| Since its inception 31 years ago, the philosophy at the Carden Academy in Huntington Beach has been to "provide an unparalleled education based on the total immersion of children in life experiences, as well as academics," says Founder and Director Carol Van Asten. Among the most notable achievements that distinguishes the Carden Academy from many of its counterparts is that Academy students begin to read before kindergarten. By the end of the second grade, they are fluent readers and are subsequently introduced to classical literature at every grade level. "What differentiates the Academy form other schools in the area is the effectiveness of the educational program," says Asten. "Using the 70-year-old Carden Method of learning as its basis, the results are exemplary. Here, no child is left behind. The atmosphere at the Academy is one of love, encouragement, respect, focused attention and building self-esteem as the cornerstone of achievement." The statistics speak to the tremendous success of the Carden Academy's challenging curriculum: The average kindergarten student at the Academy scores in the 95 percentile on the SAT10 in reading, math, science and listening. "I was amazed at how advanced these children were," says Katja Flores, who taught preschool for three years before coming to Carden HB in 2000. "Coming from another school, I didn't think it was possible for a preschooler to learn to read. But here they do. It's truly amazing what happens here." Michael Frank, who has had two children graduate from Carden HB and currently has another child attending the school today, echoes Flores' sentiment and adds "The students here carry themselves in a manner that you do not often see with other children. They have overwhelming confidence and are full of self-esteem. They have wonderful hearts, and they are so much more mature, academically and socially, than students attending other schools, public or private."
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