The Learning Center | San Jose Private School | Almaden Country Day School
Source: http://www.almadencountryschool.org/academics/the-learning-center
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:16
The Learning Center | San Jose Private School | Almaden Country Day School
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The Learning Center
Almaden Country Day School offers the first and only Orton-Gillingham-based integrated learning program in the South Bay Area for children with language-based learning differences. Students are ACDS students who attend the TLC program within our school.
TLC students take their core classes (English, math and social studies) in The Learning Center, and then spend the other 40% of their school day with general education students in enrichment and elective classes and at lunch and recess.
TLC students are ACDS students who are fully integrated into the activities and culture of the school. They are not made to feel different from their general education peers at ACDS; they are instead integrated with other students into the life of the school.
ACDS Mission Statement
The Mission of Almaden Country Day School is to discover the gifts in every child.
TLC Statement of Philosophy
All children deserve to learn to read, including the neuro-diverse, because reading is freedom to think, to do, to become. In TLC, students embrace this freedom.
Empowering Children: The Learning Center
The Mission of Almaden Country Day School is to discover the gifts in every child, and The Learning Center (TLC) was conceived in 2017 as a way to extend our mission and serve children with language-based learning differences. The Learning Center offers a full-day educational program tailored to facilitate learning and to help children develop strategies to thrive in a general education classroom setting.
TLC’s veteran staff are highly-trained specialists, certified by the
Orton-Gillingham Academy
to teach Orton-Gillingham literacy and multi-sensory math methods that support children struggling with reading, writing, and/or math. Many of TLC's staff are themselves parents of children with dyslexia. Featuring a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, instruction in TLC is highly individualized as it is designed to the specific needs of each child.
The Learning Center Highlights
Proven Orton-Gillingham and multisensory math approaches
Highly personalized and intensive 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio
An integrated, complete social and educational experience
Children spend approximately 60% of their school day in TLC and engage in general education classes for the remainder of the day
Apply for 2026-2027 School Year
any text here
The TLC Difference
A Day in TLC Life
Transitioning from TLC
TLC Admissions
Resources for Parents
The Learning Center features the South Bay Area’s only integrated Orton-Gillingham learning program for children with dyslexia. This means that TLC students are integrated with general education children for most of the school day. In The Learning Center, children receive the specialized learning support they need, while also partaking in the rich, stimulating educational programs enjoyed by general education students at Almaden Country Day School.
TLC students focus on their core subjects—reading, writing, and math—within the Learning Center. For the rest of the day, they join their general education peers in a variety of enrichment classes. In elementary grades, this includes hands-on science, art, music, theater, and physical education. In middle school, students can choose from more than 50 exciting elective classes.
TLC students also spend time with peers from general education homeroom classes at lunch and recess and participating together in overnight field trip adventures, in our competitive speech and debate program, in no-cut after-school athletic teams, at middle school socials, and in school clubs. Alongside all the ACDS students in their grade levels, TLC students socialize, make friends within and outside The Learning Center, and participate in our festive all-school family events like Food Truck Friday, Pumpkin Carving and the Thanksgiving Feast.
Our integrated learning program means that TLC students are ACDS Cougars first, and TLC students second. This is one of numerous ways we minimize the stigma children sometimes feel about receiving specialized instruction.
We are proud of this innovative integrated model and in the South Bay Area, it is currently only available at Almaden Country Day School.
The Learning Center’s program is highly structured to meet the specific needs of children with language-based learning challenges, and there are plenty of opportunities during the school day for TLC students to go outside to run, jump, play, build, rest, explore and discover alongside their general education peers in a wide range of engaging classes and activities.
Here is a sample schedule for elementary and middle school TLC students, noting that the schedule can vary according to the needs of the students, special events or activities, and more.
Sample daily TLC schedule:
Time
Activity
8 - 8:10 am
Opening/Community Building
(whole group advisory/morning meeting)
8:15 - 9:45 am
Language Arts
(reading, spelling, comprehension), Writing Workshop, Literature Study
9:45 - 10 am
Recess
(with whole school)
10 - 11:15am
Multi-Sensory Mathematics
11:15 - 11:40 am
Social Emotional Learning/Maker Space
11:40 am
Lunch
(with whole school)
12 - 1:15 pm
1:15 - 3:10 pm
Social Studies
Elective/Enrichment Classes
in Middle School with whole school (science, art, music, P.E., and theater arts)
3:10 pm
School Day Over
3:10 - 5:30 pm*
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
(registration required)
Note: If students attend enrichment classes (science, art, music, library, P.E., and theater arts) in the morning, time in TLC will be made up in the afternoon.
*Optional
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
until 5:30 pm,
or
activities such as sports clinics, Robotics, Chess Club, Math Club, and more. For Middle School grades: optional
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
after-care until 5:30 pm,
or
activities like no-cut team sports, Competitive Speech & Debate, Chess Club, and more.
