When we opened The Joy School in 1997, we had no idea how much the word JOY would truly capture the essence of our work here.

Our founders simply wanted a short, meaningful, easy-to-pronounce name. We brainstormed, sharing stories about effective teachers and struggling students. One story gave us inspiration.

Katie, our first student and daughter of co-founder Patti Melcher, struggled greatly in preschool. One of her teachers — a magical teacher who saw Katie’s potential despite her difficulties — said to the Melchers during a parent/teacher conference, “When Katie is having fun, she is learning.” That simple statement became “Where there is joy, there is learning.” As it turns out, especially for children who initially struggle to learn, “Where there is learning, there is joy.”

Where there is learning, there is joy.

All children innately love to learn. Yet, for those with learning differences and learning disabilities, school is not always a joyful place. At The Joy School, we work to help students find success so they can feel the joy of learning once again.