I am a volunteer tutor for Math, Alebra, and Geometry at Kosasa Academy. I'm a retired US Navy Captain, a registered Professional Engineer, with a BS from the Naval Academy, and two advanced degrees from MIT. Kosasa Academy is a wonderful place to work. The work is extremely important: teaching children with autism and learning disabilities not only academics, but also life skills, ethics, and Christian values. I have been teaching there for nine months and counting. I find it very gratifying and rewarding to see children who were very challenged find success at math and algebra, and to start to take initiative and pride in themselves (probably for the first time ever). I've been working one-on-one with three boys, and they have all shown incredible improvement, and not just in their Math skills; when they experience success at math, it begins to transform their whole world view. They gain confidence, come out of their shells, and start believing that they can be successful human beings for the first time in their lives. All this is due to Ms Kosasa. She is loving and kind, but also brooks no nonsense. She understands (in detail) the challenges and problems of each and every child. She communicates with parents and therapists to develop tailored educational plans for each child. Most of the instruction is in very small groups ( I usually am one-on-one, but sometimes have as many as three students at once). The curriculum is structured, formal, and effective. If you are the parent of a child with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or any other learning disability, I encourage you to contact Ms Kosasa to see if Kosasa Academy might help your child. Kosasa Academy is a non-profit school. Tuition is reasonable. If you are a young person who is interested in gaining experience in helping educate children with learning disabilities, please reach out to Ms Kosasa as a paid teacher or child care worker. And if you are an older retired person who is seeking a very meaningful teaching and mentoring role in the lives of children who really truly need your help, please join me at Kosasa Academy. One-on-one is better than two-on-one or three-on-one. And there truly are children who need your help. Aloha read more

I was recommended this place by Sakura Psychological services to assist in helping my son with his dyslexia and ADHD. Long story short I would save your money and for another place. They recommended my son go to a 11 week tutoring session before going into their reading and writing program during the summer. They said he would have a hard time if he just went to their summer program . Half way into the tutoring session they said my son was done with his sessions and didn't need any more tutoring. That left me with only 5 sessions and no refund for the other 5. When picking him up and dropping him off during the tutoring session I noticed that their facility was uncomfortably hot and there was a lot of construction going on. With this place being a Multi-sensory center I can't imagine being able to help a child with ADHD with people coming in and out, loud construction noises, and unbearable heat. Their summer program is also a joke, there is only one teacher for numerous kids of different ages. I signed my son up for only for reading and writing, but they taught him math instead. Once the summer program was completed they tried to sell me more sessions saying he needed more help! This place is just a business to make money rather than helping children with learning disorders. read more

You can't believe an organization like this exists ... Mrs. Kosasa and her team bend over backwards to make scheduling work for you, and with ever changing activities in and out of school that's a life saver. The tutors are smart and committed and my daughter loves them and really wants to go. I can't recommend them enough. In a world of impersonal money crunchers this is a business that really reaches out and cares. GIULIA N. read more

Kosasa Academy was an indescribable help for our family! My daughter spent three summers and two years at Kosasa Academy and went from being a discouraged and frustrated kid who couldn't read or spell despite our best efforts, into a confident reader, speller and public speaker! She loved her teachers and loved getting ready for school every day. What more could you ask for? I feel indebted to Mrs. Kosasa and the other teachers for what they invested into my daughter. She learned in leaps and bounds under their care. They really care so much for their students, meet them where they are at, encourage them, and give them the tools to succeed. I highly recommend Kosasa Academy! read more

