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When you think of school the first things that comes to my mind is bullies, danger, fear, and anxiety. How are those words even associated with school?

When I think of school I should be thinking education, love for learning, success. When I think of OHVA I think success. OHVA has been a great fit for my three children. My oldest was bullied a lot. To the point he was depressed and would not talk to anyone. Nothing was done, of course I find out teachers are telling him he is pathetic because he cannot spell well due to his dyslexia. You cannot imagine the momma bear that came out that day. He was making c’s to f’s at his school, now in OHVA with the teachers and Isupport team he is making A’s and B’s. He is proud of himself. He misses going to school sometimes but when he remembers how school really was he says he is glad we made this decision.

My middle child has only been into a preschool never a public school elementary. He is very sensitive to loud noises and gets overwhelmed easily. He would hide under tables and try to run away when they got to loud. He is thriving at OHVA. He loves his school work. He does not have to attend class connects because he is pretty far ahead of his peers. OHVA has allowed him to work at his speed and his own level. He can have all of his work done in two hours because he catches on so quickly (I add more work though because 2 hours is a very short day)

Lastly my daughter who is in K. She was going to go into a preschool but she has medical needs that they were not equipped to handle. She has severe food allergies, dietary restrictions, and epilepsy. They told me I could not pack her lunch and that they would “do their best” to make sure she had the food she needed. No thank you. She is a young 5 and started with OHVA. The teachers and staff have bent over backwards for her. They are superheroes! She has epilepsy which causes memory issues. A seizure wipes almost all of her memory out. They work with her. They help her to learn and really encourage her. She has an IEP that would make you cry, they manage to meet and exceed every expectation I have for a school.

OHVA is not just an online school. OHVA is a group of educational superhero’s!!!

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My son has Asperger's, severe ADHA, and Anxiety issues as well as a speech delay. He had to start Kindergarten a year late due to unrelated issues. When he finally was able to start school he was very excited. I have always worked with him at home to give him a great foundation for future learning. Unfortunately our local school was not a good fit for his needs. They refused to follow through with services his IEP stated he needed, even going so far as to edit those parts out of the IEP in order to not have to provide them. I watched him go from a curious little boy who loved to learn to a child who had an anxiety attack at the mention of the word School. I found out he was being bullied by a member of the staff at his school. I couldn't take any more. I withdrew him from the school and started exploring our options. The principal at his brick and mortar school said she didn't understand why I would home school him because he was too stupid to be taught and that trying was a waste of time. I was mortified. That's when I knew that I made the right decision. After considerable research I decided that OHVA would be the best fit for us. OHVA has been such a blessing for us. Teachers who understand my son's challenges and do everything they can to provide me with whatever support I need as well as being very patient with him. He is in second grade this year and we intend to stay with OHVA through graduation. I love being able to watch him return to his former love of learning as well as the progress he shows! OHVA has been such a blessing for our family. I have several friends who are having similar problems as we did with the local school. I am always recommending that they get their kids out of that poor excuse for a school and help them get a good education with OHVA.

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My youngest, now in 2nd grade, started when he was in Kindergarten.  When in two different preschools, the one where he was in on 2 days out of the week gave me 3 notes in one week for hand issues.  However, nobody could tell me what exact hand issues he was having.  So I observed him without his knowledge and saw that they were not preparing him for K at all.  The "teachers" would just show him what he was to mark when he was the last kid still at the table.  When in a small group, he was anywhere else than participating in the activity.  And when he spoke up and said he did not like Art, he was told that what he said was not true.  I found the Embark program from K12 and he took off finally actually learning his alphabet letters and sounds.

My daughter started with OHVA when her brother started 1st grade and she was starting 4th grade.  She approached me and asked to leave Akron Public Schools even if it meant leaving the Art teacher.  She had been being bullied by kids the year previously that I was aware of and trying to have the school address it.  However, what I found out the year she started with OHVA killed me.  Her 3rd grade teacher in APS bullied her as well.  The teacher, knowing I had a concern in the writing department, when she witnessed it did not address it; instead she embarrassed her in front of the class - took paper and would throw it away and fuss the entire time about words not being spelled correctly or the writing being messy.

