FINDING A GOOD TUTOR FOR YOUR CHILD

Finding a Good Tutor for Your Child Regardless of Your Budget

By Kimberly Blaker

Does your child have a learning disability, poor or declining grades, poor time management skills, or difficulty understanding homework? If so, tutors are an effective way to get kids back on track and keep them there. But how do you find a good, reliable tutor you can trust? And what if hiring a tutor isn’t in your budget? Today, there are many options.

How to find a tutor

Your child’s teacher and the school administrator are an excellent place to start. They might be able to recommend a tutor in your community or online resources to help your child.

Also, chances are one of your child’s friends has a tutor. So, ask other parents for a recommendation.

Another option is to search online for tutors in your area. You’ll likely find a couple of local tutoring companies. These often offer on-site tutoring, but some might offer in-home tutoring as well.

There are also many websites developed for helping parents find tutors. Takelessons.com has a searchable database of tutors. Just enter your zip code and the school subject to find tutors in your area. This site also shows tutors’ ratings and their fees per session.

Another source is Care.com, which connects people with various service professionals, including tutors. Experience in tutoring varies widely, however. So, check their reviews and ask for references.

Online tutoring is another popular choice, though, it isn’t right for every child. Also, do your research because the reviews of many online tutoring companies are fair to mediocre, at best. The costs of online tutoring aren’t always consistent with quality.

Free tutoring

If tutoring isn’t in your budget, there are several options. First, check with your child’s school. Although the No Child Left Behind Act is now defunct, some schools still offer one-on-one tutoring programs for eligible students. Many schools also offer after-school group tutoring. Kids can stay after school to work on their homework with a teacher to assist. Some teachers also offer after-school tutoring for their students.

If tutoring isn’t available at your kid’s school, ask