‘Kids generally love coming here,’ said Scott Groza, co-owner of the Groza Learning Center, which provides individual tutoring, test preparation and educational enrichment. ‘It flows from our approach. We have a genuine care for everyone who walks through our doors.’ When Groza and his wife Christy held an open house on September 18, to unveil their expansive new facility in the 881 Alma Real building, several hundred parents, students, former students and their families joined the celebration. ’We try to focus on effort, rather than scores,’ said Scott, who has a 12-member staff. ‘We don’t want school work to be another thing students cross off a list. When they strive solely for scores, then self-esteem becomes tied to GPA. Failure becomes a crushing blow and they miss out on the joy in the journey of education.’ Some students are eager to show him a grade, but Groza tries to shift the focus back. ‘Effort is repeatable. Success comes out of this approach and we celebrate it.’ Groza continued, ‘We do a lot of planning and have meetings [with tutors and parents] to make sure we are doing the best job possible for each student. Kids are dynamic and are constantly changing, which means we constantly have to assess and reassess, and then make adjustments.’ The Grozas met in 1996 at Biola University, where Scott majored in business and Christy in education. While working at Calvary Christian School in the Palisades, Christy started tutoring, which led to a mobile tutoring business in 2003, allowing the Grozas to combine their interests. Three years later they opened a Center on the second floor in the 881 Alma Real building with four employees. The couple did outreach to the Palisades Charter High School football team in 2009, starting a tutoring program to help players, which continues today under Jan Nordlinger. ’One of the moms who had a son on the football team approached us,’ Groza said. ‘At that time 75 percent of the players were struggling to remain eligible. We were happy to lend a hand to the effort.’ Although they no longer work with the program, Groza said, ‘We’re pleased the program is surviving and successful.’ In the new Groza Center on the ground floor, there are 10 individual tutoring rooms and two classrooms that can hold up to 10 students. Each room has its own theme, such as ‘Pac Man,’ ‘Sock Monkey,’ ‘Holes to Another Universe’ and the ‘Education Retreat,’ which has three rooms that suggest a log cabin high in the mountains complete with a babbling brook. ’It is part fantasy, part clubhouse,’ Groza said. ‘The staff loves hanging out in there.’ Larger rooms are used for home-schooling courses, and the Center also offers accredited AP and honors courses for students who may have taken them at their regular high school and received a D or F. In addition to subject tutoring for K-12 students, Groza also offers test preparation for ISEE, HSPT, ERB, ACT and SAT, and has helped students prepare for graduate tests such as the GMAT. ’We stay in touch with our families,’ Groza said. ‘We often see students when they return after they’ve gone away to college, and it’s incredible to see their progress. It’s fun to follow their journey and see who they are becoming.’ The Grozas said that much of their success has come through word of mouth. ‘We’re honored that parents trust us with their kids and then refer us to friends,’ Christy said. ‘If you act in the student’s best interest, the business will come.’ Visit: grozalearningcenter.com or call (310) 454-3731.
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