"Definite improvements in the area of school work, especially math and spelling... Excellent improvement in concentration... Great improvement in attacking a problem and formulating a solution to an academic task... Less frustration... More easily doing his work without asking for assistance."

Jeff, parent of 4th grader, Edgewater

"Bridges has made a solid impact on the core of my child... Increased the belief in her ability to do well... I am most impressed by my child's awareness of her learning style and what she believes is easier to do as a result of Bridges... She has been consistently well organized and very motivated to do her best... Although also having a desire to do well, she would not want to go back and do revisions or rewrites. She was satisfied with what I felt was minimal effort. Now, she spends the time each day and completes her work thoroughly... Her work in math this year is neat and her "form" or "model" for algebra problem solution is textbook perfect... Now she feels very good about herself due to the successes she's experiencing... She now enjoys time at her desk 'working'.... She writes a lot on her own... She went to Bridges eagerly because she felt it was fun... The sincerity of the staff and their genuine care for each child were remarkable."

Jane, parent of 7th grader, Annapolis


"Words can't express my gratitude for all that you have done for us. (My son's) whole attitude has changed about school and especially reading. I know that he is now prepared to learn both physically and emotionally."

Mary, parent of 2nd grader, Severna Park


"Grades have improved... She spends less time on homework... seems to enjoy assignments more... Bridges has boosted her self-confidence by letting her know she has great potential... Life is easier and less stressful now that she reads and works faster."

Donna, parent of 11th grader, Annapolis


"Improved ability to evaluate; grades; focus; new independence in completing his work; systematic thinking; engaging in subjects rather than enduring them; increased self-confidence; remarkable improvement in accuracy of spelling and writing numbers... He has assumed responsibility for his own performance no more nagging! He seems much more self-confident and engaged with his life — he is happier! He always came home more energized and happy after Bridges. He liked the sense of accomplishment...=. It turned him 180 degrees. Thank you!!"

Cris, parent of 8th grader, Annapolis


"We are seeing much better academics already. Last year, he was receiving all failing grades in math. Now, he is receiving all A's and B's."

Cynthia, parent of 9th grader, Annapolis

Go!

"Both of our girls now know the strengths and weaknesses of their respective learning styles better. Cheryl's attention to detail has improved, her confidence is much higher, and thus her academic performance has greatly improved when compared to her previous school year... Her self-esteem has increased... Definite improvements in grades and self-reliance... Andrea's concentration and sense of accomplishment have increased... She has improved her focus and attention to detail... Therefore, when she is motivated and applies herself, she can bring home better grades and completes her assignments more accurately."

Thomas, parent of 5th grader and 7th grader, Annapolis

"After he completed his assessment, we sat down to review the results. What a refresher — an answer to all of our questions and concerns. There was a reason for all of his problems... He seems to be doing very well in school. His teachers reported during our conferences that he is doing well... He seems to be able and willing to concentrate on his class work... He is a very hard worker and seems confident in school... I think the Bridges Program was a blessing. He has improved greatly in many areas! What a difference six months has made."

Krista, parent of 4th grader, Tracey's Landing

"We have seen him become able to write sentences and paragraphs with ease, as compared to frustration, crying, and low self-esteem last year... His behavior is much better this year.. more on task and focused... His self-confidence has increased dramatically due to the ability to complete his work on time with ease... We feel Bridges has been the best thing we have ever done for him, as we have tried other avenues to no avail."

Shari, parent of 4th grader, Severna Park

"We have less stress during the completion of difficult assignments. I'm not hearing ‘I can't’ while learning new math concepts any more. I think Bridges has made a difference in her self-confidence and frustration level."

Maria, parent of 7th grader, Annapolis

"I checked tutoring services and found them to be a band-aid approach, serving more as a crutch than a solution. Bridges is the only program I have found to address core learning issues... He seems more settled and is able to focus better. He also has an understanding of his limits. He seems more self-confident. He reads more. He is more aware of his role in solving his problems... I think he feels ‘capable’. In the past he believed that he wasn't smart. He is in more control... His grades are up about one letter grade per subject area over last year."

Harriett, parent of 10th grader, Annapolis


"She now seems much more eager to learn. Her frustration level has also gone down... She is much more confident and wants to try new things."