I had recently been referred to this tutoring service through my professor for an intermediate algebra course. Upon initially calling I will say that Ms. Kosasa sounded like a very nice person. Explaining to her the fact that I was having trouble, she had scheduled me to come in one afternoon at 5:30pm. That evening, I was having some trouble making it on time (due to being held late from starting a new job that week) but, I did call her to let her know I was going to be late. She did agreed to me still showing up if I got there as soon as possible. I arrived there to her residence where she has her tutoring services at around 6pm and was greeted by a tutor. The tutor (who I will say was also very nice) explained that she will TRY to help me but will only do what she can since she will try to draw off what she "remembered" in high school from her Calculus class. Upon opening the book and flipping through a few pages, she stated she will call Ms. Kosasa because she could not help me. I then talked to Ms. Kosasa and she was going to call one of her math "whizzes" to see if he could meet me later on that evening to help tutor me at the school and because of that, I told her that I was going to drive to the school in the event that he was available, I could be closeby. She never called me back... I then contacted her today (which is about five days later) due to my having a hard time with my algebraic equations. I had a conversation with her about why she never called me back and she "just remembered" that she did not call me and apologized. I simply stated that considering the fact that my college has a contract with her it is only good business practice that she could have called me back (or anyone of the students back for that matter.) She then went into how because I was "late" the original math tutor she had set up for me had left since he was waiting for me. I told her that I did at least call her to let her know that I was going be late. And what PUZZLED me here is that if he had left, why did she not let me know before I came all of the way out there? Our phone conversation then ended very abruptly with me feeling as though I am not getting the help that I need through this tutoring service. This has become frustrating to me at a time that I really need the help with this class. Very unfortunate that this has taken place because I'm sure her tutor's "services" are great. There needs to be better ORGANIZATION for this company to ensure customer satisfaction ***I will say that Ms. Kosasa DOES have a great tutor by the name of Jeremy. He is an awesome, bright, intelligent young man who I see is a great asset to her company. He was later on able to meet with myself and other students at the campus to assist us with our tutoring needs. Because of my experience with him as tutor, I feel that it has made up for the inconvenience I have had to go through due to the miscommunications about the scheduling of my tutoring. And it is unfortunate that this has had to happen because she really does have some great tutors. Ask for JEREMY...he is awesome. read more

One day I went to pick up my daughter early from her tutoring session only to find the tutor misspelling words on the whiteboard. Ms Kosasa happened to enter the room after I did and erased the board immediately. When I inquired about the quality of my daughters tutoring, Ms Kosasa said " oh their just doing something different". Of course, I elected not to send my daughter tutoring there anymore as I was concerned about my child's quality of education and the integrity of this academy. Ms Kosasa refuse to refund me my positive credit that I paid in advance in a package. I would not take your child to the Kosasa Academy. read more

My son has been going to Kosasa Academy in Kailua since February for reading. It's now May and his improvement is dramatic. He also loves going. We were considering stopping at the end of the school year but he wants to continue, and honestly we were both a little sad about stopping. He's made a great connection with his tutor, Mrs. Fukinaga, and Mrs. Kosasa. I highly recommend Kosasa Academy. read more

My son attends Kosasa Academy in Kailua. They have an amazing staff or tutors and classes. The tutors are smart and engaging! They create an environment where children want to be life long learners with a deep curiosity. I would highly recommend Kosasa. read more

The teachers here are excellent and committed to children! The students in the day school are taught in ways that directly help them with their challenges. I amazed by the teacher's commitment to each student not just their education but their personal development. The after school program is great for students in schools nearby, each student finishes their homework with some help from the after school program workers. They also do fun arts and crafts afterwards that students enjoy. I would recommend this school to any student that needs tutoring, after school, or day school program! read more

