MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The pressure for parents to give their children the best possible education can be overwhelming for some. However, one local learning center uses foreign techniques to teach math.

"This population is very dedicated to education. If you look at census information you’ll see 70 percent of our population age 25 and older have a college degree,” said Peter Menser an Associate Planner for Meridian Township.

With a university and top ranking high schools nearby this could be why a number of alternative learning centers are popping up in the area- with two opening within the last year.

"Parents- because they have this good educational background they want the same for their children so we get good support from our parents because they are serious about the studies,” said Smita Manjasseril, a teacher at Aloha Mind Math learning center in Okemos.

At Aloha Mind Math students attend one, two hour class every week where they study foreign techniques to understanding math.

Students use an abacus leaning tool where each line of beads on the tool represents different place values for numbers. Once understood, students visualize the abacus in their heads and can be seen moving their fingers to count as if the abacus was still there.

"Four and a half is the age, that’s the perfect age for them, you know there are some parents that come and the children are 13 or 15 years of age and they want to start it and I really discourage them on that because you know it's harder on the children," said Manjasseril.

Aloha Mind Math hopes to add reading programs to the Okemos location in the near future. The company does not have anything to do with Hawaii, but actually stands for : Abacus. Learning. Of. Higher. Arithmetic.