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KBC Learning Centre
The entity started in Washington, DC in the United States where it assisted students under the No Child Left Behind Act, used to assist students struggling in the US education system. KBC Learning Centre started operations in Jamaica in 2006.
KBC does detailed assessments of students aged five to 18 to determine the level of education and learning style before creating a specialised programme for each student. Marked improvement in academic performance is seen in most students after six to eight months of the programme, which is carefully monitored by KBC staff. Most students take 16 to 20 hours of learning per week, and assessments of their progress are done on request. Each student has an academic monitor to ensure that the programme is being followed as it should and quality assurance persons ensure the software is catering to the students' learning style. One service is the internationally recognised high school diploma from Kaplan Virtual Education (connected to Kaplan College) exclusive partners in the region.
KBC is currently (2010) planning its third summer programme, which promises an exciting menu of academics, robotics, field trips, and sports, particularly tennis right on location.
Such specialised education services are not exactly cheap; the equivalent of US$130 for an assessment of a primary school student, US$160 of the secondary student assessment and approximately $9,000 for a basic monthly intervention may be out of the reach of many. However, KBC's services are arguably reasonably affordable when compared to similar products in the US. But understanding the reality of most Jamaicans, KBC is thankful to several private companies and individuals who have sponsored children from local primary and high schools to be assessed and access the facilities. Annotto Bay All-Age, St Mary Technical, Scotts Hall Primary, and Sandy Bay Basic School are among the institutions which have benefited from KBC through the help of sponsors.
KBC's services have received the blessing of Tennis Jamaica, the governing body for the sport in the country. The two have developed a partnership which sees KBC occupying office space at Tennis Jamaica, and KBC offering academic services to several of the country's outstanding junior players who have moved from rural Jamaica to the capital to maximise opportunities to develop their sport. Kaplan is ideal for student athletes as traditional schools sometimes don't cater to their hectic athletic schedules. They have shown marked improvement.
KBC would like to offer its services to the Government, but discussions with Ministry of Education officials have not yielded results so far (2010).