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New Fairfield Business Aims To Boost Math, Computer Skills

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Ken Simpson has seen first-hand the country’s regression in math performance. He is determined to reverse that course and is beginning in Fairfield.

Simpson and co-owner Meghna Chevan opened Brain Boost, a math and computer learning center, at 1172 Post Road in Fairfield in August.

The business' focus is math  and programming, and it plans to expand in the near future to hardware and robotics. The business includes tutoring for middle and high school students, standard test preparation, computer classes and computer programming; it is geared toward improving math performance for students. The business also has computer classes for adults.

It is the first business venture for Simpson, who started college when he was 11 and matriculated at the University of Delaware at age 16. After 10 years in the information technology field in the financial industry, he became frustrated with the quality of applicants that were seeking jobs and sought to start his own business.

“The basic computing skills were pretty poor,’’ Simpson said. “As we’re getting more dependent on technology, we were becoming less skilled. We were going in a bad direction pretty quickly.”

Simpson said it was hard to get projects done because workers didn’t have adequate math skills.

“You end up compromising, or you can’t do the projects,’’ he said. “We’re trying to get ahead of it. If kids take a keen interest in math, computers and code in middle school or early high school, they’ll be more successful in college. It’s a much more productive experience. You can’t start in college and expect to become a successful developer in four years. We’re trying to reverse that trend.”

Simpson points to his own development as an example. He was an average student until he reached third grade. His father, a recreational vehicle mechanic, purchased a computer for him. Simpson took it from there. He learned basic programming through books, and his math skills improved quickly.

“All these things lined up and everything made a lot more sense,’’ he said. “It was because of the programming side. It helped that my dad was a mechanic and he helped me learn how things work. The computer was on my own.”

At Brain Boost, students can receive math tutoring that focuses on active student participation. There are several computer education courses, including an advanced course in which graduates will have the skills needed to launch their own software development startup.

Classes meet for an hour once or twice a week. There are open houses every Sunday, and students can drop in Saturdays for an hour of math help. He said the reception has been terrific, and parents realize the need for children to improve their math skills. The harder part has been fitting it into a schedule already jammed with activities.

“We know starting business is a lot of work,’’ Simpson said. “A lot of people around town know the name, but they don’t know when we’re open or exactly what we can do. The reception we’ve had is that everyone loves the idea, and they think a lot of people need this.”

For more information, visit the Brain Boost website. It also can be reached at 203-955-1024 or via email at ?info@brainboostfairfield.com

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