Virginia’s new tutoring grant program open to all families with school children

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - A new Virginia grant program that helps families provide tutoring for students is now open. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program will offer $1,500 grants to families of all school-aged children in the state.

“This high quality tutoring is really in its inception part of the learning recovery movement across the country and I think as you look at different states and different tutoring models we are really learning as we are implementing, what are the needs of our families, what are the needs of our students,” said Lisa Koons, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Learning Acceleration Program provides all families the chance to use a $1,500 grant on tutoring in a variety of subjects. Families with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level are eligible for a $3,000 grant.

“This program allows our students to get that tutoring, that just in time support to stay on track in school so that when our students get to ‘What do I want to do with my future’ I’m ready and I have the academic background to be able to do that,” said Coons.

Families will also have access to their child’s student assessment summaries which provide a picture of how they’re preforming in school and the tutoring needs they may have. Many teachers from across the state have signed up for the program to tutor students over the summer.

“We are excited that we have so many teachers across the state interested in tutoring during the summer and providing these opportunities for possibly students they had or students in their communities. It’s really outstanding, our teachers are our best workforce, they know our students the best,” said Coons.

One of the program’s highlights is that it is flexible and can meet the unique needs of each student. Families can hand pick a tutor and choose from a variety of in-person and online options.

“A family might say I really want my child to sit down at the library with this tutor and work one on one. A family might say you know what my child works better when they have a couple of students to think with so they might get into a 2 to 3 tutoring pod with a tutor,” said Coons. “There’s an online option so if I’m in a rural community in Washington County I can select a tutor from a place that has more tutors.”

The grant payments will be issued directly to selected tutors and service providers with no out-of-pocket expenses to families. At least $750 of each grant must be spent by August 15; otherwise, the remaining funds will be reallocated to other applicant.

Families can sign up for the program here.

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