This Colts Neck-based education franchise breaks the mold of traditional K-12 extra-school instruction

by matt scanlon • Photos By robert nuzzie

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States amount to some $630 billion, or close to $12,500 per public school student. Factor in private schools, and the total national outlay for primary and secondary education is an astonishing $1.1 trillion (by comparison, $613 billion was spent on national defense in 2014, $505 billion on Medicare). Education represents 6.2% of the entire economy, not counting the activity of associated businesses (bookmakers, apparel, supplies, etc.).

Despite this tidal wave of spending, the U.S. ranks 14th in the world in cognitive skills and educational attainment, according to the multinational education company Pearson, while Pacific Asian countries and regions dominate the upper slots.

It’s not surprising then that from private/charter education facilities to Innovation Schools within the public system to home schooling, the hunger for alternatives and enhancements to traditional learning systems has never been more pronounced, or a larger campaign issue for politicians.

Though Stacy Lynn Costa shies from being labeled an education reform firebrand, her School Answers Academic Success Center franchise, headquartered in Colts Neck, is in fact blazing a trail.

A former Garden State special education teacher, administrator, and multiple-degree holder, Costa’s past experience ranges from regular to special education, from smaller-scale to multi-county level, public to non-public. Over time—and after she gained some experience with the franchise Retro Fitness while working on a school project with them, she began to realize that parents needed an affordable option to provide high-quality educational services to children, in one location. To that end, and toward the end of her career in public education, she began envisioning the plan for an innovative, new-era learning center.

The result is School Answers Academic Success Center, which focuses primarily on school-age children. Costa built the new business, first and foremost with the two-fold conviction that, as she put it, “Good goes to good, and we need to do the right thing…always.”

Founded in 2011 and having opened its first corporate owned location in Colts Neck in 2013, School Answers has evolved quickly into an independently owned franchise business, offering K-12 parents, students, and schools enhanced opportunities for academic success—essentially bridging the learning gap that too often exists between parents and schools. Approved for services by the NJ Department of Education, it provides all levels of diagnostic testing—including independent child study team testing, learning disability testing, age and grade placement testing, and IQ testing. Its comprehensive range of programs for grades K-12 ranges from remediation to AP/Honors, and offers one-to-one direction instruction and a gym-like monthly membership through which students receive unlimited tutoring, online, and blended courses, and all related services. Staffed by educators and certified specialists, programs are designed to enhance, not replace, the public or private school experience.

The location’s colorful interior— dressed in vibrant lime green, orange, and purple—was intended to capture, as its founder characterized, “…a love of learning that so many of our children have lost.” On a more serious note, she quickly added that, given the sweeping changes and budget cuts in many school systems, her business model of amplifying and accentuating each student’s curriculum was the right thing at the right time.

When founding and creating the concept, Costa enlisted various companies’ participation; for research-based instruction and data collection, for example, she partnered with education company Pearson, which provided a variety of needed products, including software that helps monitor the progression of students to make sure they’re making progress throughout the year and to provide data for parents.

“School Answers believes that all children are smart; we just want to make them smarter,” she explained. “Competitiveness in today’s society is just about ubiquitous, and while it’s historically seen more often in sports, competitive education is now very much in the forefront. In order to succeed and be competitive in the future, these students need to have a strong education base. School Answers is an affordable yet effective way of achieving that.”

“Our monthly membership program is one of our biggest sellers,” she added. “Parents pay a flat fee, and the children can come here up to five days a week, up to two hours a day. It’s an all-inclusive environment, with multi-certified staff—so if you have science homework, social studies, math, science, language arts, or Spanish that night, we can help. We have also have reading specialists, math specialists, and language arts literacy specialists available for one-to-one sessions when needed.”

When asked to expand upon the franchise nature of the business, Costa explained out that School Answers bears little resemblance to competitors like Kumon, Tutor Doctor, and Huntington Learning Center.

“We instill a love of learning into children, regardless of age, and provide practical services that will remain with the students for a lifetime,” she said. “I have great respect for the nature of those other businesses. It’s just not who we are. We maintain a staff, for example, that holds multiple degrees…multiple NJ State certifications—we also do background checks on our staff.”

Asked to detail some of the programmatic differences that make School Answers unique in an increasingly crowded marketplace, Costa pointed out that, “We work off of the education that the student is learning in school, then supplement. We work with their classroom teachers and we remediate or advance with the premiere Pearson curriculums, both digitally and in hard copy. Being approved for services by the Department of Education holds a lot of credibility weight for us, too, a designation that also means we have to abide by numerous rules and regulations. There is high standard being held here, too, not just on the site itself, but within the staff…in our articulation of professionalism and respect.”

As for her decision to site the 4,000-square-foot facility in Colts Neck, Costa smiled.

“It’s just a great community. Parents really want to go out of their way to help their children. They want to give their child the best education. We are growing and changing quickly, and at time’s it’s crazy, but this is simply a thrilling experience.”

The next location is opening at the end of September in Middletown, with a third planned to open in January.

“I am loving what I do so much, leading the way, mentoring and working with all of my staff and empowering kids to be smarter and love learning,” she added. “Can you imagine anything better?”

A working mother, Costa described working six, sometimes seven days a week, including teaching courses at the college level. One of her most pivotal viewpoints when detailing an educational approach is not to differentiate between rich or poor, or between special or regular education. They are all, in her eyes, just children—each with unique gifts and needs.

“I’m also beyond grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in life, for the opportunity to work with and help parents, children, teachers, and schools to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “That is truly a gift. We have recently formed the School Answers Foundation for Children, a 501(c) (3) formed to help people in need. Our goal is to raise money and assist the education process by providing direct funding to as many students, teachers, schools, and parents as possible. These funds will be provided in the form of scholarships, program sponsorships, and to address various other needs that arise. It’s our way to give back.”

School Answers Franchise Company
281 NJ-34, Colts Neck / 732.865.1900 / schoolanswers.com