Jeanie, parent of 2nd grader, Crownsville

"We have seen improvement in his focus, confidence, endurance, desire to learn, ability to write... His ability to sustain attention to tasks he does not like has increased... He is a lot happier in school and he feels more capable... Overall, I would say he is a more confident child, willing to take risks in his thoughts and he knows he can do it!"

Diane, parent of 5th grader, Edgewater


"Eric is better at paying attention without playing around when he gets bored... We don't fight over homework like we did last year... He can work more independently without having me explain every homework assignment... After being called 'stupid' by his brothers for so long then seeing how high he scored on his post-assessment, he now has a solid sense that he does excel in some areas and that it's OK if those areas are not the same as his brothers'... His self-image has improved. I feel he is actually doing more and better work this year. He has moved up to the highest reading group... His teachers have said he is more 'mature'. I believe Bridges has helped him a lot... I hope you get Bridges in every school in Maryland."

JoAnne, parent of 5th grader, Harwood


"My husband and I had been searching for a program that would help a child 'learn to learn'. Bridges has been a real answer for us... We have seen improvement in attitude, concentration, and motivation toward academics. He has more willingness to try... He has gained a lot of confidence... He has a sense of pride about what he has accomplished... The school was very concerned about his grade placement at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the marking period they noticed an improvement. His reading is becoming more fluent and his ability to recognize sight vocabulary is becoming faster... We now feel that he is ready to learn the concepts in school... He is only in second grade, and until now he just has not been getting it. Now he is and it is very exciting to see."

Karen, parent of 2nd grader, Severna Park


"Overall, Bridges has given him hope. He now believes he has strengths and that has certainly helped his self-confidence... His grades have improved... He seems to find his schoolwork a little easier... He has become more independent in tackling his schoolwork... He has definitely improved his memory, which we had never seen him apply to schoolwork before..."

Sarah, parent of 6th grader, Crofton


"He has improved his handwriting, spelling, and reading in particular, but all of his academics have increased in general. He now has more confidence and a positive attitude... More focused... More independent... Bridges helped him see his strengths."

Amy, parent of 3rd grader, Severna Park


"She seems more at ease in all academic areas. She recently made highest honors with apparent ease... More independent and task-oriented... More confidence in all academic areas... She's feeling satisfaction about her successes."

Alice, parent of 7th grader, Severna Park

"He enjoys reading more. Books that he stopped reading last year, he now enjoys (‘I now understand all the words.’). He is not having quite so much trouble finishing assignments... He is more cooperative in getting homework done. He seems to feel more responsibility for getting his homework done... He was held back from being on the gymnastics team last year because he would frequently have a "meltdown" if he hurt himself. This year, though, he is competing well and takes the good and bad in stride... I think (Bridges) helped make his schoolwork easier for him in class. He also says it helped his gymnastics abilities. We felt Bridges was very proactive and very positive, and helped his confidence a lot — made him feel a lot better about himself."

Bob and Nora, parents of 4th grader, Pasadena


"We enrolled our son because the philosophy centered around skill building (rather than subject tutoring) and improving learning techniques. The fact that it was a finite time program seemed refreshing... He has improved in being more aware of his assignments, generally more "with it". He enjoys drawing and creating stories, now... From the internal testing (Bridges' pre-post evaluation), he obviously did very well. It may be a bit early to judge long range effectiveness. He says he feels the program has helped him in school. His teachers are placing him in non self-contained classes for high school next year, so they feel he is coming along."

Noah and Sandi, parents of 8th grader, Severna Park


"Bridges convinced us that through the program he could improve his learning abilities. We were also very impressed by the professionalism and caring nature of the Bridges staff... He has made great improvement in math concepts, as well as a much greater interest in reading. Before Bridges, he'd never shown an interest in reading a novel or any book that would take several days or weeks to complete. He's currently reading the third book in the Harry Potter series and looks forward to the fourth... I see improvements in attention and concentration by his ability to sit and read his new found books, not wanting to go to sleep at night until he gets in one more page... His teachers last year told me he would often cry when he became stressed by difficult tasks. This year, this happened only at the beginning of the year and is no longer a problem. He appears more confident in handling these situations now... He developed very trusting relationships with the Bridges staff and regarded the center as a fun place to go. He enjoyed the exercises and his accomplishments really boosted his ego."

