Chino Hills Tutors | History

Donna Rutherford, founder of The Brain Zone center for learning disabilities

I’ve heard it said that out of necessity come some of the greatest creations. I think that could be said of the team of Chino Hills tutors at the Brain Zone. Hi, I'm Donna Rutherford, founder of the Brain Zone Reading & Learning Center, Inc. I was a consultant in the software support industry for 22-years. Then something happened that changed my life. Twelve years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I looked in every direction for a solution. I quickly learned a few important facts.

First, I learned very little is known about learning disabilities. The scientific community and the education community don't seem to work together very well . . . if at all. Next, I learned that many people are lurking out there that are quite willing to take your hard earned money and not return your phone calls when their solution doesn't work. Finally, I learned there is no one 'fix' for this neurological disorder or any of the other learning disabilities for that matter. What works for one child does not necessarily work for another. And still my child needed help. She needed to learn to read, to write a paragraph, to develop her fine motor skills so people could read her paragraph. She needed help and there wasn't any.

I'm just mom. A mom that couldn't stand by the side lines watching her child being called 'lazy,' 'unmotivated' and a host of other hurtful labels. I burned the candle at both ends, staying up nights until the sun brought in a new day. I read text books, manuals, research reports, and took classes all over the United States. I tried every program and technique I learned on my daughter. Some worked and some didn't but we made progress. Baby step by baby step, she progressed. Over the course of a year, her reading skills went from a second grade level to a sixth grade level. In one year we made more progress on our own than four years in private and public schools. She also began learning techniques that helped her to focus. She began to be able to sit at the table without turning over the chair or falling off of it from wiggling so much.

In our small town of Chino Hills word travels fast. A woman called me one day and asked if I would teach her second grader to read like I taught mine. I laughed, thinking this had to be a joke, but she didn’t seem to think it was funny. She began to tell me her story, which sounded amazingly similar to my own. I agreed to do what I could . . . until my next consulting assignment. I didn’t know then that my life had just taken a new direction. Before I realized it, I was busy all day, every day, teaching reading. The Brain Zone was born.

If you're looking for fancy degrees or lots of initials after our names -- well, you won't find that here. If you're looking for a chain of learning centers located all over the country, you won't find that either. What you will find is a small clinic, located in an add-on to the back of our home, with seven Chino Hills tutors that truly care about your child. You will find a team of specialists that keep on top of new research and apply it immediately to our kids . . . and your kids. You have my personal commitment to your child. I will work as hard to find a solution to your child's learning struggles as I did for own daughter.

Our Mission is to provide children of all ability levels a place to grow and learn. Our priority is to teach children to turn on both sides of their brain and return learning to the fun and enjoyable experience it was intended to be. To this solid foundation we will add caring, kindness and a rich academic program. We believe this combination is a working model for lifelong learning success.

If this sounds right for you and your child, give us call. We're here to offer our knowledge, our personal experience, and our support to overcome all types of learning disabilities.

Best wishes,

Donna

Academic Intervention