The Learning Center’s primary function is to prepare children with strategies, skills, and confidence that will help them thrive in a general education classroom setting, either at Almaden Country Day School or in their home schools.
When a child is academically at grade level, can self advocate and has age-appropriate organizational skills, the teachers, student and parents will discuss the timing of a transition to general education.
To support middle school students who transition out of The Learning Center into the ACDS general education program, we offer a Success elective four times per week to monitor their academic progress, provide assistance and communicate with their general education teachers as needed.
The Learning Center (TLC) provides a highly individualized instructional program for students with language-based learning differences: dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (math). Children who qualify for TLC demonstrate difficulty in reading, spelling, mathematics, handwriting, organization of written language, or any combination of these areas.
The Learning Center serves students in grades one through eight.
The Learning Center is dedicated to supporting students with language-based learning difficulties;
we are not trained
to serve children with other diagnoses, including emotional or behavioral disorders, Tourette’s, Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorders, etc., and consequently we cannot admit them. Please see “
Eligibility for Admission
,” below.
Apply for 2025-2026 School Year
Eligibility for Admission
Admission to The Learning Center is determined based on:
(1) Successful
application
to Almaden Country Day School (Please check The Learning Center as the program you are applying too on the application)
(2) Results of a required psycho-educational assessment administered by a licensed educational psychologist
within the past 3 years.
Please Note
:
The only diagnoses served by The Learning Center are language-based learning differences. However, we understand that 30% of those with dyslexia have a secondary diagnosis of ADHD. The TLC serves children whose primary diagnosis is a language-based learning difference.
TLC Application Process
Arrange for your child to receive a
psycho-educational assessment
administered by a licensed educational psychologist.
We will accept assessments administered within the past 3 years prior to your application to ACDS.
Submit
application
to Almaden Country Day School.
Review
shadow student
information and schedule shadow visit.
Complete
tuition support
process - if appropriate.
Complete all checklist items on the application timeline.
TLC Admissions Timeline
Admission to The Learning Center is on a space-available basis and may occur at any time during the school year, once all application requirements have been met.
Tuition Support
Tuition Support is available for applicants who qualify. See our
Tuition Support
guidelines for more information and to start the process.
Possible Tax Deductibility of TLC Tuition Payments
Parents should confer with their tax lawyer or accountant about the rulings and regulations of the Internal Revenue Code, along with other applicable laws, to inquire about possible tax deductibility of TLC tuition payments.
Dyslexia Basics
Spelling Difficulties
Math Challenges: Understanding Dyscalculia
Identifying and Teaching Gifted Dyslexic Students
ADHD and Dyslexia Fact Sheet
Testing and Evaluation for Dyslexia
Recommended Reading
Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program
for Reading Problems at Any Level
,
by Dr. Sally Shaywitz
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the
Dyslexic Brain
,
by Dr. Brock L. Eide
any text here
Children with language-based learning differences including dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (math) are intelligent, creative, expressive, and driven. Because students with dyslexia learn differently than neurotypical students, they often encounter tremendous obstacles in a general education classroom. As a result, these otherwise bright and academically-capable children experience failures in school that mask their true potential and hinder the expression of their talents.
The Learning Center at Almaden Country Day School was created to support these children in the way they learn best and help them discover their gifts.
Download the full article "Dyslexia Explained" (PDF)
About Language-Based Learning Differences
In the early 2000’s, critical research findings helped us better understand children who struggle in school, particularly those with language-based learning differences. Their differences (and often, their extraordinary gifts) are often rooted in their neurobiology – the nature of their brains.
Many people show great gifts through their creative, expressive, or athletic talents. However, when the same individuals are placed in situations where they are required to process language or decipher mathematical expressions, these people often experience difficulties that can betray their abilities and talents.
Children and adults struggling in this way may be diagnosed with a language-based learning difference, which may include dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or dyscalculia. Children with language-based learning differences face significant obstacles in schools, where instruction is often delivered in larger groups by teachers who lack specialized training to support their learning needs.
Intensive Intervention Works
In order for children with language processing challenges to learn, they require a specialized, highly structured, intensive educational program that is delivered in a small group setting using simultaneous multisensory practices which literally builds new pathways in their brains over time. Functional MRI’s are now able to show this change in brain structure resulting from deliberate, sequential reading instruction.
With the assistance of a number of learning strategies, young people who once were among the most severe drop-out risks are able to transition to and prosper in general education and even honors-level coursework. In fact, because of their creative and intellectual gifts, children who develop strategies to manage their learning differences frequently emerge from effective learning support programs to become top students in high school and college.
