Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman — a husband-and-wife team and both Board Certified Educational Planners, Educational Consultants, and Learning Specialists — offer admissions consulting and school planning support at every level from nursery through college, which includes both day schools and boarding schools, colleges, and young adult programs.
Professional Associations
In addition to their years of classroom teaching experience, targeted intervention, curriculum design work, and admissions consulting with both families and schools, Brad and Faya are both Board Certified Educational Planners (AICEP) and Professional Members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). They are also members of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Small Board School Association (SBSA), The Enrollment Management Association (formerly SSATB), the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP), the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). My Learning Springboard is a member organization of the Washington Independent Services for Educational Resources (WISER).
Specialty Designations
Brad and Faya each have three specialty designations through AICEP and IECA:
- Mainstream school planning (typical schools, both day and boarding schools)
- Specialized school planning (day and boarding schools for students with learning disabilities)
- Therapeutic school planning (includes therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, and in-patient treatment)
Types of School Planning Efforts
- Colleges and graduate schools
- Nursery schools and preschools
- Independent schools, preK-12
- Boarding schools and junior boarding schools
- Specialized schools for children with learning differences and special needs
- Therapeutic boarding schools and programs
- Parochial schools
- Public schools
- Charter schools
- Homeschool programs
- Gap year programs
- Vocational programs or apprenticeships
- Independent study and 1:1 programs
This unusual range of admissions and school planning expertise allows Brad and Faya to grow with students and families over time and support siblings in a family who may have very different profiles. It also allows for flexible and creative problem solving as there are myriad pathways to lifelong success. Brad and Faya can move in just about any direction with a family — including crisis management — working collaboratively with schools, related service professionals, or members of the My Learning Springboard faculty as appropriate.
Starting The Process — PreK through College
Admissions consulting with My Learning Springboard is a highly reflective practice designed to help children and families find schools and learning communities in which they’ll thrive. We focus on breaking down the admissions process into manageable pieces and helping students and families to stay organized and motivated.
Since it’s always better to have options, we strongly advise starting admissions consulting and standardized test preparation well in advance with a strategic planning session. For our youngest learners, our early childhood and elementary educators curate meaningful and individualized Kindergarten Readiness programs to support the preschool and/or kindergarten transition.
- Nursery and preschool transitions should begin after 8 months to 1 year of age depending on a family’s interest in a 2s program;
- Kindergarten transitions should begin in the late 3s/4s;
- Middle School transitions should begin winter/spring term of 4th grade;
- High School transitions should begin winter/spring term of 7th grade;
- High school students are advised to begin the college planning process by 9th grade.
We help families and students to:
- Strategically plan for the process and develop timelines
- Identify and prepare for appropriate standardized tests or kindergarten readiness
- Secure testing accommodations (if applicable)
- Curate a well-balanced list of schools, colleges, gap year programs and internship opportunities
- Visit schools and observe classroom instruction
- Complete applications
- Develop essays and personal statements, including parent statements (preK-12)
- Construct high school and college resumes
- Create portfolios for writing, art, photography, and/or film
- Prepare for interviews
- Prepare for auditions, which may include acting coaching or voice coaching
- Educational Planning With A Multidisciplinary Team
- Managing The Awkward Preschool Year
- ISEE Test Preparation: Why And For How Long?
- When To Begin College Planning Efforts
- High School Seniors and the College Application Season
- Setting Yourself Apart: Common Application and College Essay Writing
- Why Consider Boarding Schools?
- Therapeutic School Planning
- Counseled Out From Private Schools
Please contact our office to discuss your family’s specific needs.