The McKinna Learning Center—a unique educational resource serving students in Malibu, the Conejo Valley, Santa Monica and West Los Angeles—offers a variety of educational services to support all kinds of learners, including a Full Day School Program for students seeking an individualized and progressive approach to education.
“The ultimate goal of our center is to help our students develop their confidence and skills and empower them to move forward in the world and reach their highest goals in life,” says founder Dr. Kellye McKinna. “Our credentialed teachers and educational therapists provide a broad range of individualized educational strategies and techniques to meet the individual needs of each of our students.”
The center’s Day School is designed to meet the unique needs of students with learning differences by empowering students to realize their individual potential through a unique combination of research-based instructional methods along with progressive hands-on experiential learning, including projects, off-campus labs and field trips.
“This year, we are very excited about our farm lab at Plumcot Farms in Malibu, where students have an up-close and personal experience with sustainable farming techniques, all of which is incorporated into our science curriculum,” says Dr. McKinna.
Within this school setting, “we seek to develop analytical and critical thinkers who grasp new ideas and knowledge from the world around them,” Dr. McKinna says. “Our students successfully transition to the next phase of their academic life, be it traditional high school, a unique program like High School at Moorpark College, trade school or traditional college. They can do this because they have gained not only the skills, but the confidence in themselves to thrive in pursuit of their passions.”
The center also provides Psychoeducational Evaluations, which include assessments, observations and interviews to uncover processes that are interfering with each child's academic progress.
“Our specialist looks for patterns of strengths and weaknesses that emerge across numerous tests,” explains Dr. McKinna, adding that test findings often detail important information about a child’s natural learning style which aligned with their strengths can be used to remediate areas of weakness.
“The benefits of having your child tested are enormous,” she emphasizes. “That’s because over time, children with learning challenges frequently come to believe that they just can’t learn.”
“This can impact self-esteem, coping behaviors and their relationships with friends and family,” Dr. McKinna notes. “Many of these issues can be resolved if an assessment is conducted and an appropriate course of action is identified.”
In other offerings, the center provides both Tutoring and Educational Therapy, a specialized educational support process in which educational therapists focus not only on remediation, but also on building self-awareness and underlying learning skills to help clients become more self-reliant and efficient learners.
A host of summer experiences for children of all ages is also offered by McKinna Learning Center, including Get Ready for Middle School and Summer Skill Builder.
“Summer is a great time to build self-confidence, learn new skills and make new friends,” Dr. McKinna says, “and we do it in a fun, engaging and nurturing manner.”
McKinna Learning Center is located at 28990 CA-1, #217, in Malibu. For more information, call 310.589.8144 or visit https://www.themckinnalearningcenter.com/.