Overarching Goal
Goal #1: Self-knowledge
Goal #2: Academics
Goal #3: Executive Functions and Study Skills
Goal #4: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
TLC students will understand themselves and appreciate their many strengths. They will understand their personal learning needs and will develop strategies that allow them to close the gap between their academic performance and their intellectual ability. They will be inquisitive, eager students and will have a growth mindset. They will also benefit from the core values – Childhood, Learning, Belonging, Balance – of the Almaden Country Day School experience.
TLC students will understand and appreciate their learning profile. They will articulate their learning strengths and weaknesses and will develop strategies to manage their weaknesses. They will self-advocate, articulate their needs, and know what they need in terms of a successful learning experience. They will develop a personal, strengths-based approach to learning.
Using the Orton-Gillingham Approach, students build accurate reading, spelling, and writing skills; these will help close the gap and ensure students perform effectively in the general education classroom. Explicit, systematic, and diagnostic instruction will provide access to grade-level content that builds from the simple to complex in all content areas. Students will effectively communicate, both orally and in writing. They will analyze and think deeply about the written word. Students will also learn to edit their own written work and check for understanding.
Mathematics is taught using a multisensory approach. Students are familiar with the math practices, mindsets that extend across grade levels. We teach math as conceptual ideas, rather than as procedures and formulas. Students are taught to think flexibly, to understand that depth is more important than speed, and to develop multiple methods to solve problems. Additionally, we rely on the instructional practices that focus on conceptual understanding (without the use of “tricks”); developing number sense; teaching the language of math; and teaching grade-level content using “friendly numbers.” Our students learn that everyone is a “math person.”
Executive functions and study skills are critical to success in school and beyond. Therefore, our TLC students learn and extend these skills in deliberate and systematic ways. Students will understand how executive functions are brain processes that help us carry out goal-oriented behaviors, including initiating, sustaining, monitoring, and adapting our actions. Students will identify the functions of attention, memory, emotion, motivation, and effort; they will know which are personal strengths and which are struggles. Additionally, they will learn strategies for organizing time, materials, and information; they will practice these daily. Students will understand how study skills, when used effectively, are able to support executive functions. They will appreciate how important both are to achieving academic proficiency.
Our students have a “can-do” attitude. Appreciating their many strengths helps them maintain their perspective when they face challenges. They are open to taking risks, and they know that making mistakes is part of learning. “Yet” is a common reference - “I don’t know how, yet.” Having a growth mindset is part of our daily language and the students are able to speak to its benefits.
To close the gap between a child’s academic potential and academic performance;
To provide structured, multisensory instruction that will build new neural pathways to help children learn academic skills, including reading, writing, spelling, and math;
To teach students the strategies to become independent, thoughtful learners;
To enable students to experience success in a safe, supportive environment;
To support and educate families of TLC students;
To empower students with skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in their transition to the general education classroom.
Abigail C., Current Student
My school, ACDS is probably the best school in the world. The TLC program is a BIG bonus because everyone at ACDS is so sweet and kind. The teachers are so sweet and generous and really help you in their own ways. For example, I have dyslexia and I first started this school in 2nd grade when The Learning Center was not even a thing yet... just a thought and a dream. But the amazing Director of TLC, Mrs. Robb would not let this amazing idea go so they started the program. My first TLC teacher was Mrs. Pombo (who is still a teacher in the program) and she is my hero--she helped me learn and work hard to think better, so by the end of that year I had learned sooo much my brain was practically begging for more. I am super EXCITED to go to school every day. The learning is so fun and in a way that I can understand. It's not just TLC teachers that are nice, it's EVERY TEACHER--library, music, art and sooo many teachers--each student gets treated with love and care. Even if the school didn't have TLC it’s still so fun in every way and I am really proud to say I'm Abigail and I go to ACDS!
Abigail C.
Current Student
The Coven Family
This is a great school for parents and children. They're kind, thoughtful, academic, active, and safe, all rolled together. Abigail has really received a fantastic education there and has really blossomed and gained confidence as she learns to work with her different mode of learning with dyslexia. She still is positively challenged and creative in ways that prove her brain is growing bigger every day. They have brought the kids back to physical campus in a way that makes us feel very safe in this COVID-19 world. I could not more wholeheartedly recommend ACDS.
The Coven Family
The Njoroge Family
We feel so fortunate to have found ACDS and especially the TLC program. This has been a game-changer for our child who has dyslexia and dysgraphia. The teachers have been exceptional! They are not only able to expertly deliver curriculum but are truly invested in the success and well being of the children. The small class sizes have allowed the teachers to adapt the lessons based on the needs of the group to allow for more personalized learning opportunities for both the class cohorts and individual students. There is a genuine effort to create a sense of community within TLC where the children feel supported, respected, and cared for by peers and teachers alike. Additionally, integration with the age group classes at ACDS has been seamless and the enrichment class opportunities are outstanding. We are profoundly grateful to the TLC community for redefining what school can, and should be for children with learning differences. THANK YOU!
