Parents turning to tutors, co-op learning for their children amid pandemic

Parents turning to tutors, co-op learning for their children

As school districts continue to roll out their reopening plans, more and more families are turning to alternatives including tutoring, homeschooling, and home-based co-op learning environments, where they’re allowed. Meanwhile, many parents remain on the fence about what to do.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - As school districts continue to roll out their reopening plans, more and more families are turning to alternatives including tutoring, homeschooling, and home-based co-op learning environments, where they’re allowed. Meanwhile, many parents remain on the fence about what to do.

Facebook groups have formed with parents trying to do what’s best for their children in the fall. Most of the reopening plans for schools include all distance learning or a hybrid with in-person instruction. Tutors are currently seeing high demand and school hasn’t even started yet.

"We have a tutor for our middle daughter so she’s been getting some help with that," said Manassas resident Tiffany Wilson. "I work from home so I’m also able to homeschool my kids so that’s been something we might do as well – another option for us."

"We did an independent survey and found that 53 percent of families have used some kind of supplemental education, tutoring this fall, " said Brian Galvin, the chief academic officer at Varsity Tutors.

That sentiment is being echoed nationwide and here in the Washington, D.C. area as parents grapple with what to do come next month in many cases.

Some parents are turning to in-home co-op learning environments where teachers instruct a group of students at home but that’s not allowed everywhere, for instance, it’s prohibited in Montgomery County in Maryland.

We’re told families are also turning to education companies and tutors to assist with distance learning — that can reportedly cost at least a thousand dollars a month.

Interest in homeschooling and private schooling is reportedly skyrocketing.

How will this affect enrollment in public schools? It’s likely there will be an impact – whether it’s significant, is too early to tell. For example, there can be a significant cost associated with private schooling even though many families are finding it attractive due to the small class sizes and presumably less risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

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