Bob and Jean, parents of 5th grader, Bowie

"Her writing has improved... Although she has always been a hard worker, she works with more confidence now... She is more self-confident. Bridges always made her feel good about herself... She felt especially motivated by the staff."

Lucy, parent of 5th grader, Severna Park


"He has improved in class. His current first grade teacher has indicated that he will have no difficulty in making it into second grade. In addition, his handwriting has improved as well as his stamina and attention... His confidence has improved in school... He seems to do very well in school, so I would say Bridges has been very effective for him."

Stacey, parent of 1st grader, Arnold


"In general he seems better at staying on task. His grades improved in the second marking period. He was able to focus and complete multi-task assignments. He has made improvements in art... His coordination has definitely improved (and could use more improvement if he is willing to do more). His level of concentration and ‘stick-to-it-tiveness’ have also improved."

Harvey and Erica, parents of 4th grader, Crofton


"Bridges broke from the ‘He just needs more practice!’ routine... His grades have improved, and his frustration level is less. He has also begun to take more responsibility for his learning... I have seen his stamina, mental and ocular, improve... He enjoys school more and has a positive attitude about his ability to perform... From the beginning, he had fun coming to Bridges. He commented one time that he liked Monday nights best because he got to go to Bridges... His goals were met, and his improvement was phenomenal. I am very pleased with the program and would strongly recommend it. The attitude of the staff and the general atmosphere were always very positive."

Irwin, parent of 2nd grader, Annapolis


"He was having trouble in school and we could not pinpoint the problem. The fact that it (Bridges) was not subject-based really caught our attention... His grades have really improved... His behavior has improved a lot... He seems to be more responsible than before. His attitude still needs improvement... The program overall was very effective for him. We see a big difference in him now. Keep up the good work."

Tara, parent of 7th grader, Severn


"We contacted Bridges following a series of things, including the emergence of frustrated behavior in him that needed to be addressed... I see much less frustration in sports/athletics. Things as simple as a bean bag toss at a carnival could reduce him to tears, and now, he's a contender right along with all of the other kids... Improvements in focus and ease of completion; organizational skills; attention and concentration, particularly in those things that were difficult due to visual tracking and coordination (the piano)!.. I think that there was a great feeling of accomplishment for him to complete tasks that were really hard. Because so much comes so quickly for him, the hard things are really hard. The instructors were wonderful motivators, praising even the tiniest success. He appreciated that. (Me too!)... The amount of time it took out of the week was difficult and left him with little or no free time. (But it was worth it!)... I see a happier, less frustrated, more confident son."

Carli, parent of 4th grader, Edgewater

"He is able to complete tasks at a faster rate. He is willing to try new things without a lot of prompting. His grades in school have shown great improvement... He can complete homework assignments on his own. He can follow directions... His confidence has grown. He is willing to try new activities and is more open when meeting new people."

Sheri, parent of 4th grader, Severn


"Although his grades have remained the same as before Bridges, his coursework has been harder and demands heavier since he moved into the sixth grade at a new school. His focus seems better and his ability to start homework on his own has improved... Better concentration and focus... Eye-hand coordination is better... Overall, he is more confident about school and his performance... Bridges helped him especially since his new school is very difficult."

Geri, parent of 6th grader, Annapolis


"We can not say enough! You have given us our daughter back. She has so much to look forward to now. Her teachers can now see how well she can do things. Six of her grades went up, her reading level increased, she moved up in her spelling, her science test grades improved, she is much neater, she is more successful at understanding and answering questions, and she always raises her hand to participate now... After school, she used to get so frustrated that she would cry or hit me. We never see that anymore! We hear, ‘I can do that.’ or ‘That's so easy, now.’ Thank you so much."

Jay and Liza, parents of 2nd grader, Stevensville


"His reading comprehension and interest have both risen. Confidence and self-motivation are on the rise as well... Maturity and self-confidence have led to better decision making... Big boost in self-esteem and better attitude toward school"

Tammy, parent of 6th grader, Crownsville


"Within the first two months, he began getting A's for the first time. At his Special Ed. meeting this week, the team confirmed his academic improvement. They are taking him out of the self-contained Special Ed. program and placing him into co-taught classes since he is demonstrating success. He tells me his reading is easier and improving. He is trying much harder and complaining much less."

Karen, parent of 6th grader, Odenton