The United States’ science, technology and math leaders of the future are getting a foothold in their new careers thanks to the lessons provided by one Longmont company.
Founded in 1987 and located just down the street from Front Range Community College, K-12 education company Creative Learning Systems offers STEM project-based curriculum and support materials for schools in nearly all 50 states.
“We offer a learning environment, which we call a SmartLab, that provides everything from a customized layout to furniture, computers, kits, and apparatus that helps kids learn. We also offer an online curriculum solution and an e-portfolio system that helps guide student learning,” CEO Ashley Mathis said of the company that brought in $13 million in revenue in 2019.
While the company’s focus is straight forward, it aims to shake things up a bit with its hands-on content. To paraphrase a car commercial, its approach to teaching is not your father’s Oldsmobile.
Creative Learning Systems has seen a lot of change in the classes it offers. At one point, it even offered a class in animatronics. Now it offers lessons as diverse as coding, media and broadcast arts, robotics and software engineering.
“The stuff that we use always, always changes, but to some extent, good learning is good learning and what we want to do is teach,” said Vice President of Academics Victor Fitzjarrald.
One of Creative Learning Systems’ clients is Denver Academy, which educates 380 K-12 students. Karen Lozow, the school’s director of development, said she appreciates the program’s flexibility.
“We’re a school for diverse learners, so we have kids who may struggle in a certain subject or with a certain way of learning, but they also excel with a certain subject or way of learning,” she said.
“In a lab situation, we could have a sixth grader that feels intimidated by technology. The way Creative Learning Systems builds their curriculum, that student can take small steps that make them successful. By the same token, another sixth grader may find that technology is their bliss. That student can not only improve the coding they know how to do, they can add two more languages.”
As this year’s pandemic has changed the schooling environment, Creative Learning Systems’ offerings have evolved.
“We’ve been forced to figure out how to partner with our customers in different scenarios,” Mathis said.
The company’s evolution has included a new Safer in School line that contains additions such as desk separators and sanitation kits to its learning lab supplies. It also had to reconsider its strategy and adjust its website and branding.
Denver Academy in September 2019 implemented its first learning lab for elementary students, and since the pandemic, implemented a second one for the middle school level.
Lozow said the school appreciated what learning labs were able to offer during the pandemic.
“There were kits for almost everything. There already was curriculum built. Our teachers were able to deliver project boxes to the houses of our students for each unit. Even though we were learning at a distance, the students who were scheduled to learn through the Smart Lab absolutely got their STEM education,” she said.
Denver Academy is just one of thousands of school and district partners Creative Learning Systems serves.
Broad-based support for education is part of what drives the company.
“In addition to loving our mission, my work is extremely rewarding because we often hear about students who find their passion and from educators who are reinvigorated about teaching again,” Mathis said.
