Business & Tech

Tolland Resident Launching Regional Tutoring Business

Nathalie Laurent is the owner of Above Grade Level, an in-home tutoring service.

Tolland resident Nathalie Laurent is bringing a new tutoring business to the region with a personalized approach for students and their families.

The mother of three and United Technologies Corp. and Pratt & Whitney employee said that she hopes her newest business venture, Above Grade Level, will postively impact the lives of local kids and their families.

"When a child has lost confidence, and you make them comfortable again reading or looking at equations, you're making a difference," Laurent said.

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Above Grade Level's business model features one-on-one sessions that bring tutors to the child's home to foster improvement.

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"It's not homework support," Laurent said. "The tutoring is based on what each child needs."

Laurent said that the individualized attention, along with continuous assessment of the student's progress, are guaranteed to help students improve in whichever subject a child needs to study: math, science, world language, English and SAT and ACT prep.

"Our tests are adaptive, so if a students starts failing, the test will move to a lower grade level," Laurent said. Above Grade Level students will use an independent processor, which Laurent said is widely used in public school systems, to complete the student assessments.

She said that after an intial assessment, each child will receive a development curriculum and lesson plan to improve. She added that the test results are processed independently from Above Grade Level.

And while helping children learn is clearly the top priority, Laurent said that Above Grade Level aims to make tutoring convenient for families. Tutors will travel to students' homes for sessions, although it is required that parents  be in the house while the tutor is present. Parents can also decide how frequently sessions should occur after a lesson plan is presented to them.

"It's supposed to make lives easier for parents," Laurent said.

Above Grade Level is currently taking on its first students, and Laurent is in the process of screening and hiring tutors. Tutors are required to have a Bachelor's degree, and many have math, science and teaching backgrounds. They are tested in their subjects before they can teach students, Laurent said.

Sessions cost approximately $40 an hour.

Above Grade Level provides tutors for students in Tolland, Vernon, Ellington, Coventry, Willington, Andover, East Windsor, South Windsor, Broadbrook and Bolton.

Visit the business' website, email Laurent or call 860-858-5955 for more information.


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