The Tailored Teacher offers additional support for students during coronavirus pandemic

Lindsayann Anderson founded The Tailored Teacher in 2014 because she wanted to provide individual support for students with special needs. Now, in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the business has expanded to help all students cope with the uncharted waters of remote learning.

The Tailored Teacher offers a variety of educational support services, including one-on-one tutoring, special education support and advocacy, and home-school enrichment, Anderson said.

Before she began Tailored Teacher, Anderson worked as a public school teacher for students with learning disabilities but left after “politics” got in the way of a student’s education.

“I started my business for children like that child, who had fallen through the cracks and honestly probably would continue to fall through the cracks unless somebody took the time and the interest to get to know him and his family,” she said.

Since then, Anderson has slowly added more programs and specialized events, such as summer camps. She said these services have broadened due to the coronavirus.

“We are now also offering for this fall ... online school support services,” she said. “For public school kids who are doing online school, we are providing, in addition to all of our regular services, ... four location options.”

This support system will function as a classroom for online students, allowing students to do classwork in small groups with adult supervision and additional tutoring for students attending public school. Anderson said all locations will have air purifiers, temperature checks, regular hand-washing and no shared school supplies. Although staff will wear face masks, she said students are not required to.

Before the pandemic, Anderson said Tailored Teacher worked with about 60 families throughout the school year. Now, she has heard interest from about 90 families for support and tutoring as school districts begin pushing the start of on-campus instruction further back.

This surge in interest has forced Anderson to double her staff to meet the needs.

“We’ve pretty much doubled what we’ve done, but we’ve just had to be very careful and consistent in communication with parents and staff members,” she said.

As state agencies and local districts continue to adapt and change policies through the pandemic, Anderson said it is important for parents to understand their families will make it through.

“Parents are worried their kids are going to be behind, or they’re worried that their kids aren’t going to get what they need,” she said. “So we keep telling them it’s going to be OK. Everybody is in the same place; we’re having the same struggle.”

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