Chyanne was struggling with both math and reading. Determined to help, Chyanne’s mom homeschooled her daughter, but she also worked full-time. With her family struggling with serious medical issues, financial commitments, and like many families, an overburdened schedule, both Chyanne and her mom needed help. Then they found Elephant Learning.
Homeschooled since she was four, nine-year-old Chyanne continued to struggle with both reading and math. Her older brother Jacky, now twenty, was autistic and had multiple learning disabilities. Chyanne’s mom was determined to do everything she could to help both of her children reach their potential.
The children’s dad had recently undergone multiple surgeries, including a triple bypass, that left him unable to work. In addition to caring for her husband and driving him to numerous doctor’s appointments, mom Kathy, was working full-time homeschooling their daughter, and trying to ensure Chyanne received the math support she needed.
The entire family needed help.
Kathy found Elephant Learning online and applied for a scholarship under the Math Matters program. She hoped Elephant Learning would help her daughter understand the multiplication concepts she was currently struggling with and provide her with a solid foundation for more advanced topics.
Related: Later Elementary Math Concepts and Strategies: What Parents Need to Know for Grades 3-6
While Kathy recognized that her otherwise bright daughter struggled with both reading and mathematics, she did not initially make the connection between the two subjects. However, there is a significant connection. Early mastery of mathematics is often an indication of performance in other areas, particularly reading.
In fact, numerous studies point out that success in reading and mathematics is based on similar process skills that incorporate the integration of both context and prior knowledge to produce meaning. The same strategies that are used to decode the language of mathematics are used in reading and vice versa.
Within six months of playing on Elephant Learning, Chyanne was hooked. More importantly, she was understanding the language of mathematics and rapidly building her skills. In this short time, Chyanne went from being behind most of her peers in terms of mathematical understanding to surpassing many of them.
Related: Why Your Child Is Behind in Math (Yes, Even Your Child)
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