Students from Harvard and MIT are offering free tutoring to children who are now learning from home
OLI SCARFF / Contributor / Getty Images
Schools across the US have temporarily closed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, leaving about 30 million children to learn from home.
Many parents say they're struggling to balance working remotely with homeschooling their children.
To support parents, and help children, GoPeer, a tutoring company, is connecting children with tutors from Harvard, MIT and other top-tier universities, for free.
Since schools across the US have closed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, parents — on top of everything else — have been tasked with teaching their children from home and overseeing their online learning classes.
Realizing that many parents may not have the time — or the expertise — to also serve as effective teachers for their kids, GoPeer, a tutoring company, is stepping in to help. The company is pairing children between the ages of 5 and 18 with tutors from Harvard, MIT, and other prestigious universities.
An education company is offering free tutoring with students from top colleges
Families are eligible for two hours of free virtual tutoring, a service that typically costs $25 to $35 an hour.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GoPeer hires students from the country's top universities and only accepts 5% of students who apply to work for the company, according to the organization's website. The instructors employ the near-peer mentoring method, which means tutors only teach subjects they've mastered.
To create a digital classroom, GoPeer's tutors use video conferencing, virtual whiteboards, and photo and document sharing apps.
Demand for remote tutoring services has soared since schools have closed due to the pandemic
picture alliance / Contributor / Getty Images
GoPeer has seen a spike in interest from clients since schools have temporarily closed their doors. Over the course of a 24-hour period last month, 200,000 people visited the company's website, Ethan Binder, CEO and co-founder, told CBS19 last month.
Binder said he hopes his company's service can help to alleviate some of the stress parents are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"No one should be afraid or embarrassed to raise their hand and ask for help," Binder told CBS19.
Read more:
Dolly Parton will read bedtime stories weekly to children who are out of school and stuck at home
Read the original article on Insider