The Njoroge Family
The Zenker-Buffi Family
As our son progressed through the lower elementary grades, he faced learning challenges that caused him to fall behind his peers which wiped out his confidence. We had him assessed several times but never got a conclusion or recommendation that suggested a specific resource to help support him and his learning issues. All the while, he continued to feel terrible and, as his parents, we felt more and more helpless and stressed. We then heard about The Learning Center (TLC) opening at Almaden Country Day School. Together with the small class sizes and the trained teachers, we jumped at the opportunity to get him enrolled.
And what a great move it was.
The teachers in the TLC provide a nurturing and supportive environment that made such a difference for our son. His self-confidence has returned, and he’s feeling accomplished again. They provide constantly evolving lesson plans to meet individual student needs. He just completed a full academic year, and his test scores and assessments improved more than we could have ever expected. He didn’t know anyone when he first came to ACDS, but he very easily made friends because of the welcoming environment. He was never treated differently by other kids or teachers because he was a TLC student, which was one of our worries. He always felt part of the bigger ACDS community. After all the academic challenges he’s faced the past few years, it is exceptionally gratifying to see him happy and excited about school again. We thank ACDS and the amazing TLC teachers for that.
The Zenker-Buffi Family
The Curtis Family
The TLC at ACDS is the perfect school for our son. Everyone at the school is incredibly welcoming and the faculty is very dedicated and genuinely care about every student. We have seen significant growth in his core subject knowledge his first year in the TLC, and the integration into the mainstream 5th grade classes has been just what we hoped for. Frequent, proactive communication from our son's teachers has kept us informed of his progress as well as what he is doing in class on a day-to-day basis. ACDS provides far more than just the TLC, but a well-rounded curriculum that helps our son develop as a person and an individual. We are continually impressed by the increased confidence and respect of others we see in our son everyday and believe his daily interactions and experiences at ACDS contribute to his self-esteem and genuine interest in others.
The Curtis Family
The Monaco Family
After four years of struggling through the special education system in public school and countless hours of tutoring and educational services, we knew something needed to change. Despite the best of intentions, our daughter was pulled from her favorite parts of her school day for extra help and often ended her day with extra outside tutoring on top of it all. In turn, she didn’t enjoy school very much and had little free time to be a kid. Her school and life experience were not what we wanted for her. We knew she needed to get support during her school day without being pulled from every enjoyable part.
After finding that most schools dedicated to serving children with language-based learning differences were primarily located on the peninsula, we were discouraged. We also really wanted to keep all 3 of our children at the same school. Sometimes we wondered if we were just expecting too much and needed to settle. We just hadn’t found Almaden Country Day School and The Learning Center yet.
We were initially struck by the fact that all teachers in the TLC program are trained in the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction. Being the oldest and best researched program for dyslexia instruction, we loved that all subject matter would be taught using the multisensory approach. Many schools we visited used various curricula, but the TLC uses Orton-Gillingham with fidelity which allows them to have a better understanding of students’ areas for need and growth over time as well as better student success.
Much thought has been taken to ensure students are Almaden Country Day School students first and TLC students second. TLC students receive all their core subject matter in small group instruction while still experiencing electives with the rest of their peers outside of the TLC.
The TLC is more than just instruction though. Research shows that it takes five positive experiences to counteract a negative one. Because of their different needs, students with learning differences often have very negative feelings surrounding school. Our daughter was no different. Having highly qualified teachers that are also passionate about teaching students the way they learn is changing those feelings. A growth mindset is instilled and the idea that mistakes are a way to learn and grow is reinforced.
The opportunities for hands on learning experiences and volunteering and participating in the community are unparalleled. Feeling a bigger connection to the world around them and celebrating their many individual strengths has been invaluable.
Truly the biggest change we have noticed though has to be in self-confidence and attitude towards school. After years of daily crying before school, during homework, and even anxiety before bedtime, we finally have a child that is excited to go to school and misses it on the weekends. That is a testament to the wonderful rapport with teachers and fellow students. The TLC really feels like a supportive family.
The Monaco Family
The Heath Family
We are so grateful to have found the TLC program at Almaden Country Day School. For the first time, our son actually LOVES school. It is a pure joy as a parent to see our son's confidence increase and for him to enjoy learning. We could not be more impressed with the teaching staff and their ability to connect with each child and create an environment for them to thrive.
The Heath Family
The Biagi Family
The TLC program shines in so many ways and has been an invaluable gift for our family. Every aspect of the program has been honed in a way that has resulted in a happy, confident, skilled reader who now has a difficult time putting down a book!
Contact:
Mrs. Cecilia Robb
, Head of The Learning Center, (408)997-0424 x226
The Learning Center is a proud member of the International Dyslexia Association.
