BEAUMONT, Texas — As the school year approaches, some parents are on the hunt for alternative learning options.
For Rhonda Daley, that means more phone calls to Faithful Academy in Beaumont.
"We're tutoring core classes, in person, we have a small school setting, we only have five to eight kids per class, per certified teacher, that way they can get the best education possible," Daley said.
They've been offering these services for the last seven years. Now, the need has shifted.
"The increase in phone calls is because parents need their children to go some place, their children are young, some parents are working, but at the same time they don't want to send their kids to large environments with hundreds and hundreds of kids," Daley said.
Some parents are even looking at home tutors, or as Elyssa Katz calls them, Zutors.
"The idea is to support the kids with distance learning and help them with everything from keeping them accountable online, making sure that they're paying attention, but also engaging with the kids and giving them the social emotional piece that's missing," Katz said.
In May, she started a matchmaking service for parents looking for some help with the kids at home. She's based in Los Angeles, but is working with families all over the country.
Parents can send her an email describing exactly what they're looking for in a home tutor, and from there, she's on the search for the best fit.
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"So I have somebody that I hired, she's a very well known teacher in our community and she interviews them from a teacher's prospective. Then I talk to them and I talk to them from a parent's prospective," Katz said.
Both Daley and Katz say while it's a difficult time for parents and teachers, it's nothing a little teamwork can't handle.
"We're all in this together, we're all in the same situation," Katz said.
There is limited space available at Faithful Academy in Beaumont.