Mimi Rothschild, Homeschool Program Founder
Taking a Stand for Christian Education
Mimi Rothschild is an educator, homeschool advocate, author, activist, wife, and mother. She has worked in the alternative education world for twenty years. A prominent voice in the at homeschooling movement, she has brought high technology to alternative education with online homeschooling tools. She has authored many books and countless articles on the subject of homeschooling. With fierce determination and unparalleled integrity, Mimi Rothschild is taking a stand for Christian children.
Mimi Rothschild’s first foray into children’s rights began at age 10. After watching nightly television news broadcasts detailing the horrific starvation that children in Biafra faced, a young Rothschild campaigned door to door, raising funds to aid these starving children. Within just a few years, Rothschild led one of the nation’s first Walks on Hunger in which she raised fun for starving children in Biafra, Tanzania, and West Virginia.
In 1980, Mimi Rothschild created the Rothschild Doll Company. This company was founded to provide beautiful playthings for young children while simultaneously providing struggling single others with adequate jobs. Countless women in Jamaica and Haiti received good jobs and marketable skills working in Rothschild’s sewing factories.
After giving birth to the first of what would be eight children, Mimi Rothschild took it upon herself to expose the dangers of public schools. Penning Children at Risk, after a government-sponsored report entitled Nation at Risk, Rothschild introduced a scathing indictment of the public school system. Both reports reflected the following sentiment: “If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might have well as viewed it as an act of war.”
In 1987, in the office of John Holt, best known for his “Teach Your Own” manifesto, Mimi Rothschild co-founded the Massachusetts Home Learning Association. This marked Rothschild’s transition from homeschooling mom to homeschooling pioneer.
In the early 1990s, Mimi Rothschild opened a chain of children’s clothing stores. The stores were a great opportunity to employ local homeschoolers and of course, her growing family used the retail outlets as their own intensive lesson in real life business. The profits were used to send excess inventory to clothe children in rehabilitation centers, children’s hospitals and children in orphanages in Russia and Guatemala.
Mimi Rothschild also founded a child advocacy group during this period. The National Organization for Children was founded in part to honor her beloved son, Andrew who died tragically. Programs for which she fought include the placement of computers in children’s hospitals, the development of an online medical error hotline, and the creation of online alternative education resources for parents of children with learning differences.
Mimi Rothschild found that many children needed the classroom to meet them where they were because they were unable to attend classes due to health reasons. In the late nineties, she and her husband developed a homeschooling technology which enabled children to take several courses in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
In 2006, Mimi Rothschild became familiar with the mission of several Southern Baptist leaders such as Dr. Ray Moore of The Exodus Mandate and Dr. Voddie Baucham. She found that their mission, providing an alternative education that would allow Christian families to educate their children with Christian principles, lined up perfectly with her own. Rothschild believed that these families needed an affordable alternative education that she could provide using the online at homeschooling tools she developed with her husband.
The Southern Baptist Academy Homeschool Program was a result of their efforts to meet this need. Today, The Southern Baptist Academy Homeschool Program provides quality Christian homeschool curriculum to Southern Baptist children all over the world.
Contact:
Mimi Rothschild
The Southern Baptist Academy Homeschool Program
10 Shurs Lane, Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19127
215.487.3700
Mimi Rothchild’s Curriculum Vitae
MIMI ROTHSCHILD
Founder/CEO
2002-Present
LEARNING BY GRACE, INC.
