Grafton learning center takes an individualized approach

Luis Giraldo-Valencia left his career in business and insurance to pursue his lifelong passion of helping others.

He opened Kumon Math and Reading Center of Grafton Aug. 10 at 1963 Wisconsin Ave., which is a block away from Grafton High School. Giraldo-Valencia currently has five Grafton and Cedarburg students enrolled and they are in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“This is a long term, individualized, extracurricular program,” he said, noting the center is a franchise of Kumon, an educational program that focuses on reading and math. 

“You have to start with the basics and then we will work our way, step by step, to Shakespeare and calculus.”  

Prior to opening, Giraldo-Valencia was a business manager for a church in Appleton and moved to Grafton after his wife Andrea Carranza-Gómez was transferred to the area.

While in Appleton, their two children attended a Kumon center and Giraldo-Valencia was impressed with the program.

“I was able to observe their progress and I thought that might make for a good opportunity to try something new,” he said. “I realized I had to make a change in my life and I realized helping others through teaching would be the best thing to do.”

Giraldo-Valencia is originally from Colombia and earned a civil engineering degree from La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia, and went on to earn a master of business administration degree in risk management and insurance in Spain. 

Giraldo-Valencia was required to attend a six-month program in New Jersey before he could open the franchise. 

He said his past work experience gave him the confidence to start his own business. He previously worked as an insurance underwriter, claims analyst and a loss-prevention analyst.

He said the center isn’t meant to compete with instructors of area schools, but rather provide students supplemental lessons after class lets out from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, students attend the center individually in half-hour sessions. If more students join the program, Giraldo-Valencia said he has more than enough space to keep them socially distant. He said he keeps himself updated on the pandemic by following the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Centers for Disease Control Prevention guidelines. 

“There have been some challenges with the pandemic, but we see it as a learning opportunity,” he said. “We have to learn how to adapt our lifestyles.”

Giraldo-Valencia said it’s important to provide supplemental lessons because he has noticed some of the students have fallen behind in reading and math since schools let out in spring due to Covid-19.

“Kids were not getting the same attention they would have normally received in-person while they were learning virtually from home, especially with the younger students,” Giraldo-Valencia said. “You have to be patient with them and be supportive.”

He said he has heard parents are interested in enrolling their children in the center and he hopes to have 40 students after school resumes. 

“A lot of extracurricular activities have been canceled and parents are looking to create a habit that their children can develop day by day,” he said. “We want to create a safe learning environment for the children and make this a place they look forward to visiting after school.”