Aman Narula has always wanted the best for his three boys. So, when he felt an educational void needed to be filled, he took matters into his own hands.
“My kids are my passion and so is teaching them and helping them develop life skills,” he said.
Two and a half years ago, Narula took a bold step, leaving behind a 20-year career and the stability of his job as a software executive to launch Positive Ally — an after-school academy that focuses teaching elementary-aged children leadership and life skills.
“We’re not unlike a school, we have a set curriculum,” Narula said. “Our idea is we use the mediums of academics, sports and extracurricular activities all to teach them leadership and life skills.”
Narula said the difference between Positive Ally and other programs is in the structure. The after-school program runs three hours, from 3-6 p.m., and is all-encompassing. Children, aged 5-12, are picked up at school and given snacks before they enter an hour of academic reinforcement. That hour includes the completion of school homework first and foremost, followed by work on Individual Learning Plans set up by parents.
The final hour involves sports or extracurricular activities. Sports, like soccer, basketball, running and Tae Kwon Do are available four days a week, while kids can participate in extracurricular activities like theater, nutrition, visual arts, science experiments and choir on the fifth day.
Narula said the activities are all specialized and are run by experts.
“Often you have a company that just does Tae Kwon Do, or just does dance,” he said. “There are no other companies that do the entire spectrum of sports, academic reinforcement and extracurricular activity.”
What started as a group of four students nearly three years ago — one being his son and another a non-paying friend — has blossomed into 91 students and a wait list at three Redmond Ridge locations.
That success has led Positive Ally to expand to Sammamish with a 2,000-square-foot facility, which will house 42 students, set to open June 24 in Inglewood Plaza. It is accepting enrollment for the summer and fall programs.
The move only seemed logical to Narula, who said there are seven elementary schools located within 2.2 miles of the location. He said he hopes to open a new Positive Ally facility every year and has plans to open next in Issaquah.
As far as missing the corporate world, Narula said the thought never crosses his mind. He loves his new endeavor and is glad he can still use some of his most valuable skills.
“I always looked at myself, even when I was in general management, as a coach,” he said. “A coach does nothing but teach life skills and leadership skills.”
