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Colorado Springs tutoring company reports higher demand during coronavirus pandemic

Talking To Kids

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As back-to-school approaches for students across Colorado, tutoring services are seeing an influx in interest from parents working to catch their kids up to speed.

Huntington Learning Center in north Colorado Springs tells KRDO the phones have been busier with clients wanting ACT and SAT prep heading into the new semester.

"We are getting phone calls because ACTs and SATs were delayed," Liz Hershberger, the Huntington Learning Center director, said. "And now we’re kind of in panic mode. I mean these seniors have to have an ACT or SAT.”

One of the company's owners says some parents are even requesting house visits to make up for lost progress during the pandemic, or what they call the COVID slide.

"Some students are asking for building skills that they’re missing from the summer slide and also COVID slide," Owner Lenie De Castro said.

But for every family who can afford to hire a tutor for help, many more cannot.

"If you have the money for that, you have the money for that. But a lot — the majority of Coloradans don’t have the money to do something like that,” Elizabeth Juvera said.

Juvera's 8-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter plan to attend school in-person in a few weeks. While she's not concerned they're struggling in a specific subject, like many parents and educators, she has some uneasiness about the future.

"My biggest fear is that both of them end up back a year," she said.

Juvera tells KRDO she believes the benefits to her kids' mental health and the attention her son, who has Attention Deficit Disorder, can get in a classroom setting outweigh that fear.

The Huntington Learning Center adds that, despite the increase in calls about test preparation, it will take some before the local business can rebound from economic losses from earlier in the pandemic.

Article Topic Follows: Local News

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Lauren Barnas

Lauren is an anchor and MMJ for KRDO and 13 Investigates. Learn more about Lauren here.

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