WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — School may be back in session, but the demand for one-on-one tutoring continues to grow. Many companies have increased their tutor roster by double-digit percentages and there’s a new demand for pre-kindergarten tutors.
Hannah Andres, 4, is reaping the benefits of weekly in-home one-on-one instruction. Sh's recognizing and reciting shapes, numbers, letters and writing.
"There's a lot of work. It's not about playing. It's down to the book," Rachel Delaguila, tutor and home school teacher, said. "I was an elementary school teacher for 18 years and this is a demanding job. Some kids need one-on-one attention."
More parents are recognizing the need for personalized student instruction amid COVID-19. When Hannah was pulled out of day care like some kids amid the pandemic, her mom said it resulted in what's called the summer slide.
"I noticed that she had regressed. Identifying her alphabets -- her A through Zs -- and also her numeric perspective, her numbers," Jessie Andres said. "She wasn't able to identify those."
That's when she and her husband hired a tutor. It's an investment more parents are making to ensure Kindergarten readiness.
"This is a critical moment where they learn like a sponge," Andres said. "The benefit is having your child on track. If they're not, it could affect their self-esteem, confidence, and that's why I made the investment for my daughter."
Evan Weisberg, Tutors Who Care CEO and founder, hired 77 tutors at the start of the pandemic, approximately 40 over the summer and his company is still short about 10 pre-k tutors at the start of fall.
"It's soared. Soared through the roof," Weisberg said. "We have a lot of calls coming in to help younger students individually. You can go all the way back to Plato and Socrates. They learned one-on-one. That's the classical-learning style and that's always been the most effective way to learn, because a tutor can zero in on what your learning style is -- if you're an auditory learner, if you're a kinesthetic learner, if you're a visual learner."
Weisberg said the demand for enrichment pre-k tutoring has also increased with the rigor of kindergarten curriculum. The company has also expanded into Bethesda, Maryland and Manhassett, New York. To apply for a position within Tutors Who Care visit their website or call 855-584-3156 or email tutorswhocare1@gmail.com.