For Vera Chiu, math has always been the foundation for academic success. As a young student in China, she excelled in math and science. In her 20s, she moved to Ann Arbor to earn a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Michigan.

As a parent she wants her daughter, a third-grader at Burns Park Elementary, to enjoy those same successes.

“Even though she was reading at 4 years old, her math skills were … less phenomenal,” Chiu says.

Though Chiu laughs and says she doesn’t fit the Tiger Mom stereotype, she does want to ensure a solid background for her daughter.

“Kids need free time, but focus as well. We don’t force (activities), but math is a survival skill, we need to get this right,” she explains.

Chiu began looking into ways to make math exciting, and seeking out enrichment opportunities.

The temporary sign for the Mathnasium Learning Center covers the window as owners prepare for opening at the end of April.

Angela Smith | For AnnArbor.com

“That is how I found Mathnasium — it really struck me as unique and exciting,” she says.

Chiu was working as a senior principal scientist at Pfizer when the pharmaceutical company left Ann Arbor in 2007. She relocated to the company's St. Louis facility, only to see that plant also shut down.

“This gave me a chance to pause, and really think about what I wanted to do,” she says.

Chiu knew she wanted to be involved with her daughter, and had always had a passion for education.

“I noticed a need,” she says, and so she and Grace Wang, a successful business manager who also happens to be Chiu’s cousin-in-law, decided to go into business.

They will open Ann Arbor’s first Mathnasium program at 2111 Packard Road at the end of the month.

Chiu talks with enthusiasm when explaining the Mathnasium program, which is set up with “workouts” designed to keep student math skills strong. The program is built upon 30 years of first-hand teaching experience by curriculum creator Larry Martinek.

Chiu says the Mathnasium program puts math in a different light, focuses on number sense, and motivates students to achieve.

The program is tailored for each student. New members start with a “check-up” or assessment that is both oral and written, then receive a “prescriptive” — an assembled learning plan based on particular needs. Students sign up for a membership plan that “works out to about $20 per 1-hour session,” Chiu says.

Chiu acknowledges that Ann Arbor Schools “aim well, but that the context and delivery (of mathematics) is hard to do.”

She feels that Mathnasium will work well in Ann Arbor, catering to students who are advancing beyond grade level expectations, or falling behind. Chiu feels the location, in Packard Plaza, which also houses Quest Martial Arts and the soon-to-open Ann Arbor Pizza, is convenient and centrally located for many families.

Mathnasium will host its first “Trimathlon” on May 14, shortly after the opening of its Ann Arbor location. More details about this free event for third through sixth graders can be found here.

Angie Smith is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached by email at angieannarbor@gmail.com.