Skip To Main Content
The Learning Center
Almaden Country Day School offers the first and only Orton-Gillingham-based integrated learning program in the South Bay Area for children with language-based learning differences. Students are ACDS students who attend the TLC program within our school.
TLC students take their core classes (English, math and social studies) in The Learning Center, and then spend the other 40% of their school day with general education students in enrichment and elective classes and at lunch and recess.
TLC students are ACDS students who are fully integrated into the activities and culture of the school. They are not made to feel different from their general education peers at ACDS; they are instead integrated with other students into the life of the school.
ACDS Mission Statement
The Mission of Almaden Country Day School is to discover the gifts in every child.
TLC Statement of Philosophy
All children deserve to learn to read, including the neuro-diverse, because reading is freedom to think, to do, to become. In TLC, students embrace this freedom.
Empowering Children: The Learning Center
The Mission of Almaden Country Day School is to discover the gifts in every child, and The Learning Center (TLC) was conceived in 2017 as a way to extend our mission and serve children with language-based learning differences. The Learning Center offers a full-day educational program tailored to facilitate learning and to help children develop strategies to thrive in a general education classroom setting.
TLC’s veteran staff are highly-trained specialists, certified by the
Orton-Gillingham Academy
to teach Orton-Gillingham literacy and multi-sensory math methods that support children struggling with reading, writing, and/or math. Many of TLC's staff are themselves parents of children with dyslexia. Featuring a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, instruction in TLC is highly individualized as it is designed to the specific needs of each child.
The Learning Center Highlights
Proven Orton-Gillingham and multisensory math approaches
Highly personalized and intensive 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio
An integrated, complete social and educational experience
Children spend approximately 60% of their school day in TLC and engage in general education classes for the remainder of the day
Apply for 2026-2027 School Year
any text here
The TLC Difference
A Day in TLC Life
Transitioning from TLC
TLC Admissions
Resources for Parents
The Learning Center features the South Bay Area’s only integrated Orton-Gillingham learning program for children with dyslexia. This means that TLC students are integrated with general education children for most of the school day. In The Learning Center, children receive the specialized learning support they need, while also partaking in the rich, stimulating educational programs enjoyed by general education students at Almaden Country Day School.
TLC students focus on their core subjects—reading, writing, and math—within the Learning Center. For the rest of the day, they join their general education peers in a variety of enrichment classes. In elementary grades, this includes hands-on science, art, music, theater, and physical education. In middle school, students can choose from more than 50 exciting elective classes.
TLC students also spend time with peers from general education homeroom classes at lunch and recess and participating together in overnight field trip adventures, in our competitive speech and debate program, in no-cut after-school athletic teams, at middle school socials, and in school clubs. Alongside all the ACDS students in their grade levels, TLC students socialize, make friends within and outside The Learning Center, and participate in our festive all-school family events like Food Truck Friday, Pumpkin Carving and the Thanksgiving Feast.
Our integrated learning program means that TLC students are ACDS Cougars first, and TLC students second. This is one of numerous ways we minimize the stigma children sometimes feel about receiving specialized instruction.
We are proud of this innovative integrated model and in the South Bay Area, it is currently only available at Almaden Country Day School.
The Learning Center’s program is highly structured to meet the specific needs of children with language-based learning challenges, and there are plenty of opportunities during the school day for TLC students to go outside to run, jump, play, build, rest, explore and discover alongside their general education peers in a wide range of engaging classes and activities.
Here is a sample schedule for elementary and middle school TLC students, noting that the schedule can vary according to the needs of the students, special events or activities, and more.
Sample daily TLC schedule:
Time
Activity
8 - 8:10 am
Opening/Community Building
(whole group advisory/morning meeting)
8:15 - 9:45 am
Language Arts
(reading, spelling, comprehension), Writing Workshop, Literature Study
9:45 - 10 am
Recess
(with whole school)
10 - 11:15am
Multi-Sensory Mathematics
11:15 - 11:40 am
Social Emotional Learning/Maker Space
11:40 am
Lunch
(with whole school)
12 - 1:15 pm
1:15 - 3:10 pm
Social Studies
Elective/Enrichment Classes
in Middle School with whole school (science, art, music, P.E., and theater arts)
3:10 pm
School Day Over
3:10 - 5:30 pm*
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
(registration required)
Note: If students attend enrichment classes (science, art, music, library, P.E., and theater arts) in the morning, time in TLC will be made up in the afternoon.
*Optional
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
until 5:30 pm,
or
activities such as sports clinics, Robotics, Chess Club, Math Club, and more. For Middle School grades: optional
The Orchard: Extended Day Program
after-care until 5:30 pm,
or
activities like no-cut team sports, Competitive Speech & Debate, Chess Club, and more.
