We recently connected with Doneda Bailey and have shared our conversation below.

Doneda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I established Noggin Educational Foundation in 2015 out of a desire to provide out-of-school educational services to low-income students and to begin to bridge the achievement gap. My introduction to the achievement gap came when my husband David was a first-year teacher and his first teaching assignment was at a very under-resourced school. He was given only one ream of paper, 250 sheets of paper, to teach 125 students 8th-grade math for the entire semester! As you can imagine the lack of resources made things difficult for him to adequately teach his students. For us, the disparity was shocking. Some student’s grades for the semester were in the teens, parents weren’t involved, and serious behavioral issues occurred with regularity. His second teaching assignment was in an affluent area, and there he had a very different experience. His students’ benchmark scores at the beginning of the year were almost perfect; students were motivated, parents were very involved, and David had all the resources he needed and then some to educate his students. Over the years, I listened to his stories about these two sets of students, and eventually, it didn’t sit well with me. I realized that there wasn’t much difference fundamentally between the two groups of students. Both had talent, and purpose, and were gifted in various ways, but there was a vast difference in the available resources and investment made in that first group of kids. I decided I could and should do something about it.

Doneda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Noggin Educational Foundation is committed to closing the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged children using a multi-pronged approach that includes private tutoring, summer STEM workshops and math and reading enrichment, career exploration, and advocacy for families with special needs children. Our goal is to build foundational tools that enable our students to achieve success in school, increase college and career readiness, and, therefore, change the trajectory of their lives.

We serve students who are struggling at school due to a lack of support and opportunities. Statistics for students from low-income families are discouraging. Intervention is vital to give these students a better chance to succeed academically and, ultimately, in life. At the time of joining Noggin, students are typically several grades behind academically and struggling to keep up in school. 85% of our students are African American or Hispanic, and 100% qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch program, Medicaid, or other government assistance. Hence, we provide our services to their families free of charge.

Over half of our students have special needs or learning disabilities. Not having the right services and accommodations in place for a special need or learning disability can be an insurmountable obstacle to a student who already has significant gaps in learning. Our Special Education Advocacy program pairs a professional advocate with a parent to help identify academic and behavioral goals and develop a plan to help their student achieve them in the classroom. Our program provides much-needed support to parents, acquainting them to the SPED program, making them aware of their rights as a parent, and empowering them to advocate for their students.

In the past few years, we’ve begun to provide wrap-around support to our families. We’ve recognized that so many factors get in the way of academic success for their children, and we are working hard to build relationships that make us trusted advocates. We partner with community organizations that provide free or reduced-cost resources that address needs such as mental health and wellness, legal issues, social-emotional learning, and more.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I am learning that I don’t have to have all the answers to move forward. Logistics are important to me, and I sometimes struggle with decision-making if I don’t feel like I have everything lined up. So, I’m learning to trust my gut. Spending time gathering every last detail of information isn’t a good use of time. Time is precious, and a wrong focus will make it hard, if not impossible, to scale. You will inevitably make mistakes, but failure, I’m learning, isn’t the enemy. We learn from failure and mistakes. I’m reminded of how little I knew when starting Noggin. Not only did I lack a background in education, but I knew nothing about running a nonprofit. Starting Noggin was one of the best decisions I’ve made, and I’m proud of the success we have achieved.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth has been our best source. Parents recommend us to friends and family. Schools recommend us to parents with students in need of assistance. One of our core values is relationship-building. We strive to foster genuine connections with each other, the families we serve, and other stakeholders. Another core value of ours is that we value quality over quantity. While we are constantly working to extend our reach to impact more students, we realize the value of being faithful with the people who have been entrusted to us at the moment and ensuring the best quality in all that we do. These and other fundamental principles guide us in all that we do and make being part of the Noggin Family a unique experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nogginfoundation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/197522847276407/noggin-educational-foundation/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NogginFoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nogginfoundation
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/noggnfoundation
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@noggineducationalfoundatio6751