Montville Mom's Business Focuses on Academic, Emotional Needs

A new Montville business that offers a range of private and group tutoring and college test prep classes also offers counseling services for students who need it.

Sunday Brooks, a Montville Township resident who has two sons in Montville schools, opened the Academic Excellence Center at 2 Changebridge Road in January. It offers remedial and enrichment classes in all subjects for grades K-12. It also has in-house counselors.

Brooks said students' academic stuggles can be a symptom of other issues, such as divorce, grief, anxiety, or substance abuse.

She felt it was irresponsible to offer academic help without having certified therapists available to deal with children's emotional well-being. The staff also is able to diagnose ADHD, learning disabilities and autism, she said.

All of its staff members are certified teachers. Some of the teachers also work in the Montville school district, but are not able to work with students they currently are teaching in school, Brooks said.

"We hope the community as a whole is going to benefit," she said.

The center also offers parent coaching and a program called Accelerated Student Knowledge that provides small group instruction five days a week, with teachers focusing on a different subject—science, math, language arts, social studies and foreign languages—each day of the week.

Another group is meant to improve children's behavior in different environments. It involves small groups of children engaging in activities while being observed and coached by professionals.

A series of eight classes for parents starts in July. A session on self-esteem will include a presentation from Wendy Sefcik, a township resident who has spoken about depression since her son T.J. Sefcik died by suicide.