Today we’d like to introduce you to Latiese Smith.
Latiese, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I first graduated from college, I started working in the Pearland School District as a teacher’s aid in special education. This was my first real interest in the special needs community. I, then, transitioned to an ABA center that worked mostly with individuals on the autism spectrum. I learned how ABA could have a positive effect on behavior and could help with behaviors that interfered with learning. The Arbor school was my first lead teaching experience where I was able to combine my aba experience and teaching experience to create a classroom of positive behaviors and academic learning. I was a the Arbor School for five years when I decided I wanted to start a company that catered to the needs of not only special education students but also the needs of parents. This is how Spectrum Learning Center was created. It is a learning center focused not only on how we can help students become successful but how we can help parents as well. At Spectrum Learning Center, we believe students can be independent, successful, and achieve academic success.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a small company has many challenges as well as successes. Some of the most challenging things along the way have been the need for capital to grow so that we are able to help as many students as we can. We have had to turn students away due to our center being full, as well as not having any more available tutoring spaces in the afternoon. Houston has had a rise in the special needs population, and sometimes there are not enough available resources to meet every need. We have found that with our company, we do not always have the space available to help every student.
Please tell us about Spectrum Learning Center.
My company is a special need tutoring center dedicated to those with unique learning needs. We offer to tutor before and after school tutoring, and we also full-time enrollment for many homeschoolers during the day. We focus on helping students achieve academic success.
Spectrum Learning Center is unique in the fact that we focus on academics skills. Many special needs centers focus on behavior, but we really push for reading, writing, math, and science. We understand these skills are important for our student to be successful in the workforce or if they choose to attend college.
We are most proud of the fact that when many students come to Spectrum Learning Center they are reading for the first time, and doing Math for the first time. Watching parents see their student read for the first time is an amazing experience. Many parents become very emotional watching their student do things that many people believe they cant do.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories from my childhood is walking to the library every day during the summer break. I remember pretending to be a teacher and acting like I had a classroom full of books and students. I knew then that I would be a teacher one day.
Pricing:
- Summer Camp 275$weekly
- Tutoring in center 25$ hourly
- Tutoring in home 45$ hourly
Contact Info:
- Address: 4654 Hwy 6 N Suite 206
Houston, TX 77084 - Website: www.spectrumlearningcenter.org
- Phone: 713-933-7537
- Email: info@spectrumlearningcenter.org
- Instagram: SpectrumLearningCenter
- Facebook: Spectrum Learning Center
- Yelp: Spectrum Learning Center
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
