We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Currie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The Kid Connection was born of Covid. Seeing children work day in and day out from screens, hearing parents’ frustration over the distraction, the lack of connection, and lag in services that were able to be offered opened the doors to what is now a place where all children can come as they are to receive the support that they need. The Kid Connection opened its doors in 2021 offering tutoring services, dyslexia therapy, faith-based counseling, play therapy, SAT/ACT prep, and social skills classes. Since that time, we have now created a faith-based university model program for those families seeking an alternative educational environment for children kindergarten through high school. As a former educator in the public sector, I heard the term “No Child Left Behind” over and over again, but what I noticed was how many kids were being left behind. As classrooms continue to grow larger, and the demands on teachers become greater and greater, I find there is less and less support for all learners. The Kid Connection opened its doors with the mission to create confident kids. We partner with parents and families to restore the connection that has been lost. We exist to create a whole child approach, nurturing the heart first so that confidences can be regained and learning can happen.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Courtney Currie and I am the founder of The Kid Connection in McKinney, TX. I have an extensive teaching background, Masters in Special Education and a Masters in Social Work. I also have been a dyslexia and dysgraphia specialist for almost 20 years. Through Covid there was a need for in person dyslexia therapy and kids were struggling emotionally with what was going on in the world. I began offering counseling and dyslexia therapy in my driveway thinking it was just for the season we were in. What I found was kids needed it longer and parents were seeing confidences soar and the excitement of learning reigniting. God called us to open doors for a faith-based counseling/tutoring/dyslexia therapy center with summer camps, and soon following a university model school. I most proud of the confidence and success our students are experiencing each day. Seeing learning come back to life and the passions of each child restore is what I am most proud of.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In education, everyday is a pivot. What our children need, how we present the material, even where we work will all have to pivot based on the individual child in front of us. When we don’t pivot, that’s when children get left behind and we miss the heart and the true opportunity to grow. Our daily existence in our workplace is to always be flexible and ready to pivot for the success of each of our students.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Word of mouth has been what has truly grown our business. It has been such a gift to see how many families have helped to spread the word about the heart and mission of TKC. That said, as we continue to grow I would say Facebook/ social media have been and continue to be an effective tool for us.
Contact Info:
- Website: thekidconnectiontx.com
- Instagram: thekidconnetiontx
- Facebook: facebook.com/thekidconnectiontx