About Us

Our Mission is to provide expert instruction to all students, helping them grow into successful life-long learners.

We provide a model of academic intervention that is most closely aligned with Educational Therapy and is specific to each student's unique learning strengths and needs.  We design instructional interventions based on diagnostic assessments, and use strategic interventions that are the best research-based practices available.  We are not bound by a franchised program, but are free to use whatever instruction will really match the learner.

Additionally, we are a resource center for parents, teachers, and administrators.  We provide short-term and long-term consultation, teacher development opportunities, and private assessment and tutoring services.

Our methods are...

• Personalized - We develop and provide learning services for students, parents, teachers and administrators that are based on what the client knows, values, and needs.
• Collaborative - we build relationships between teachers, parents, students, and other stakeholders that strengthen the students' learning opportunities.
• Comprehensive - We work with all aspects of the learner:  social, emotional, artistic, cognitive, affective, and strategic to encourage learning in academic and out-of-school contexts.

EnCourage Institute Director and Educational Therapist

Dr. Mary Rozendal (Associate ET; BA, Calvin College; MA, Michigan State University; PhD, Michigan State University) brings 24 years of teaching and educational therapy experience in early childhood, elementary, secondary, special education and university settings to the Institute.  She holds general education and special education teaching certificates in both Michigan and New York and specializes in assessing and remediating reading/writing difficulties and learning disabilities, early autism interventions, inclusive education, and teacher development.  She has worked in numerous schools as a consultant, and provided mentoring to novice and experienced teachers.  She is  an award-winning researcher and has published in professional journals.  Dr. Rozendal is a PLAY Project consultant and is also on the faculties of Capella and Walden Universities.

Dr. Rozendal provides the Educational Therapy services for EnCourage Institute.

EnCourage Institute Child Development Specialist

Marcia Harris-Last is a child development specialist.  She has a BA from Calvin College and MS in Child Development from Erikson Institute in Chicago.  During her final year at Erikson Institute, Mrs. Harris-Last completed an intensive internship at the Cervenka and Rodriquez Developmental Learning Center, studying DIR/Floortime therapy.  Marcia is also a certified P.L.A.Y. Project consultant.  She excited to bring her expertise and services to her hometown to fill a need for developmental, individualized therapy to a broad population of children with developmental, behavioral, social, emotional, and relationship difficulties.

Marcia provides the DIRect Connections services for EnCourage Institute.

EnCourage Institute Tutors and Intervention Specialists

All Intervention Specialists at EnCourage Institute are certified teachers. Tutors may be certified teachers, pre-service teachers in an college/university program, or college graduates working in their major. They implement the instructional plan developed by Dr. Rozendal and the student's parents during the Diagnostic Evaluation and consultations.

Rebecca Zwart is a certified teacher in K-8 General Education and Middle School Math and Language Arts.  She has a BA from Hope College and MEd Reading and Language Arts from Grand Valley State University.  She is an experienced English and math teacher and has been an Education Intervention Specialist at EnCourage Institute for four years.  Rebecca specializes in developing math and language arts skills, study skills and ACT and GRE preparation.

Ellen Murray is a certified teacher in K-8 General Education, K-12 LD, EI & CI (special education). She has a BA and MEd from Grand Valley State University and 32 years of teaching experience in Elementary and Middle School General Education, and K-12 Special Education. She is an experienced private tutor and is currently a Field Coordinator for the College of Education at Grand Valley State University.

Barbara S. Bol is a veteran teacher with over 32 years of elementary teaching experience.  Barb is certified in Elementary Education and specializes in developing early literacy and math skills including reading readiness, phonemic awareness, comprehension, and early literacy skills, using approaches the match the child’s learning and development profile.

Zachary VanDenend is a certified teacher in 7-12 History and is completing his MA in Special Education (Learning Disabilities) from Calvin College.  He is an experienced high school resource room teacher and inclusive education teacher and specializes in learning strategies and study skills.

Jen Petersen is an EnCourage tutor working with students in her major area of Spanish.  She also has a strong English and Math background and can provide middle and high school students support in a variety of areas.