The Cronin Family
Mathnasium Josh and Tammy Cronin opened Mathnasium of Beach Boulevard
in September 2012. Mathnasium, a math-only tutor center, is an international franchise that uses specific techniques to determine both what a student knows and does not know. From there, they create a personalized learning program and each student follows their program with the help of specially trained Mathnasium math tutors, who provide instruction and encouragement.
“It started because we both have an engineering education. Our
son, who at the time was in 5th grade, was having trouble with math. He didn’t understand simple fractions, so we did some research and found out about Mathnasium,” Josh says.
Josh works as an executive for a medical device company alongside
running Mathnasium with his wife. Te Cronins’ 21-year-old daughter is a math coach at the center and their 10 and 12-year-old sons also lend a helping hand.
Mathnasium sees between 32 and 36 students a day specifically for
math tutoring. Tutoring services are offered to children grades kindergarten to 12. Tutors work with children to help them catch up, keep up or go ahead in math. Tutors also fill gaps of knowledge for students and teach proper study skills.
Although Josh didn’t grow up on the First Coast, he has been here
for 18 years raising a family. Currently, the Cronin family owns one center on Beach Boulevard. Tis summer they are opening their second location in Julington Creek, Josh says, “We want to expand to three to five locations in and around the First Coast.”
mathnasium.com/beachblvd
Bartram Academy In August 2012 Bartram Academy, an
eco-friendly childcare center, opened on the First Coast. Kelly and Roger Giddens first started a daycare more than seven years ago in their home. “I started keeping a few children just to have someone for my son to play with,” Kelly says. “[I] went from there and got my directors license, license from the state, furthered my education and started planning to build this preschool.”
Te facility, located off Racetrack Road
at the entrance of Bartram Park, currently has 110 enrolled students and is at full capacity. However, the couple would like to provide childcare to more First Coast families. “We are looking to expand,” Kelly says. “We would only double our size; I don’t
Photo courtesy of Bartram Academy
want to be larger than that. We want to stay small because part of the ratio is community based. I think if we get too large we can’t do that.” “We’re hoping to implement the expansion in 18-30 months,” Roger adds.
What sets Bartram Academy apart from
other childcare centers is not only do they hold several Green certifications and are members of the Northeast Florida Green Chamber, but they are also a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool.
Reggio Emilia is a program centered
around the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests
of the children through a self-guided curriculum. Roger says, “It’s a group project style for the kids. In other words, they work on projects together. Each child has a particular task and they all implement it together and complete it together.”
Another main focus of Bartram
Academy is healthy food. Te childcare center serves organic, all natural or fresh frozen food containing no dyes, high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils. Roger says, “We serve fresh food and we have certain types of foods that we don’t allow in here because of trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup.”
Kelly and Roger are not the only ones in
their family that help run the academy. Kelly says her 22-year-old daughter, who is an art student, serves as the art teacher. “My son- in-law is actually an engineering student, so he helps with out IT and he’s also our chef. And then I have a 2-year-old that attends the school, so it’s very much a family business.”
Te whole family enjoys working at the The Giddens Family HERITAGE PUBLISHING, INC. © 2013
academy and hopes to be available to provide child care to more First Coast families in the future. Kelly says, “We love what we’re doing. We work a lot of long hours but it doesn’t feel like work. We really enjoy and love the kids, so we plan on being here a long time.”
bartramacademy.com
Family! | 9
Photo courtesy of Mathnasium
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