REFUSED TO LET A SETBACK DISCOURAGE HER IN THE GAME OF LIFE––When Andrea Diamond’s contract as a teacher wasn’t renewed, she and her fiance, who had been laid off at Amgen, decided to pursue a new path in life. They’ve opened a new art instruction school in Thousand Oaks called Programs After School. Rather than become discouraged and depressed, Andrea and Richard Borland turned their layoffs into an opportunity. After two Calabasas residents were laid off from their jobs not long ago, they decided to turn their attention to the children of Thousand Oaks and started a business that gives kids the opportunity to express themselves through art.

Richard Borland, 48, lost his job after 10 years at Amgen as a project manager/senior business analyst earning a six-figure salary. And his then-fiancee, 50-year-old Andrea Diamond, found that due to state cutbacks her contract as a math and science teacher hadn’t been renewed.

Diamond had also been teaching art to children after school, and the couple decided to pool their resources to create Programs After School, a business that offers art instruction to young people.

The two were married in June. Borland has two sons; Diamond has a daughter.

Now they’ve put everything on the line to make their business a success.

Borland said he once supervised multimillion-dollar contracts at Amgen. In addition, he has more than 20 years of experience as an IT project manager, consultant business analyst and systems programmer.

He’s been involved with Americans for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, local homeschool associations, the Afterschool Alliance and the Thousand Oaks Chamber of Commerce.

The entrepreneur has also worked for Disney. He has a bachelor’s degree in social science, business administration from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Diamond has more than 25 years of teaching experience and is a third-generation artist following in the footsteps of her grandmother and her mother.

She is also a naturalist. She is affiliated with the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Game as an active nature guide and teacher for outdoor education and nature appreciation programs.

She has received awards from the California State Assembly and Legislature, California Department of Energy and Colin Powell for her environmental education programs.

The art teacher, originally from Seattle, Wash., serves as an officer of the Calabasas Historical Society. She has a bachelor’s degree in art from UC San Diego.

The couple have leased a studio on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where they will offer children an art program with a small-class-size setting.

Classes include Baby Van Goo Goo and You for ages 18 to 36 months, in which the former math teacher introduces colors, shapes and numbers in nature. Babies are asked to dress for a mess and BYOB—bring your own bib. Parents stay and participate.

“It’s to drool for,” Diamond said.

Junior Van Goo is a tot class for ages 4 to 6. Young artists are inspired by elements in nature to express themselves through paint, chalk, clay and goo. Science and geography are also emphasized in this class.

Big Messy Art helps kids ages 3 to 5 develop their fine motor skills as they create large-scale art using music and movement.

Kids ages 4 to 6 years are invited to join the Play Dough Society and use their imaginations to create masterpieces.

The art teacher also incorporates her love for the Beatles with classes such as Octopus’ Garden Art Adventure for ages 3 to 6.

“The Beatles’ music is full of pictures that inspire imagination,” said Diamond, a devoted fan of the Fab Four.

Classes for youths and teens are also offered.

The classes are innovative and academic, using a hybrid of Montessori and Waldorf methods to influence education in art masters, drawing and painting techniques, and, most importantly, Diamond said, they’re fun.

They offer a birthday package with pizza from California Pizza Kitchen and ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s along with cartooning or art.

To contact Programs After School, 2199 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Ste. 105, call (805) 449-1454 or send an e-mail to info@programsafterschool.com.