8841 Williamson Drive, Ste 70 Elk Grove, CA 95624

(916) 686-1619

Carol Hess

Founder and Executive Director of Keeping Pace Learning Center

From Teacher and Vice Principal to the Founder of Keeping Pace Learning Center.

Carol started “teaching” even before she got her two teaching credentials.  When Carol was a student at California State Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, she was a Teacher’s Assistant.  When the Professor fell seriously ill, he asked that she be able to step in as the instructor.  Carol knew at that time she was “born” to teach.  After completing her credentials, Carol taught high school and community college and also spent a few years developing programs for the Sacramento County Office of Education.   In her 14th year of teaching, she was asked by the Superintendent of her school district to step in as the Vice-Principal because the official Vice- Principal had a stroke.  

There, Carol had access to the cumulative folders of students and she was able to see more clearly how the education system was failing to serve the students who have had long-standing, yet undiagnosed learning difficulties.  Carol, determined to find a way to help these kids, she returned school to get her third credential.  While studying to get the credential and Masters in School Administration, she learned about school financing and school law, especially the laws related to students needing I.E.P.'s  She also came to the sad terms with the fact that the education system as it exists today, is firmly entrenched and not open to do things differently.  Her hopes were dashed about being able to change the system from within.  

At the same exact time, her 6th grade step-son was reading at the at the early 4th grade level.  He had diagnosed learning disability and a  I.E.P. He was receiving services at a very good school. Every one was devoted to helping him and Kyle was trying just as hard as he could.  Yet, his triennial goals from his I.E.P. were dismal. An example of a goals was “ by the end of 7th grade, he would be reading (decoding)  at the 5th grade level with 60% accuracy.  It was obvious to Carol that something more needed to be done. As teacher and part of the educational system herself, Carol was aware that the school did not have the knowledge and resources to remediate his problems and could offer no assistance- only accommodations.

Frustrated, Carol Hess found various programs and methods for remediation.  She proceeded to get the training and licensing needed to provide these programs for her step-son. What she saw was dramatic changes in her step- son as he progressed from “struggling to succeeding.”  With in a year he was reading at grade level and release from special education services because he “ no longer qualified”  He was “keeping pace”  and succeeding as a confident, independent learning.

This very personal experience with her step son inspired Carol to consider providing these programs with other children and their families. Keeping Pace Learning Center was launched officially the Fall of 1999.

Dalise Gada – Co-founder of Keeping Pace Learning Center

Dalise game into the development of Keeping Pace Learning Center about 2 years after the center opened. Dalise had just completed her B. A. in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and was working in a Counseling Center working with children and their families.  What she was discovering is that a great many of the issues with families in crisis centered around school related issues. Homework battles, truancy, failing grades, children who had given up on themselves was the topic during many a counseling session.  After seeing the successes in children at Keeping Pace Learning Center,

Dalise decided to that earlier intervention into the source of conflicts made more sense than a crisis intervention counseling practice.  So she joined forces with Carol

Lifelong friends:

Carol Hess and Dalise Gada are life long friends.  Yes they met for the first time when Dalise was barely walking and Carol was a chatty 2 year old.  

Together they bring a unique blend of education and experience to Keeping Pace Learning Center.  

Fast Forward to 2011  

12 later years and many more classes, programs, methods, and training sessions later, Keeping Pace has evolved to include an extensive list of cognitive interventions to offer students.  They have found that various combinations of programs and methods work best.  Dalise and Carol continue to expand their knowledge base and keep up on the latest research and clinical programs available. They believe in investing heavily in professional growth So they are able to draw from many sources to make each student’s plan a truly unique and individual remedy for success.

Copyright © 2009 Keeping Place Learning Center

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When school is not going well, parents look to academic tutoring and homework help as a solution.  Often just tutoring doesn’t work to solve the problem.  At Keeping Pace Learning Center, we do MORE than tutor.  We help children and adults SOLVE their learning challenges.