We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kenisha Skaggs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kenisha below.

Kenisha, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Soar Academy Augusta originated 14 years ago in the attic of my home. It was a resource for students that were unsuccessful in the traditional school system due to massive gaps in reading and mathematics. These students often have learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and other neurodiversities. Within the traditional classroom and curriculum model, there aren’t many options available for students that learn differently. Soar Academy exists to ensure that no student is left behind. Ninety five percent of our student population has a neurodiversity. By utilizing non-traditional seating, project based learning, and a heavy focus on social/emotional readiness our students are SOARING!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2009 I worked with the ‘No Child left Behind’ tutoring initiative that was endorsed by former President Bush. I saw that students were not engaged due to learning delivered though huge worksheet packets and computer based programs that were ‘babysitting’ students. I thought, there must be a better way to engage students in learning. There is a way to ensure students love learning and there is a way to incorporate relevant projects based learning into their daily curriculum. In 2011, Soar Academy was created as a homeschool center, helping parents and students that were not satisfied with the traditional school options. Over a decade later, Soar Academy is an accredited private school for K12 students. This accreditation allows state funding to follow our students for more school choice opportunities. In 2022 we were recipients of the Yass Prize Finalist Award. This award came with $500,000 for Soar Academy to expand our learning model. Today, we are helping over 15 other schools become accredited and via our innovative learning strategies for neurodivergent students. We were also featured in Forbes and the Cato Institute in 2023.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In 2011 there was a huge ice storm across Georgia. As a result, my neighbor’s car slid into my car which resulted in a $700 check from the insurance company. I took that $700 and quit my job to start Soar Academy in my attic. I had no money and waited tables at night to offset the career change. I also tutored students in public school at night while growing the day school. Over two months later I had over 20 clients, all neurodivergent students. A year later I took out a small loan to lease a commercial space to accept more students. Each year we outgrew our space. We partnered with local churches and libraries to keep expenses low while complying with the state regulations regarding building codes for private schools. Three years ago as we were becoming accredited, we had to spend thousands of dollars on financial audits and consultants to help us understand how to legally operate a non-traditional private school. We didn’t have the money on hand for these services so most of it was put on personal credit cards. I knew that one day it would pay off. Today we are sustainable because we are a private school that accesses money from the Georgia Department of Education for students to attend our school. We are helping other schools bypass the expensive costs we incurred while starting our school.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The reputation of Soar is outstanding because we take an extended amount of time to understand each student’s interests. We incorporate student interests into their learning each day. Our students have a wide range of interests to include robotics, anime, animals, rocks, art, video games, and more! Deciding to include a student’s interest in their learning builds connections and allows for students to feel more connected to their learning. Students often visit our school with a lack of confidence. The anxiety is high due to the negative experiences from their previous schools. After meeting with us and experiencing the personalization of Soar Academy, parents often report that student confidence immediately increases and mental health improves.

Contact Info:

• Website: Soaracademy.net
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/soaracademyaugusta