Bridge the Gap Learning Center is the result of years of lived experience, parenting, and instructing students with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. 

Let me start at the beginning….I love to learn. I love reading, researching, school, music, books, history, podcasts, conferences, ALL THE THINGS! As a young adult, I wanted nothing more than to love my children and pass that love of learning on to them.

I became a Kindermusik educator and experienced the joy of instruction through music and movement. I learned about early childhood development and supported parents in their learning and parenting journey.

My husband and I felt led to foster care parenting. I learned A LOT about loving and parenting children from hard places–children who needed their basic needs met before they could learn anything, children who had disabilities and trauma that put them in survival mode.

Then we became parents and the learning really began! We have six children with extremely different learning profiles, as well as co-existing conditions that affect their learning abilities. Along our journey, we have encountered hyperlexia, hearing loss, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, developmental language disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, and PANS.

So my love of learning and my desire to pass that on slowly evolved into a desire to survive…

…to find help and services for my children.

Along the way, we started homeschooling so that we could tailor our children’s education to their unique needs and strengths. Educating my children was and is a joy! But it became increasingly difficult to manage without interventions and support. I researched the local options and found very little to meet our specific needs. Whether public, private, medical, virtual, or local, I found nothing that was available, sustainable, appropriate, or affordable. 

Through many mentors and true friends, I began to piece together solutions. I lined up a series of private tutors who poured into my family. I started a homeschool co-op of like-minded families who also wanted support and encouragement and we taught enrichment classes for each others’ kids.

Then I found Barton Spelling and Reading and Kristi Dozier. Not a magic bullet that solved all our problems, but a strong and steady guide to move us forward on the journey of dyslexia and learning disability intervention.

Kristi has her own education and faith journey that has brought her to a beautiful place of serving students with learning disabilities. She clicked with my kids who otherwise were resistant to learning due to the anxiety and frustration of educational experiences. Ultimately, Kristi quit her job to become a full time dyslexia and dyscalculia tutor, building her skills and waiting list along the way. 

She has joined with me in pursuing the goal of bridging the gap for struggling students in our community.

Bridge the Gap is the culmination of decades of witnessing children struggle, both in my family and in the community, and finally saying “Enough!” We know the needs are out there, and we know that there are not enough local services to meet that need. Our experience in early childhood instruction, special needs parenting, homeschooling, co-op leadership, tutoring, and education has shown us that we can bridge that gap by utilizing evidence based programs, creative and engaged instructors, and Christian love and support. Bridge the Gap Learning Center is poised to do just that!

So how will this work? Is this a school? How are you going to bridge gaps and who is going to pay for it?

We’re glad you asked!

Bridge the Gap Learning Center, Inc. is a non-profit ministry led by Christian professionals who want to meet educational needs and provide Christian love and support for families who are in educational survival mode.

We’ve been there, too. And we want to help!

We are not a school. In fact, you must be legally enrolled in a homeschool or traditional school to participate.

We are an a` la carte learning center. That means that you can pick and choose the services that work for your family. We offer one-on-one intervention for specific learning disabilities, creative academic classes that accommodate different learning abilities, and skill based instruction to prepare for independent living.

These services are not limited to students with disabilities. We want to serve ALL kinds of learners and bridge gaps in ALL types of learning–academic, creative, practical, and vocational.

As a non-profit, our number one priority is to make instruction affordable to families. We must charge for our services in order to compensate our qualified instructors and provide the highest quality learning environment possible. Proceeds that exceed operating expenses will go back into the program to support qualified families with scholarships, thus giving access to otherwise inaccessible intervention.

Furthermore, all donations not otherwise designated will go to the scholarship fund. Donors may even choose to sponsor a specific family in-part or in-full to bridge their gap to the world of reading and math!  

Bridge the Gap will pursue grants to specifically build our program offerings and increase scholarship funds available to qualified families.

The ministry of Christian love and support to hurting families is equally or even more important than education and financial support at Bridge the Gap Learning Center.  Educational struggles and learning disabilities are stressful and isolating experiences for families. 

That’s where Mike and Jessica Ford enter the picture. They have a heart for children and families! Through years of service in foster care, adoption, special needs, and homeschooling, they have seen and experienced the gaps. They want to use their lived experience to help struggling families. Bridge the Gap seeks to build a bridge to relationships, resources, and hope through support groups and mentoring supported by a team of volunteers.

Are you a student, parent, donor, instructor, volunteer?

Please join us as we set out to Bridge the Gap!

Blessings,

Marcy Hoggard,

Program Director & Chairman of the Board