COVID-19 boosts tutoring businesses

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The transition from in-person learning to virtual learning has been tough on schools, parents, and students.

Parents are worried their students aren’t making the grade while schools are trying to navigate safe learning., but the flip flop of learning is taking a toll.

“It is easy to see how a student might fall behind,” said Director of Madison Ngenius Branch, Michael Cassity.

While schools are trying to navigate safe learning, parents are hiring Private tutors to help fill the gap that many students are experiencing. Cassity says business is booming.

“We are definitely getting more calls from students that are behind,” said Cassity.

Huntsville Tutoring Company tutor, Kathleen Lavallee says she’s booked, seeing around 24 students a week.

“I am always as full as I wanna be full,” said Lavallee.

Both Cassity and Lavallee say they are mostly seeing younger students.

“We are seeing more elementary students because they don’t fare as well with online classes,” said Cassity.

But, private tutors can be pricey. Alabama also offers free online tutoring called Homework Alabama to help.

“There are 3,000 tutors that work for the homework and academic atmosphere,” said Director of Alabama Public Library Service, Nancy Pack.

Nancy Pack says more than 2,000 people around the state are using Homework Alabama Monthly and it continues to increase.

“Alabama is the first state to go through with Homework Alabama. We bought it for the entire state at the time. It is well worth it for our citizens to go in anonymously and work with someone if they do not know how to do something.”

Tutors say they do not see this boom slowing down anytime soon. Especially as summer approaches students seek tutors to help hit benchmarks for the next year.

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