Originally published in the
Sports & Activities
Plantation Directory, August – October 2019.
Register for a
FREE class
at IMACS!
Located in an unsuspecting strip center in the heart of our city is an institute of higher learning for elementary, middle and high school aged students. While it has been a cornerstone of math and computer science for Plantation children for 27 years, it remains one of our best kept secrets.
IMACS , The Institute for Math and Computer Science, has been changing the face of after school enrichment for years. The impact of these programs on children with an interest in math and computer science is palpable. Their programs build confidence and character, and enhances the logical thought process, continually challenging the minds of our children.
Terry Kaufman , founding partner and president of IMACS, was named 2018 Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater Plantation Chamber of Commerce. IMACS facilitates online math programs for talented students dual enrolled in Broward County Public Schools. IMACS awards dozens of summer camp scholarships to underserved students and works with local school PTO, PTA and PTSAs in an effort to foster students with an interest in STEM and a knack for problem-solving to continue to expand their minds.
IMACS has the best interest of their students at heart. They are community driven and listen to the needs of the parents of those students. The most recent example of that is a collaboration between IMACS, Detective Lee Bieber (2018’s Officer of The Year), Public Information Officer Nancy Paul, and Mayor Lynn Stoner. The result is a seminar for parents entitled “Device Safety 101 @ IMACS”.
The apps your child has downloaded can be easily infiltrated potentially exposing them to predators. We cannot be afraid or ashamed to admit that we may not have the knowledge to monitor our children’s online activity. We must be aware that innocently posting an image of our young child to Facebook, Instagram or other social media could make them a target of an unwelcome acquaintance, a stranger, or worse – a predator. Those who attended the first seminar were grateful for the information. Our children are device savvy and their phones, tablets and gaming systems are as second nature to them as walking and talking are to us.
Terry Kaufman opened his facility for two back to back seminars filled with parents, educators and business people from our community, all with one distinct common interest: to educate ourselves and to enable us to better protect our youth in a quickly and ever-changing society. Bravo Terry for being proactive in a time when its often scary for kids just living their lives, innocently sharing images, befriending people online and downloading apps that are giving 3rd parties access to our kids!
Lee Biebers’ presentation highlighted platforms, devices, and red flags, complete with actual local cases where these common tactics were used to engage and groom children. One of the most eye opening topics was how easily preteens and teens will share explicit images despite the conversations we all have with our children.
Lee outlined how to talk to our children about sharing photographs, knowing your contacts and followers, and constantly reviewing their account settings. Our children need to know that they can always talk to us. They may not tell us everything, however, involvement with our children and awareness of their behavior combined with active dialog about their online time and friendships, exponentially increases our ability to protect them. It is a reality! Online predators exist and they are continually trying to develop a rapport with our children!
If you can’t make it to the seminar, be sure to check out IMACS’ other amazing classes . This school has much to offer and the courses taught at IMACS are unlike any other classes that your child has taken.
The only way to understand this is to for your children to attend a FREE placement class . During this hour, you will observe the entire “evaluation” process and witness each interaction your child has with the other students and the teacher/facilitator. As a parent you will define the success of your child’s education through the logic and thought processes they are exposed to and develop as they mature.
Through meticulously designed challenges, IMACS students develop a well-founded confidence, rooted in genuine advancement of their reasoning skills. IMACS Math Enrichment gives kids a unique opportunity to learn to think as many of the brightest minds, with the precision of a scientist or doctor and the creativity of a novelist or a composer, and apply that skill wherever their interests lie. IMACS creates better thinkers for life .