The Learning Center’s primary function is to prepare children with strategies, skills, and confidence that will help them thrive in a general education classroom setting, either at Almaden Country Day School or in their home schools.
When a child is academically at grade level, can self advocate and has age-appropriate organizational skills, the teachers, student and parents will discuss the timing of a transition to general education.
To support middle school students who transition out of The Learning Center into the ACDS general education program, we offer a Success elective four times per week to monitor their academic progress, provide assistance and communicate with their general education teachers as needed.
The Learning Center (TLC) provides a highly individualized instructional program for students with language-based learning differences: dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (math). Children who qualify for TLC demonstrate difficulty in reading, spelling, mathematics, handwriting, organization of written language, or any combination of these areas.
The Learning Center serves students in grades one through eight.
The Learning Center is dedicated to supporting students with language-based learning difficulties;
we are not trained
to serve children with other diagnoses, including emotional or behavioral disorders, Tourette’s, Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorders, etc., and consequently we cannot admit them. Please see “
Eligibility for Admission
,” below.
Apply for 2025-2026 School Year
Eligibility for Admission
Admission to The Learning Center is determined based on:
(1) Successful
application
to Almaden Country Day School (Please check The Learning Center as the program you are applying too on the application)
(2) Results of a required psycho-educational assessment administered by a licensed educational psychologist
within the past 3 years.
Please Note
:
The only diagnoses served by The Learning Center are language-based learning differences. However, we understand that 30% of those with dyslexia have a secondary diagnosis of ADHD. The TLC serves children whose primary diagnosis is a language-based learning difference.
TLC Application Process
Arrange for your child to receive a
psycho-educational assessment
administered by a licensed educational psychologist.
We will accept assessments administered within the past 3 years prior to your application to ACDS.
Submit
application
to Almaden Country Day School.
Review
shadow student
information and schedule shadow visit.
Complete
tuition support
process - if appropriate.
Complete all checklist items on the application timeline.
TLC Admissions Timeline
Admission to The Learning Center is on a space-available basis and may occur at any time during the school year, once all application requirements have been met.
Tuition Support
Tuition Support is available for applicants who qualify. See our
Tuition Support
guidelines for more information and to start the process.
Possible Tax Deductibility of TLC Tuition Payments
Parents should confer with their tax lawyer or accountant about the rulings and regulations of the Internal Revenue Code, along with other applicable laws, to inquire about possible tax deductibility of TLC tuition payments.
Dyslexia Basics
Spelling Difficulties
Math Challenges: Understanding Dyscalculia
Identifying and Teaching Gifted Dyslexic Students
ADHD and Dyslexia Fact Sheet
Testing and Evaluation for Dyslexia
Recommended Reading
Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program
for Reading Problems at Any Level
,
by Dr. Sally Shaywitz
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the
Dyslexic Brain
,
by Dr. Brock L. Eide
any text here
Children with language-based learning differences including dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (math) are intelligent, creative, expressive, and driven. Because students with dyslexia learn differently than neurotypical students, they often encounter tremendous obstacles in a general education classroom. As a result, these otherwise bright and academically-capable children experience failures in school that mask their true potential and hinder the expression of their talents.
The Learning Center at Almaden Country Day School was created to support these children in the way they learn best and help them discover their gifts.
Download the full article "Dyslexia Explained" (PDF)
About Language-Based Learning Differences
In the early 2000’s, critical research findings helped us better understand children who struggle in school, particularly those with language-based learning differences. Their differences (and often, their extraordinary gifts) are often rooted in their neurobiology – the nature of their brains.
Many people show great gifts through their creative, expressive, or athletic talents. However, when the same individuals are placed in situations where they are required to process language or decipher mathematical expressions, these people often experience difficulties that can betray their abilities and talents.
Children and adults struggling in this way may be diagnosed with a language-based learning difference, which may include dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or dyscalculia. Children with language-based learning differences face significant obstacles in schools, where instruction is often delivered in larger groups by teachers who lack specialized training to support their learning needs.
Intensive Intervention Works
In order for children with language processing challenges to learn, they require a specialized, highly structured, intensive educational program that is delivered in a small group setting using simultaneous multisensory practices which literally builds new pathways in their brains over time. Functional MRI’s are now able to show this change in brain structure resulting from deliberate, sequential reading instruction.
With the assistance of a number of learning strategies, young people who once were among the most severe drop-out risks are able to transition to and prosper in general education and even honors-level coursework. In fact, because of their creative and intellectual gifts, children who develop strategies to manage their learning differences frequently emerge from effective learning support programs to become top students in high school and college.
