In 1994, with the birth of her first daughter, Laurie began creating an early elementary educational program that enables children to read before the age of five, giving them a significant jump on the educational process. Having used the program successfully in the home education of her own four children, Laurie began to modify it for utilization by other preschoolers in 2006.

In 2007, Laurie took on her first "extra-familial student," offering a complete kindergarten curriculum to her 4-year-old next-door neighbor. Over the course of nine months, meeting just three days per week (for two hours of instructional time and one hour of "structured play time"), Anne* went from not knowing all her letters to reading beyond the first-grade reading level. Additionally, she studied early elementary language arts, arithmetic, science, social studies, world and U.S. geography, Bible, and penmanship.

Laurie finds that offering this program is very rewarding, but it is also very demanding. There is only room for one student of this type at Parkside School each year.

For information regarding the program, or to be considered for placement in it, you may contact Laurie at Parksiders@gmail.com

* Name changed to protect her privacy.