I am so excited to share with you a really special business here in Plainville, Ma: Beyond The Bell (BTB).
Beyond The Bell opened just over year ago, only a few months before the pandemic turned all our lives upside down. Their original business model was to provide after school tutoring and enrichment programs for school aged children. Post pandemic, things look a bit different around the bell.
I had the pleasure of visiting BTB and chatting with Director/Owner, Nancy Mager, to get all the post pandemic deets. I got a firsthand view of the facility as well as a sneak peek into the daily happenings & goings.
Talk about serendipity! Beyond The Bell opened just in time to be the perfect solution for parents and guardians of children who need help with virtual learning through the pandemic. There are three REAL LIFE IN PERSON certified teachers on staff as well as the director, Nancy, who has an extensive background in special education, and they all work directly with the kids during the day. The program, geared towards grades K-8, allows for up to 10 kids each day. In addition to the day program, afterschool tutoring and occupational therapy services are also very much happening there. BTB is open even if school is closed (so handy on those school in service days and parent teacher conference closures). If daycares are open, BTB is!
The overall vibe was incredible. The facility is child centered and welcoming. There are indoor swings (six, to be exact!), crafting stations, separated work stations, walls covered in art, chalkboards for the kids to utilize, a bathroom wallpapered in children’s books pages, and, one of the best organization walls I have ever seen! 
The sanitizing procedures are on point. Anything that can be fogged is, and anything that can’t be is quarantined and sanitized. Items are constantly recycled to keep engagement up and germs at bay.
The teachers were incredibly nice and were interacting with their students the entire time I was visiting. Everyone keeps their masks on in the main area and there are designated work spots where the kids can take off their masks for zoom calls or just to take a break. Otherwise, its masks on and with everyone socially distant and still connected.
The kids earn ‘Bell Bucks” throughout the day, which they can spend at the Bell Store. The store doubles as an economic lesson in earning, spending, & saving cash. One student has saved up over $100 in Bell Bucks so far! BTB makes a pint of making learning relevant and fun. Recently, a lesson on politics was done in the form of naming BTB’s new fish. The kids worked together to make name nominations, then narrowed them down to the top 3, and took a vote. The kids were working on making piñatas when I stopped in. I was also treated to a firsthand view of a handmade game board that a student had designed and made (pictured below). 
The kids have a HUGE part in developing the program. Their questions and curiosity are heard and matched with lessons on par with their creativity and enthusiasm. It is absolutely fantastic that the kids get to do all of these things in addition to completing their assignments from school, all with a teacher by their side.
I highly recommend this program to any child that did not quite meet the requirements for an IEP and/or additional services at school. My son is in this exact position. He is not textbook for an Autism diagnosis, and while he is definitely struggling, has been denied services at school for the past two years. My entire visit at BTB, I could picture my son there, thriving! There are just no words to describe how fantastic it sounds to have my child completing his virtual learning with an actual teacher (with a background in special education) in a chair beside him. I also love the fact that he would be learning so much about the real world, while having fun. BTB strikes this mother as suitable for all children’s learning needs and the perfect place for any child to thrive.
If you read my article “A Mom’s Eye View on Virtual Learning”, then you know that I have already accepted that I am not a teacher. It is so refreshing to know that this fantastic business is available and filled with teachers that want to help. If you are interested in more information, including pricing, please check out BTB’s website, or email. There is a current promotion to celebrate Beyond The Bell’s One Year Anniversary: Enroll your child this month and get one week in December and one in January for FREE! There are currently 2 spots on Tuesdays, 2 spots on Thursdays and 4 spots on Fridays remaining.
I also learned that there is a scholarship set up in Director/Owner Nancy’s fathers’ memory called “The Little Fiddle Scholarship” to help make sure any child, that would truly benefit from BTB’s programs, is able to. Application and more information can be found here.
Nancy has graciously offered a swag bag as this weeks giveaway! Please enter by clicking the amazing book page wallpaper photo below!!
**Giveaway swag bag provided by Beyond The Bell. Review is 100% my opinion.
