96 Kraft Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708
Lori@MagicCarpetLearning.com


Home
Our Approach
The First Step 4-Year-Olds
Private School/College Application Essays
Virtual Tutoring Directions / Contact Us
 


Our History

Magic Carpet Learning is a small, privately owned learning center, not a franchise. It was founded by a Special Education teacher who lost her job after her school district slashed the budget in 2010.

As news of her imminent departure spread, dozens of outraged parents called the district office and wrote letters to the superintendent on her behalf. When those efforts proved ineffectual, they started a petition, which one of the parents personally delivered to the superintendent. For a few anxious days, as they awaited a response, they were buoyed by the hope that they might be able to turn the superintendent’s decision around.  In the end, however, the teacher’s job could not be saved. 

One afternoon, shortly after being told definitively that she would soon be out of work, the teacher drove past a building that looked like a castle. She wondered what was inside. As she waited for a traffic light to turn green, she saw a sign on the front of the building: OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE. On impulse, she dialed the number and made an appointment to see the space.

The following day, as she stood in front of the building, waiting for the landlord, she wondered what she was doing there. How could she, a soon-to-be-unemployed teacher, possibly afford to rent office space in Scarsdale’s posh Five Corners business district?

The landlord arrived.  Taking a big silver key from his pocket, he unlocked a back door that was invisible from the street, and they entered the castle. As they mounted a winding staircase, he asked the teacher what sort of business she was in. She told him that her company didn’t exist yet, it was just an idea in her mind.  He stared at her. 

Summoning her courage, she asked about the rent.  It was not nearly as steep as she had anticipated.  Given the sluggish economy, the landlord explained, he was willing to accept less than he normally would.  This was good news.  Still, business was sure to be slow in the beginning, and she would soon be without a paycheck.  It would be tough to come up with that much money every month if she had to dip into her savings.

Should she ask for a break on the rent?  Given her current circumstances, it seemed the only prudent course.  The teacher still felt deeply committed to her students and wanted to give them as much of herself as she always had, which meant that there would be precious little time to do anything until after the school year was over.

Maybe, she thought, if I get started right after the last day of school at the end of June, I can open my learning center by Labor Day. As she stared at the dark brown walls, she imagined what they would look like with a fresh coat of sky blue paint… Yes, that would be the perfect color, and school-bus yellow for the doors…

The sight of the landlord standing in front of her recalled her to the moment.

The teacher ventured to make the request.  Would he be willing to lower the rent for the first six months?  The landlord, who listened attentively to her reasons and seemed genuinely sympathetic, said no.  However, he added after a long pause, he could give her a break on the rent for the first four months.

They hammered out a lease.  A few weeks later, the teacher received a final copy in the mail.  She stared at the date at the top: It was her birthday. 

Buoyed by happy thoughts of the future, the teacher finished the remainder of the school year.  During the last few days, in between writing report cards, she packed up all of her teaching materials, bought some child-sized tables and chairs, and moved into the building that looked like a castle.

By Labor Day, she had finished painting and decorating and by October, she had her first client, a fifth grader who needed help with reading. The fifth grader’s parents told other parents about Magic Carpet Learning.  Since then, countless others have brought their children to the building that looks like a castle. 

Epilogue:
In 2014 the landlord decided to turn the castle into a condominium, and so the teacher moved to an enchanting little storefront in another town.






LISTEN TO OUR CLIENTS!

"Magic Carpet Learning has given my daughter the tools that she needs to go into fourth grade and beyond.  Her confidence level has risen and she is able to work more independently. She now has a personal sense of pride and self-esteem."  – Monica F.


"From the moment our daughter started going to Magic Carpet Learning two months ago, we have seen significant improvement and reduced frustration in her math learning process."
– Michael and Pam B.