If APS would have tested her as requested, they would have found that she needed OT services, as well as being on the Autism spectrum along with having dyslexia and dysgraphia tendencies.  However, thankfully OHVA listened to my concerns and did the testing and now she is finally getting the help she needs.

I am extremely thankful that we have school choice. Both kids do not ever want to give up OHVA. It has turned on a love for learning in my son from the start (something I feared would not happen when he was in preschool) and re-ignited the flame for my daughter (something that I feared would never return).

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My oldest son is on the Autism Spectrum. He is kind and smart, but struggles in group settings. School had been going well for him; from preschool through second grade, he had wonderful teachers and excellent support in our local public school. Then third grade began, and he started having terrible fits at home, never wanting to go to school, struggling through homework, and his test scores plummeted. Because of his special needs, our district didn't have other options that would work well for him, and after several months of contradictory and inconsistent communication with his teacher, we chose to educate him at home.

We started at OHVA at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, and my son has improved in all areas.  He is learning grade-appropriate lessons from the school's excellent curriculum.  His attitude has improved, his sensory needs are met, and the Class Connects provide enough interaction without overwhelming him.

As a parent, I appreciate that he is home more often so that we can work on life skills around the house between lessons.  He is learning to prepare the foods he likes in the oven and completing chores.  He even spent the fall helping mow his grandparents' yard!

I am so glad we have had the option to find a school that works well for my son and our family.

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We joined OHVA when our oldest started Kindergarten (she's now a sophomore). I had thought about home schooling, but wasn't sure if I had the time, patience, and money to put together the curriculum. I had heard about OHVA through a lady from my old church and decided to give it a chance. I liked having the built in accountability for how much work needed to be done.

I loved that she could work at her own pace. She flew through the work for a long time, and hit her stride, when she started taking three high school classes as an 8th grader. Now, she's also taking college classes along with her high school classes.

Our 6th grade son is able to do Boy Scouts with his cousins (also OHVA students, one now an alumni and in college) an hour away. He gets to spend the night down there after camping trips till the meeting night, still doing school work while he's there, saving me an extra trip.

Our youngest had some issues with her reading skills, so she had to be held back in K again this year. But instead of having to start all over again, like in a traditional school, she was able to just keeping going over the summer and work at her own pace, too, getting the extra time on foundation skills that she needs. Now, she's reading so much better, and wasn't bored having to "relearn" all the basics. But she also wasn't frustrated getting promoted when she wasn't ready and having the work be too hard.

Needless to say, it's worked for us.

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Oh so many reasons. . .where to start? Probably the most crucial and underlying why is that our family has undergone a huge amount of change in the last two years and I wanted my kids close. Before e-schooling this year, I had one in middle school at a private school. He struggled with the change from elementary to middle school (among our other family struggles.) I struggled with keeping up with what he was supposed to be doing. I had two homeschooling and I wasn't able to provide the structure or oversight they needed either. OHVA is the perfect middle ground. Quality curriculum, teachers, and ready structure while I am still able to be closely involved with the kids'.

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I had been traditionally homeschooling my three and as they began high school I wanted the option for them to be able to take college classes while in high school. I also liked the curriculum and believed it would be a good fit for our family. My youngest is now a senior. My oldest entered college with a semesters worth of college credits, my middle went in as a sophomore in college and the youngest will graduate with her associates degree before she graduates from high school. OHVA has give my children a head start in life and with much less debt. OHVA has given my children an excellent education.

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I had been traditionally homeschooling my 5 children and a dear friend told me OHVA was coming to Ohio. It could work for my 3 youngest.  I investigated.  I was sold!  Amazing curriculum with the structure we needed!  The journey began!

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I came to OHVA because I wanted my daughter to be able to learn in an environment where she would not be labeled or embarrassed by her dyslexia. I also wanted to be able to help her learn to master the ability to focus by controlling her surrounding so she could discover how she best learns. Above all, I wanted to assure that my daughter would love learning and become a life long learner. Thanks to OHVA...mission accomplished!! - Julene Knudson