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Opened in Washington in 1995, Best in Class Education Center is a private tutoring company that specializes in math and English instruction for pre-K through 12th grade students. Best in Class Education center offers several programs, including math and English enrichment classes, private tutoring, SAT test prep courses, gifted test prep courses, TOEFL and IELTS prep courses, and other activities. Centers are located in several states, including Washington, California, Oregon, and most recently, Maryland.

Programs
Best in Class Education Center has developed its own curriculum for several years. For its math and English enrichment classes, students are given an assessment test to determine what level of difficulty they should start with. In math enrichment classes, students complete a test and homework packet each week. In English enrichment classes, younger children complete a test and homework packet each week. Starting at a 4th grade level, students complete a test and alternate between a homework packet and a workbook lesson each week. Lessons include writing skills (essay outlining, drafting, and revising; rhetorical skills; creative writing; literary devices), vocabulary, reading comprehension, test preparation, and grammar. Starting at a 2nd grade level, English students also complete a monthly essay of a grade-level appropriate length. For Best in Class Education Center’s SAT, TOEFL and IELTS, and gifted test prep courses, students enroll in small group classes and learn test-taking strategies and relevant content to prepare for their tests. SAT prep courses are geared toward the SAT test for high school students. TOEFL and IELTS test prep courses help non-native English speakers prepare for their English tests in reading, writing, speaking, and listening categories. Gifted test prep courses are designed to familiarize kindergarten through 4th grade students with the strategies, skills, and knowledge necessary to perform well on the standardized tests that determine their eligibility for their school district’s advanced or gifted programs. These courses are offered once per year, but students who miss the scheduled courses often choose private tutoring in test prep as an alternative.

Philosophy
Best in Class Education Center’s philosophy emphasizes customization and assigning work based on capabilities rather than grade level. Its curriculum also includes critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills in addition to memorization. According to its website, part of Best in Class Education Center’s philosophy is that “individual needs require individual attention.” In an effort to maintain quality instruction, Best in Class Education Center hires instructors with a college education in their respective subjects and limits class sizes (6 students to one teacher for English enrichment courses, 8 students to 1 teacher for math enrichment courses).

Business History
The Best in Class concept (originally named “BrainChild”) was developed in 1988 by a group of educators in Scarborough, Ontario. In 1990, BrainChild Education Center, Inc. (BEC) was formed to acquire all of the rights to the BrainChild service marks, curriculum, learning materials and other intellectual property associated with the BrainChild concept. Beginning in 1991, BEC began granting licenses to third parties to operate educations centers in Canada using the BrainChild concept. These centers operated under the name “BrainChild Education Center.”

In 1995, BEC granted Hao Lam (current Chief Executive Officer) a license to open and operate the first BrainChild Education Center in the United States. Mr. Lam currently operates 9 Best in Class Education Centers in Washington, 4 of which were previously BrainChild Education Centers.

Best in Class Education Center was formed by CEO and Chairman, Mr. Hao Lam, in 2010 for the purpose of administering the Best in Class Education Center franchise system within the United States. Best in Class Education Centers are substantially similar to BrainChild Education Centers, although the two concepts operate under different names, because BEC USA granted Best in Class Education Center a license to use and sublicense the intellectual property associated with the Best in Class concept. Most of the BrainChild Education Centers in the United States converted to the Best in Class Education Center franchise system and currently operate under the company’s standard form of franchise agreement.

Best in Class Education Center began offering franchises in March of 2011.

Community Involvement
Starting in 2011, Best in Class Education Center has hosted an annual education expo for students and parents. Most recently, it worked with The China Press and the Northwest Chinese School to organize the 2012 Education Expo at Newport High School on October 27th. The free event featured workshops, Q&A sessions, presentations, and panels about higher education access. Students were also able to take free SAT practice exams. Faculty from the admissions departments of University of California: Berkeley, University of Southern California, University of Washington, Oregon State University, Washington State University, and Bellevue College served as guest speakers. The event was sponsored by McDonald’s.

After Hurricane Sandy, Best in Class Education Center partnered with International Lion Dance and the House of Hong restaurant to organize a benefit dinner to raise money for American Red Cross. The event was held on November 8th, 2012.

California

 * Cupertino
 * Fremont
 * Newark
 * Oakland
 * San Francisco
 * San Francisco, China Town
 * San Jose
 * San Ramon

Maryland

 * Gaithersburg

Oregon

 * NW Bethany
 * SE Portland

Washington

 * Bellevue
 * Bothell
 * Issaquah
 * Lynnwood
 * Northgate
 * Redmond
 * Renton
 * Seattle (Corporate Headquarters)
 * Woodinville