- Co-founded international provider of online educational programs for PreK -12 students'
- Led a team of programmers, instructional designers, artists, editors, media specialists, and educators in the development of 150 online PreK-12 courses which contains over 32,000 web pages
- Developed 4 th generation customized robust Learning Management System that enrolls, registers courses, logs instructional time, and hosts suite of learning tools
- Created and first to market with Talking eBooks
- Managed direct reports in Finance, Operations, Academics, Business Development, Legal and Technology Departments
Notable Accomplishments:
- The Grace Academy, a partnership between parents and professionals to meet students' needs
- The Morningstar Academy, a private Christian school serving home based learners
- The Jubilee Academy, an online curriculum provider that assists home educators
- The Victory Math Academy, an online tutoring service for students struggling with math
- Partners By Grace Program which empowers non profit entities such as churches and schools to build their own virtual academies
- Created the first online curriculum for Pre-Kindergarteners
Special Projects Director
1999-2002
TUTORBOTS, INC.™
- Technical specification documentation for learning management platform
- Recruited certified school teachers in all academic departments
- Supervised curriculum development of multimedia rich online courses
- Enrolled and supervised the education of 3300 students
- Ensured compliance with state charter & public school regulations
- Developed internal procedures and controls, allocated staff and implemented best practices and performance monitoring systems in support of Continuous Improvement
- Negotiated licensing agreements with vendors such as the computer, curriculum and Internet providers
- Supervised the identification of and delivery of special education services to over 300 students
Notable Accomplishments:
- Recipient of Small Business Innovation Research Award for the development of S.A.L,.L.Y, the system to advance lifelong literacy, a bot-based system that would tutor struggling readers
- Developed the largest cyber charter school serving K-12 students in the world
Founder/CEO
1992 - 1996
AMAZING GRACIE'S, INC.™
- Manufactured and retained a line of children's specialty clothing
Vice President/Chief Designer
1990 - 1994
ROYAL CROWN NEWBURY™
- Provided sculpting and design services to Walt Disney, Franklin Mint, Lenox China, Paradise Galleries
Owner/Operator
1979 - 1982
FORBES
- Owned and operated twenty three (23) retail stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware
- Supervised site selection, leasing agreements, store build out, and design
- Managed advertising and marketing initiatives including radio campaign
- Developed wholesale and retail distribution outlets
- Recruited and trained employee teams to staff stores
- Author, Mimi Rothschild, Children at Risk: How Schools Impede Learning, Change The World, Inc. 2007
- Author, Mimi Mandel, co-authored with Karen A. Gibson, Crash Bang Boom: Exploring Literary Devices Through children's Literature , Upstart Books, a division of Highsmith Press, October 2002
- Author, The Einstein Academy Charter School Application, 250 page business model for the development of a robust K-12 virtual public school, 1999-2000
- Author, Mimi Mandel, co-authored with Aliza Mandel, Teen Resources on the Web: A Guide for Librarians , Parents and Teachers , Highsmith Press, June, 2000
- Author, Mimi Mandel, Cyberspace for Kids (Grades 1-2), Instructional Fair/McGraw-Hill, 1998
- Author, Mimi Mandel, Cyberspace for Kids (Grades 3-4), Instructional Fair/McGraw-Hill, 1998
- Author, The Mandel Kids, Cyberspace for Kids(Grades 5-6), Instructional Fair/McGraw-Hill, 1998
- Author, The Mandel Kids, Cyberspace for Kids(Grades 7-8), Instructional Fair/McGraw-Hill, 1998
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
- How Children Learn
- Play For the Brain
- The Socialization Myth
- Praying for the Prodigal
- The SAT's - A Fair Fight?
- Story Telling in Education
- The Great Grammar Debate
- Religion and the Charter School
- Recognizing Your Gifted Student
- Learning through the Enjoyment of Play
- The Dawn of a New Generation of School
- Charter Schools - Getting What They Pay for
- Redefining Traditional and Classic Education
- Teaching Your Child How to Think Critically
- Charter Schools - The Public School Renaissance
- Diplomas Aren't the Only Way to Get Into College
- Discovering Order for Kids with Psychiatric Disorders
- Benefits of Homeschooling the Artistically Gifted Child
- The Maine Reform Experiment - More is Not Necessarily Better
- How Multimodal Distance Education has Supplemented Learning
- Let's Go Surfing - Use of the Internet for Career Counseling in Schools
- Technology Allows Young Composers to Hear and Discuss Their Own Music
- Policies and Perceptions - How do Admissions Officers View Homeschool Education?
- The Gospel According to Bruce, Presenter at Glory Days Symposium, Monmouth University
SERVICE
- Founder, Ministry Grants, a program that provides scholarships of up to 80% of tuition to Christian schools for families that are in the full time ministry
- Co-Founder, The National Organization for Children, wrote grant applications for 1) an online medical error hotline, 2) CHILD LIFELINE, a program to place computers in all US children's hospitals, ADDVANTAGE, an online resource for children with Attention Deficit Disorder, children's holocaust museum and REACH, a state wide virtual charter school
- Co-Producer, RADIO GRACE, an online radio station streaming Christian worship, gospel, and rock music free of charge 24/7/365
- Executive Producer, The Learning By Grace Moment, a one minute radio program that about education and children in 130 Christian markets throughout the country
- Developer, eSchoolResources.com, a free online digital library that contains 5000 electronic textbooks, encyclopedias, bibles, dictionaries for use by educators
- Co-Founder, Massachusetts Home Learning Association, 1987
- Co-Chairperson, American Freedom from Hunger Foundation's Walk for Hunger, 1971, raised money to alleviate hunger in Tanzania and Appalachia
HONORS & AWARDS
- Parent's Choice Award, Cyberspace for Kids, 1999
- Best Children's Retail Store, Amazing Gracie's, MetroKids, 1996
- DOTY Doll of the Year Award, Doll Reader Magazine, 1985
EDUCATION
Temple University - BA in Radio, Television & Film
MARRIED
Since 1979 with 8 children
Dear Jubilee Academy,
I want to say a big thank you and let you know that my family has greatly benefitted from utilizing your online program. It has been a tremendous blessing to us for the past 2 years and we look forward to having our second son begin your program in the upcoming months.
