Testimonials
Kind words from parents and teachers
“At the tender age of 7 our eldest daughter was struggling at school. Besides her academic problems, she began suffering terrible social issues. Her severe lack of confidence in the classroom manifest into social awkwardness, to the point where she would cry herself to sleep at night. As a parent, it’s absolutely heart-breaking. My husband I were at our wits end. We had meetings with her teachers, the principal and the social worker to try figure out what was going on, but to no avail.
Somebody in my office suggested I talk to Ilana. That was one of the best suggestions I took action on. Like a ray of sunshine, the team at Catch Up Kids entered our lives. From the day our daughter entered the Catch Up Kids programme, her life changed for the better. Through intensive work carried out in a caring and nurturing environment, her school work began improving and her social problems magically disappeared. Ilana and her team are equipped and trained to handle all kids with minor learning challenges, to kids with severe autism. The work they do is life changing for child and parent.”
“Before the STAR Academy started with Sarah, my days were an uphill battle. Sarah struggled to prepare herself for the demands of the day and this made her very emotional. She would often lash out at me, and insist that it was my fault, or that she hated the subject that I taught. She had lacked the necessary grit to soldier on and the smallest thing could upset her (from the recorders that were played in the courtyard to the fact that I didn’t listen to her every anecdote.)
When the facilitators from STAR Academy walked into my classroom, they took control of the situation in a professional and caring way. They made every effort to support the teacher as well as make sure that even though I wasn’t having to deal with Sarah’s outburst, I knew what was going on. Over time, the outburst became fewer. Sarah stopped directing her anger at me and we had a far more cohesive working environment.
As time passed, the little things that Sarah would occupy herself with became less. She could participate a lot better in class and it wasn’t a struggle to get her to do her work. She started to show better organisational skills and was far more prepared for the day.
It was so comforting, as a teacher, to have the facilitators near when I was unsure of how to handle a situation. They were able to guide me and we could aid Sarah in a way that suited the situation.”
“Thank you and to all your amazing staff for helping my daughter and giving her this opportunity. She was taught different learning strategies and at the same time her self esteam was lifted too. Ths most important thing is that she never complained of not wanting to go to her lessons which says alot. Every child is different and learns differently. The students are given individualised and personalised tuition and the programmes are personalised to suit each student. The educators are passionate about making a positive difference and that will be seen with no doubt . Thank you once again!”
“To the Catch Up Kids Team
I attended a Conference in January 2017 and was introduced to ABA and Catch Up Kids. After meeting with Ilana Gerschlowitz who gave us an in depth overview of who they are and what they can do for our girl, we were very keen to try this. We have been on this incredible journey with The Catch Up Kids team for over a year now and have not looked back.
Emily is 8 years old now and has progressed in leap and bounds in different aspects of her life. From social interactions, to academic challenges, concentration challenges and emotional. She has improved in all these aspects and continues to bloom.
The team which has been dedicated to her programme are hands on and show a real passion when they interact with the kids. The team of instructors are highly qualified as well so there is no doubt they are in very capable hands.
I would highly recommend this team to parents and schools and whomever wishes to see their children who have these challenges thrive.”
“My experience with Catch Up Kids and the team has been very positive and helpful. We are working in collaboration and this has been very beneficial for my pupil. It has made him feel important and special. Catch Up Kids has undertaken all our requests and we are all on the same page. They have also been a bridge between the school and parent.”
“I am a teacher at a primary school in Johannesburg and I wish to give feedback with my experiences in communicating with Catch Up Kids with regard to a child in my class. I have been in constant communication with Catch Up Kids since January this year. At the beginning of year I met with the Catch Up Kids team and the child’s mother in order to do discuss Catch Up Kids involvement with this child and how we would go forth for the rest of the year. Catch Up Kids has updated me on the child’s progress on a regular basis and has also emailed on various occasions for my feedback of the child at hand. In addition to this, Catch Up Kids and I have worked together in deciding which skills he has needed to work on, and then have sent home the necessary work to enhance those skills. I am extremely impressed with Catch Up Kids for their constant care and involvement with both myself and our school. Thank you for your support and valuable input.”