Overarching Goal
Goal #1: Self-knowledge
Goal #2: Academics
Goal #3: Executive Functions and Study Skills
Goal #4: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
TLC students will understand themselves and appreciate their many strengths. They will understand their personal learning needs and will develop strategies that allow them to close the gap between their academic performance and their intellectual ability. They will be inquisitive, eager students and will have a growth mindset. They will also benefit from the core values – Childhood, Learning, Belonging, Balance – of the Almaden Country Day School experience.
TLC students will understand and appreciate their learning profile. They will articulate their learning strengths and weaknesses and will develop strategies to manage their weaknesses. They will self-advocate, articulate their needs, and know what they need in terms of a successful learning experience. They will develop a personal, strengths-based approach to learning.
Using the Orton-Gillingham Approach, students build accurate reading, spelling, and writing skills; these will help close the gap and ensure students perform effectively in the general education classroom. Explicit, systematic, and diagnostic instruction will provide access to grade-level content that builds from the simple to complex in all content areas. Students will effectively communicate, both orally and in writing. They will analyze and think deeply about the written word. Students will also learn to edit their own written work and check for understanding.
Mathematics is taught using a multisensory approach. Students are familiar with the math practices, mindsets that extend across grade levels. We teach math as conceptual ideas, rather than as procedures and formulas. Students are taught to think flexibly, to understand that depth is more important than speed, and to develop multiple methods to solve problems. Additionally, we rely on the instructional practices that focus on conceptual understanding (without the use of “tricks”); developing number sense; teaching the language of math; and teaching grade-level content using “friendly numbers.” Our students learn that everyone is a “math person.”
Executive functions and study skills are critical to success in school and beyond. Therefore, our TLC students learn and extend these skills in deliberate and systematic ways. Students will understand how executive functions are brain processes that help us carry out goal-oriented behaviors, including initiating, sustaining, monitoring, and adapting our actions. Students will identify the functions of attention, memory, emotion, motivation, and effort; they will know which are personal strengths and which are struggles. Additionally, they will learn strategies for organizing time, materials, and information; they will practice these daily. Students will understand how study skills, when used effectively, are able to support executive functions. They will appreciate how important both are to achieving academic proficiency.
Our students have a “can-do” attitude. Appreciating their many strengths helps them maintain their perspective when they face challenges. They are open to taking risks, and they know that making mistakes is part of learning. “Yet” is a common reference - “I don’t know how, yet.” Having a growth mindset is part of our daily language and the students are able to speak to its benefits.
To close the gap between a child’s academic potential and academic performance;
To provide structured, multisensory instruction that will build new neural pathways to help children learn academic skills, including reading, writing, spelling, and math;
To teach students the strategies to become independent, thoughtful learners;
To enable students to experience success in a safe, supportive environment;
To support and educate families of TLC students;
To empower students with skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in their transition to the general education classroom.
Abigail C., Current Student
My school, ACDS is probably the best school in the world. The TLC program is a BIG bonus because everyone at ACDS is so sweet and kind. The teachers are so sweet and generous and really help you in their own ways. For example, I have dyslexia and I first started this school in 2nd grade when The Learning Center was not even a thing yet... just a thought and a dream. But the amazing Director of TLC, Mrs. Robb would not let this amazing idea go so they started the program. My first TLC teacher was Mrs. Pombo (who is still a teacher in the program) and she is my hero--she helped me learn and work hard to think better, so by the end of that year I had learned sooo much my brain was practically begging for more. I am super EXCITED to go to school every day. The learning is so fun and in a way that I can understand. It's not just TLC teachers that are nice, it's EVERY TEACHER--library, music, art and sooo many teachers--each student gets treated with love and care. Even if the school didn't have TLC it’s still so fun in every way and I am really proud to say I'm Abigail and I go to ACDS!
Abigail C.
Current Student
The Coven Family
This is a great school for parents and children. They're kind, thoughtful, academic, active, and safe, all rolled together. Abigail has really received a fantastic education there and has really blossomed and gained confidence as she learns to work with her different mode of learning with dyslexia. She still is positively challenged and creative in ways that prove her brain is growing bigger every day. They have brought the kids back to physical campus in a way that makes us feel very safe in this COVID-19 world. I could not more wholeheartedly recommend ACDS.
The Coven Family
The Njoroge Family
We feel so fortunate to have found ACDS and especially the TLC program. This has been a game-changer for our child who has dyslexia and dysgraphia. The teachers have been exceptional! They are not only able to expertly deliver curriculum but are truly invested in the success and well being of the children. The small class sizes have allowed the teachers to adapt the lessons based on the needs of the group to allow for more personalized learning opportunities for both the class cohorts and individual students. There is a genuine effort to create a sense of community within TLC where the children feel supported, respected, and cared for by peers and teachers alike. Additionally, integration with the age group classes at ACDS has been seamless and the enrichment class opportunities are outstanding. We are profoundly grateful to the TLC community for redefining what school can, and should be for children with learning differences. THANK YOU!
