster. As we look back, we realize what an integral part of the educational and social experiences of our children WLC became.

Testimonial

The Westerly Learning Center truly partnered with us in educating our daughters through the eighth and sixth grade respectively. The staff of dedicated, hardworking, wise teachers served as guides and friends. They faithfully planned thoughtful lessons and creative, appropriate, and sometimes stretching assignments. We appreciate the way the Learning Center teachers clearly articulated the Code of Conduct and then enforced it impartially, while consistently treating their students with respect. They showed an interest in our daughters’ lives that made them know their teachers truly cared about them. Dr. Ristuccia and Mrs. LeGall remain among our girls’ favorite and most outstanding teachers to this day.

The Westerly Learning Center gave our daughters the opportunity to become proficient in a foreign language, which we could not have done at home. Furthermore, the teachers provided needed accountability for mastering certain academic skills, such as excellence in writing, without as many wearying battles as we would have faced at home. The Learning Center also wisely provided many more opportunities for the girls to practice public speaking than they have since experienced in public school.

As we have encountered the social dynamics in the public schools, we feel especially thankful for the group of friends the Learning Center helped our children develop. Both our girls really appreciate the chance they had to have friends who were growing up with the same or similar values. Thanks to the Westerly Learning Center’s partnership, both our daughters have been among the top students in their schools and were well-prepared to handle challenging academic courses.

Testimonial

Westerly Learning Center was the place we chose to enhance our children’s experiences in science and art. It was a blessing to have classes with other homeschooled students whom we might also see in activities for homeschoolers outside of the Center, such as field trips and other programs. This fostered a sense of belonging to a true community.

The academics were in a more traditional-type setting, providing a familiarity which would be helpful in future environments. It also encouraged organizational skills and structure by caring homeschool friendly-people outside the family. Being responsible to third parties is important in developing life skills. This was especially true in regard to projects which might have been put aside without outside guidance because of the time and discipline involved, such as preparing a school play, and entering a Science Fair.

WLC enriches homeschool programs. The fruits become more and more obvious with the passing of time.

Testimonial

Throughout our 17 years of homeschooling, our four children attended the Westerly Learning Center. It was the perfect supplement for what we did at home; the perfect answer to outside concerns about socialization and a wonderful source of peer friendships. We are grateful that the WLC enabled us to homeschool our children while still working part-time. It provided a great all-around rich educational experience for our kids. We wanted to teach basic subjects to our kids, but needed support from gifted teachers in the areas of science and history, in particular. The kids benefitted from the experience of having homework, classroom rules, and peer interaction. Whether you are homeschooling for a short time or all the way through high school or college, the WLC provides valuable resources and support. The Westerly Learning Center was an enormous blessing to our family and the development of our children.

Testimonial

Westerly Learning Center was a great extension to our family’s homeschooling. Excellent teachers and a variety of classes and activities aided our sons’ learning processes. They each found it easier and more fun learning the subject matter with their peers. As parents, it freed us up a bit, and gave us peace of mind, knowing that our children were under very capable and knowledgeable teachers, especially in the higher level subjects.

One son, now a college senior, wrote, “The Learning Center was an effective compliment to my early learning and development as a student. The knowledge and communication skills of the teachers created an excellent learning environment for subjects that I wouldn’t have been able to teach myself as a homeschooler. Even today, I have a competitive advantage over anyone in class and work because of the superior writing skills that I learned from Westerly Learning Center classes.”