Math. For kids, it ranks right up there with spinach. It’s really good for you, but … blech! If a kid had to choose between cleaning their room or doing their math homework, chances are their room would be spotless. Unfortunately, bed sheets with hospital corners won’t raise a GPA.
Similarly, if parents had to choose between helping their kid with algebra or teaching them to drive, odds are that kid will be parallel parking in no time. But math doesn’t have to be painful. Actually, it can be fun, according to Emily Ballinger, Owner and Center Director of Mathnasium of Loveland.
“We want to make it a bit lighthearted,” says Emily, who opened the doors to her Loveland location in January of 2023. “We want to make it fun.”
That means there’s a Jenga tower and a dartboard, where students can take a quick break from their work. There are special themes, too, like Pajama Day and Cookie Day. What’s more, as students complete their math worksheets, they can earn prizes. Just inside the front door, Emily has a cabinet filled with handpicked rewards that await each student who reaches their Mathnasium goal.
For some, that might mean working toward earning a T-rex. For others, it could be a Squishmallow. One of Emily’s first students said he wanted a telescope. Shortly after Christmas that year, Emily found one at Kohl’s—she bought it right away, so it could be the boy’s reward, knowing he’d work hard to reach it.
“And he earned that telescope!” she recalls. “He was so proud of himself—and we were so excited for him! It was fantastic.”
Emily sees Mathnasium as a bridge of support between students, teachers and parents. If a student isn’t grasping a concept in the classroom, it can be challenging for teachers to provide individualized attention while teaching the rest of the class. Likewise, busy parents might be too frazzled (or too removed from school math) to deal with fractions at the end of a long day.
“We want to take the stress out,” she explains. “We break down math so it’s easy to understand.”
When a child first comes into Mathnasium, they take an assessment. From those results, an individualized learning plan is created, designed to build upon their specific needs. Mathnasium students attend 10 hourlong sessions a month—for algebra and above, those sessions last 1.5 hours. Up to four students work with a trained instructor, who helps them complete their worksheets. Instructors can also help with homework, review for an upcoming test, or study for a standardized test like the SAT.
While Mathnasium may be a franchise, Emily’s approach to teaching is far from cookie-cutter. She and her staff take the time to get to know each student as a person. In fact, it’s this extra level of genuine care and personalized attention that truly sets Emily’s center apart. “Yes, I’m a business owner, but I’m also a parent,” Emily explains. “So I run this how I would want it to be for my child.”
Mathnasium of Loveland offers tailored, personalized support for students in:
Elementary School: Strengthening both addition and subtraction, then multiplication and division fluency— without a solid foundation, students can get frustrated or struggle.
Middle School: Continuing to build fact fluency, adding computation and topics that support upcoming math levels, plus High School Placement Test prep.
High School: Help with Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus, plus SAT and ACT exam test prep.
“Our goal is to help the students build confidence and independence in the classroom so that when they’re working on homework or taking that test, they can look at it and say, ‘I got this!’” smiles Emily.
By Emily’s calculation, there’s nothing greater than seeing her Mathnasium students succeed. Talk about an A+.
mathnasium.com/Loveland | 700 Loveland Madeira Rd, Loveland | 513.781.3002
We want to take the stress out ... we break down math so it’s easy to understand.