The Njoroge Family
The Zenker-Buffi Family
As our son progressed through the lower elementary grades, he faced learning challenges that caused him to fall behind his peers which wiped out his confidence. We had him assessed several times but never got a conclusion or recommendation that suggested a specific resource to help support him and his learning issues. All the while, he continued to feel terrible and, as his parents, we felt more and more helpless and stressed. We then heard about The Learning Center (TLC) opening at Almaden Country Day School. Together with the small class sizes and the trained teachers, we jumped at the opportunity to get him enrolled.
And what a great move it was.
The teachers in the TLC provide a nurturing and supportive environment that made such a difference for our son. His self-confidence has returned, and he’s feeling accomplished again. They provide constantly evolving lesson plans to meet individual student needs. He just completed a full academic year, and his test scores and assessments improved more than we could have ever expected. He didn’t know anyone when he first came to ACDS, but he very easily made friends because of the welcoming environment. He was never treated differently by other kids or teachers because he was a TLC student, which was one of our worries. He always felt part of the bigger ACDS community. After all the academic challenges he’s faced the past few years, it is exceptionally gratifying to see him happy and excited about school again. We thank ACDS and the amazing TLC teachers for that.
The Zenker-Buffi Family
The Curtis Family
The TLC at ACDS is the perfect school for our son. Everyone at the school is incredibly welcoming and the faculty is very dedicated and genuinely care about every student. We have seen significant growth in his core subject knowledge his first year in the TLC, and the integration into the mainstream 5th grade classes has been just what we hoped for. Frequent, proactive communication from our son's teachers has kept us informed of his progress as well as what he is doing in class on a day-to-day basis. ACDS provides far more than just the TLC, but a well-rounded curriculum that helps our son develop as a person and an individual. We are continually impressed by the increased confidence and respect of others we see in our son everyday and believe his daily interactions and experiences at ACDS contribute to his self-esteem and genuine interest in others.
The Curtis Family
The Monaco Family
After four years of struggling through the special education system in public school and countless hours of tutoring and educational services, we knew something needed to change. Despite the best of intentions, our daughter was pulled from her favorite parts of her school day for extra help and often ended her day with extra outside tutoring on top of it all. In turn, she didn’t enjoy school very much and had little free time to be a kid. Her school and life experience were not what we wanted for her. We knew she needed to get support during her school day without being pulled from every enjoyable part.
After finding that most schools dedicated to serving children with language-based learning differences were primarily located on the peninsula, we were discouraged. We also really wanted to keep all 3 of our children at the same school. Sometimes we wondered if we were just expecting too much and needed to settle. We just hadn’t found Almaden Country Day School and The Learning Center yet.
We were initially struck by the fact that all teachers in the TLC program are trained in the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction. Being the oldest and best researched program for dyslexia instruction, we loved that all subject matter would be taught using the multisensory approach. Many schools we visited used various curricula, but the TLC uses Orton-Gillingham with fidelity which allows them to have a better understanding of students’ areas for need and growth over time as well as better student success.
Much thought has been taken to ensure students are Almaden Country Day School students first and TLC students second. TLC students receive all their core subject matter in small group instruction while still experiencing electives with the rest of their peers outside of the TLC.
The TLC is more than just instruction though. Research shows that it takes five positive experiences to counteract a negative one. Because of their different needs, students with learning differences often have very negative feelings surrounding school. Our daughter was no different. Having highly qualified teachers that are also passionate about teaching students the way they learn is changing those feelings. A growth mindset is instilled and the idea that mistakes are a way to learn and grow is reinforced.
The opportunities for hands on learning experiences and volunteering and participating in the community are unparalleled. Feeling a bigger connection to the world around them and celebrating their many individual strengths has been invaluable.
Truly the biggest change we have noticed though has to be in self-confidence and attitude towards school. After years of daily crying before school, during homework, and even anxiety before bedtime, we finally have a child that is excited to go to school and misses it on the weekends. That is a testament to the wonderful rapport with teachers and fellow students. The TLC really feels like a supportive family.
The Monaco Family
The Heath Family
We are so grateful to have found the TLC program at Almaden Country Day School. For the first time, our son actually LOVES school. It is a pure joy as a parent to see our son's confidence increase and for him to enjoy learning. We could not be more impressed with the teaching staff and their ability to connect with each child and create an environment for them to thrive.
The Heath Family
The Biagi Family
The TLC program shines in so many ways and has been an invaluable gift for our family. Every aspect of the program has been honed in a way that has resulted in a happy, confident, skilled reader who now has a difficult time putting down a book!
Contact:
Mrs. Cecilia Robb
, Head of The Learning Center, (408)997-0424 x226
The Learning Center is a proud member of the International Dyslexia Association.