Tucker's Story

Like most parents, Ann Cathcart, Founder of The Learning Camp, was completely unprepared when she discovered that her son Tucker had dyslexia and ADD. Because of his processing differences he was the one that played alone at recess, and was often misunderstood by other children and his teachers.

"I knew it was critical that Tucker had in-depth academic tutoring during the summer months in order to prepare him for the coming school year. I also knew how important it was for his summer to be full of fun and friends. It was also critical that his academic practice not feel like a punishment and that he look forward to his summer school break instead of dreading summer school or days full of tutoring."

Ann looked for a summer camp with an academic component and designed for learning-challenged children, and came up empty. As a result, she founded The Learning Camp near Vail, Colorado to provide a loving and nurturing camp experience where children with learning differences are able to:

~Build self-esteem and independence

~Feel understood and nurtured

~Practice basic reading, writing and math skills

With Tucker in mind, Ann carefully selected a team of teachers, school counselors, special education experts and recreation counselors to create an academic and recreational environment where children feel safe, understood, and accepted by everyone.

Tucker’s experience after his first year resembles that of most participants at The Learning Camp. For the first time in his life, he had friends, and was not threatened or intimidated when trying to learn. He actually grew to love learning, and to speak openly to his teachers about his learning differences. Tucker, is now a 19-year-old freshman in college, and spends his summers working as a staff member of The Learning Camp and helping children that were just like him.

From seeing the change in Tucker’s life, and that in the lives of all children attending their camp, Ann and Tucker have embarked on a mission to improve the lives of as many children that learn differently as possible each year. The greatest gift The Learning Camp gives to children is courage, confidence and self acceptance. Children worldwide attend The Learning Camp and return to their world with a better attitude about themselves and their academic abilities.

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