Since our inception, we have chosen to work with English learners and children experiencing academic difficulty. First, we became professional developers in English Language Development (ELD)/English as a Second Language (ESL). We also became "providers" of teacher training in reading for the State of California. We discovered through this work that, in order for us to have maximum impact on students, we had to reach more adults.

This realization brought us to work primarily with whole school districts by helping them implement English Language Development through district wide professional development for teachers and administrators. We are proud to say that we have worked successfully with individual schools like Monroe and Millview Elementary schools in Madera, medium-sized districts like the Gilroy Unified School District, and large districts like the Los Angeles Unified School District. System wide ELD programs are now successfully in place in these districts.

While engaging in these training activities, we became very close to students and their teachers. We discovered that many English learners and their teachers were in dire need of quality materials for learning and teaching English. We witnessed countless classrooms where both students and teachers struggled with ELD materials that were not language-based, needs-based, or research-based.