The Learning Without Tears story began in 1977 at the kitchen table of a mother whose son struggled with handwriting.

Jan Olsen, an occupational therapist, used her expertise to develop a revolutionary new approach to handwriting that helped her son succeed. The developmentally appropriate, hands-on instruction she developed became Handwriting Without Tears and has helped millions of students.  

The passion of this one entrepreneur grew to a team of hundreds. New programs have evolved from the foundational core of Handwriting Without Tears, specializing in Pre-K readiness, keyboarding, writing, and reading—reaching more than 4 million students each year.  

By expanding the scale of our mission to help every student master the foundational skills critical to academic success, we became Learning Without Tears. After more than 40 years, we remain a family-owned education company dedicated to helping all students build foundational skills with confidence, leading to lifelong success.