Kosasa Academy - Mrs. Kosasa and her staff of Educators, Teaching and Tutoring as a Multisensory Learning Center - "What a Godsend" for taking in and educating my Daughter who is now 16 years old. Teaching her in the "Orton-Gillingham" (OG) "Phonetic" based Language Processing techniques. My Daughter has been going to Kosasa Academy now, Fulltime for over 1 year since being taken out of High School with the Hawaii DOE system. My Daughter was diagnosed in the 8th grade with Language processing difficulties, associated with her diagnosis of "Dyslexia", recognized in the Hawaii Public School system (DOE) ONLY as a "Specific Learning Disability". She was made "IEP" eligible during that year. An IEP defines the individualized objectives of a child who has been found with a disability, as defined by federal regulations. The IEP is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. In all cases the IEP must be tailored to the individual student's needs as identified by the IEP evaluation process, and must especially help teachers and related service providers (such as paraprofessional educators) understand the student's disability and how the disability affects the learning process. The IEP should describe how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. Key considerations in developing an IEP include assessing students in all areas related to the known disabilities, simultaneously considering ability to access the general curriculum, considering how the disability affects the student's learning, developing goals and objectives that correspond to the needs of the student, and ultimately choosing a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student. As long as a student qualifies for special education, the IEP must be regularly maintained and updated over the student's primary educational years (i.e. up to the point of high school graduation, or prior to the 22nd birthday). An IEP is meant to ensure that students receive an appropriate placement, not "only" special education classrooms or special schools. It is meant to give the student a chance to participate in "normal" school culture and academics as much as is possible for that individual student. In this way, the student is able to have specialized assistance only when such assistance is absolutely necessary, and otherwise maintains the freedom to interact with and participate in the activities of his or her more general school peers. In the Hawaii Public School System, the DOE does not utilize a "Phonetic" based learning system. My daughter was basically "Passed - Promoted" through Middle School as well as public High School - having many problems encountered each and every year. Basically after being tested in the public school system the start of her Sophomore year - being in the 10th grade - it was determined that her English and Math skills were in the 5th Grade level, way below her 10th grade educational level. She was so below her current grade level, that she was not able to attend any Private Schools even ones that are specifically designed to assist students with Dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Thankfully, upon a reliable reference, we came to inquire and thus she is now attending Kosasa Academy. She has gained so much at Kosasa Academy, blossoming from an introverted teenager not understanding fully certain basics (from the 5th grade to the 10th garde) to now realizing that her "potentual in learning and education is limitless" Too many young adults are graduating in the public school system, not ready to be college bound. Look at the college drop out rate, statistics are just that, As a Parent, I am doing everything in my role as a single Dad, to give my daughter the "Best " chance for an education, by choosing to send her to Kosasa Acadamy where she will graduate at. Thank you Mrs. Kosasa and her qualified educators. I highly recommend sending your children, any students, of any ages to Kosasa Academy, again a "Godsend" for my daughter. Dean N. read more

My son who has dyslexia and ADHD has learned to love school since beginning classes at Kosasa Academy just a few months ago! His reading and math skills have improved dramatically and he is thriving. Anyone with a struggling learner at home would benefit from their support services! read more

This place offers valuable services to children who have trouble learning in traditional environments. The director has experience with children who struggle in school due to learning differences. Looking at the website, you would not know that this is a religious (Christian) environment. If you aren't a highly religious person, or if you are, but are not Christian, you might want to ask them about how religious ideas affect what and how they teach, particularly science. read more

Mrs. Kosasa helped my son tremendously. She was flexible with our never ending changing schedule and is the most caring, patient, creative tutor I have ever met. The kids adore her and this makes learning so much more productive. If you have a child that needs a tutor that will not stress them out she is the lady to go to. Her staff is amazing as well! Even after we left she continued to help us with SSAT's, and advice on the private school systems in Hawaii. She also makes time to keep the parents abreast of what they are learning and what she hopes to achieve in a specific timeframe. read more

The tutors here are awesome! Mrs. Kosasa and Miss Kato helped me so much. They were always there when I needed them in high school and in college. I really, really recommend Kosasa Academy. The tutors know how to help and are understanding. read more

I attended a workshop on teaching phonetic reading, writing, and spelling using multisensory techniques at Kosasa Academy. This workshop was so helpful! As a homeschooling parent of four, one with dyslexia, this course was invaluable to me. This is how phonics should be taught! I wish I had had this training when I first started homeschooling. It is a great workshop for any parent wanting to learn how to properly teach phonics, or for helping a child who struggles with spelling. read more