We began the process of homeschooling because we were unsatisfied with the amount of learning that our first son was getting while involved with the Headstart Program. My wife's ability to teach became evident, in that what she provided at home put our son ahead of what he was getting in Headstart's educational program. We looked at other Homeschooling Curriculums and we were even given a full curriculum for free from another homeschooler. Although it was free for us, it cost them a great deal of money and we felt a sense of obligation to explore the program and use it as much as we could. This was a short-lived experience.
We discovered that my wife's time was greatly spent in trying to organize lessons and keep records, but her passion was in teaching, being creative, and allowing our son (only one at the time) to explore ways of learning. We searched online and found your program. I can't even completely remember how we ended up with your program, as there were many to look at, but I truly believe that it had to be God.
I know that we were concerned with the record-keeping and we needed some direction in the lesson planning. Your program gave all of that and more. We would have been satisfied with just the online lessons, because we were prepared to buy reading materials and other supplemental learning materials to assist us. But, pleasantly surprising, your program provided those materials and more. It even provided software (CD's and DVD's)!
So, I could go on and on and on. Suffice it to say, my wife and I value education tremendously and we invested in our children's future (financially, spiritually, and with our time given to them). Your program gives us the commodity of time, because it helps us to be efficient. Thank you so much for developing this program and making it available for us and many other families. Your focus on Christ is evident, you are open to hearing feedback and acting upon it, and you provide sufficient materials for families to use. Although your program is a business and needs to survive by bringing in funds for future existence and growth, at the same time you have caring and professional people working for you on the front and back end. That part is not a necessity. That part is done because you care about the people that you are serving.
On that note, I want to thank you for sending your staff to the INCH Conference on May 2nd and 3rd, 2008. They were fantabulous (okay, yeah, that's not a real word, but you understand)! We were so happy to see the Jubilee Academy represented. When I saw the logo, I was like -Yes!- on the inside and I immediately went and spoke to them. Later, I told my wife to close her eyes and informed her that she had some old "new" friends to meet. I brought her over and introduced her and she was so happy! We told them about how much we love the program and how we even purchased a large screen TV and hooked up the computer to it, so that my oldest son, Marcas Jr., could do his Jubilee work!
In the upcoming year, we will be enrolling my younger son, Mitchell, into your program and we look forward to continued success and freedom to educate our children with your organized, Christ-focused curriculum. You have been, and are right now, an answer to our prayers. If there's anything I can do to further your progress, please let me know.
Marcas Bradley, MA, LPC, SCL, Ed.S.
Mimi Rothschild is pleased to introduce a free resource for online homeschoolers at www.TheNarniaAcademy.org. According to Mimi Rothschild, "we are offering 12 free weeks of online lessons for the movie Prince Caspian". In addition to the educational material for homeschoolers on Caspian, the website also offers 12 weeks on The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe. Go to www.TheNarniaAcadmey.org to sign up for this free homeschooling resource.
Mimi Rothschild, Founder of the Learning By Grace, Inc. Family of Academies has recently sponsored a child through Compassion International. While attending Creation East last week, I came across the Compassion table and was instantly drawn to a magnificent little girl from Rwanda named Izabrizia. Without looking at another child on the table, I knew she was the one our family was to sponsor.” It is a great privilege to be able to help, even in a very tiny way, with the enormous plight of impoverished children. Compassion International is one of the world leaders in providing humanitarian aide to children.
Learning about children through loving them
The need for attention is a fundamental need. Seldom does anyone grow into a confident and happy personality, who has never felt himself loved and accepted during his growing years. A child feels insecure and unhappy when he feels unwanted end of. Such a feeling can cause serious mental and emotional upheavals. [...]
