Preparation is the key.  That is a motto by which Jim Giovannini has lived his professional career.  Whether preparing for classroom lessons as a teacher fresh out of DePaul University or preparing to train hundreds of teachers in numerous states as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, Jim has illustrated that preparing for success yields success.  Jim's successful professional educational endeavors commenced with classroom teaching at Quigley South High School, Lincoln Middle School, and Maine East High School.  Those years of interaction with students prepared Jim for the next endeavor in his career: opening and expanding Academic Tutoring Centers. 

Jim has established learning centers that meet a vital need in the communities in which they serve: the need for quality private individualized tutoring that builds students' skills as well as self esteem.  Jim realizes that students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

As Academic Tutoring Centers grew, so did Jim's vision as to whom he could reach with his passion for learning.  The experience in guiding the expansion of his own business prepared him to assume leadership roles in national organizations such as The Education Industry Association (EIA) and the Education Industry Foundation (EIF).   Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of both organizations. 

Jim's passion for learning and teaching inspires not only his students but his employees and colleagues as well.  Whether it is his staff members' valuable contributions to successful community events or his colleagues' contributions to state and national public policy, there is a common thread that runs through them. Well planned, well executed, well intentioned- the contributions bear the mark of Jim Giovannini: well prepared because preparation is the key.

As a teacher and learning specialist for the past 25 years, Patsy Prince continues to employ new ideas and strategies in order to ensure that her students will continue to flourish as they pursue their academic goals.

Patsy's goal for all students at the centers is to help them develop learning skills necessary to achieving greater powers of comprehension, analysis and expression. Her relaxed, down to earth approach, active listening, and insightful prompts result in a manner of learning that students respond to naturally.  She leads students step by step to discover and clarify their own thinking.  Students learn by doing, so that the skills they develop become second nature over time. This approach has become the cornerstone of the tutoring methodology used by tutors at all the centers.

Patsy has used her expertise in understanding and identifying different learning styles to develop a program designed for maximizing success in taking standardized tests. The uniqueness of this program lies in its adaptability to each student's learning style. It has become an invaluable resource to tutors and students alike. The success of the program's methods have been proven over time, as those with learning issues have performed beyond their expectations and many students have achieved top scores.

Patsy and her business partner, Jim Giovannini, share an enthusiasm for providing students with a unique learning environment, staffed with exceptional teachers. They pride themselves on utilizing the most effective educational tools to help children reach their potential. They choose tutors for their academic excellence and clear desire to help their students excel. All are dedicated to cultivating in each student those qualities that enable that student to succeed.

Each day brings new challenges and new successes. Given the choice of spending her time in any way she would wish, Patsy responds without hesitation, "There is no place where I find greater joy than spending an hour with a student and watching tears of desperation turn into smiles of accomplishment."