Is Your Business Serving the Residents of Fredericksburg?

Then We Need to Talk!

Do you know a local business serving residents of Fredericksburg?

Connecting Local Voices.

Inspiring Community Impact.
Each episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast highlights the business owners, leaders, and neighbors who are making a difference where they live and work.

Listen To The Latest Podcast Interviews

EP #127 How The Knowledge Exchange Makes Learning Accessible For Every Student

EP #127 How The Knowledge Exchange Makes Learning Accessible For Every Student

March 10, 20262 min read

What if tutoring felt less like a transaction and more like a village? We sit down with Maija - Liisa Penn, CEO and co-founder of The Knowledge Exchange, to explore how a small Fredericksburg nonprofit delivers big impact through free, holistic, and evidence-based learning support. From K–12 students with IEPs or 504s to adults preparing for the GED or college classes, their model removes cost barriers while building a true partnership among tutors, families, and schools.

Maija shares her journey from special education and applied behavior analysis into community-driven leadership, and why her own experience as an undiagnosed learner fuels the mission. We talk about what typical tutoring misses—rigid curricula, weak home follow-through, and stigma—and how TKE flips the script by making parents active collaborators. Assignments continue between sessions, caregivers know what to reinforce, and teachers gain allies who understand accommodations and goals. The result is a continuum of support that turns short-term gains into lasting skills.

You’ll also hear how Dungeons & Dragons became an unexpected engine for growth. In their role-playing programs, learners practice planning, collaboration, problem-solving, and flexible thinking while having fun. The numbers tell the story: strong retention across youth and adult sessions, thriving summer programs that blend academics with gameplay, and students returning year after year. Beyond the table, TKE builds community capacity—contracting tutors, training enrichment leaders, and welcoming interns who want real-world experience in grants, outreach, or administration.

If you’re in the Fredericksburg area and want to get involved, there are many paths: apply for services, become a tutor or DM, volunteer behind the scenes, or make a tax-deductible donation to expand access. Subscribe, share this episode with a neighbor who cares about education equity, and leave a quick review to help more families find these resources.

Maija - Liisa Penn

The Knowledge Exchange

tkenonprofit.org

[email protected]

+1 540-412-8431

Custom HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT
Back to Blog

Learn More About Our Local Magazines

The FXBG Neighbors Podcast... Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of Fredericksburg!

about

Dori Stewart

Executive Producer, FXBG Neighbors Podcast

Publisher: Neighbors of Chancellorsville, Neighbors of Courthouse, Stafford Living

Contact

540-701-0501


Copyright © 2026. All rights reserved by Good Neighbor Partners, LLC | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy