How to Find a Free Tutoring Program for Your Child

 No matter how gifted the child, everyone needs some extra help every now and again. You want to give your kids every opportunity to succeed and thrive, but sometimes the limits of the pocketbook get in the way. The public school still offers a great education, but what if your child needs some tutoring? Sure, you could hire someone, but you don't always have room in the monthly budget to pick up that extra bill. Luckily, there are several opportunities for tutoring that are either very inexpensive or completely free.If your child needs a little extra help with his schoolwork, but you simply don't have the cash to hire someone, here are a few free tutoring options.

How to Find a Free Tutoring Program for Your Child

Sure, you could hire someone, but you don't always have room in the monthly budget to pick up that extra bill. Luckily, there are several opportunities for tutoring that are either very inexpensive or completely free. If your child needs a little extra help with his schoolwork, but you simply don't have the cash to hire someone, here are a few free tutoring options.

The "No Child Left Behind" law, although not incredibly successful overall, does still help children that need that extra boost. Check with your school to see if your child can receive free tutoring through the support of that law. It was specifically designed to help kids who go to school in districts that haven't been performing up to national standards, and that may, in fact, be the primary issue in your child's case.

Outside of the school, there are other organizations that may offer some extremely helpful programs. You should check with the local branch of your public library first. Many of them offer homework assistance or free tutoring programs. Some will have tutors that can work with your child in person, but most large libraries have some sort of online tutoring program. Your child can take advantage at home if you have a computer and a library membership, or in the library on their computers. Outside of the library, local community centers, churches or non-profit educational resource centers might also give tutoring to children free of cost.

If none of those options pan out, check out the colleges in your area. Any school that offers degree programs in education will have free tutoring programs. The future teachers need to practice, and often have to accrue hours of hands-on work to secure their degree. Even though they aren't fully accredited teachers yet, they all will bring a real passion to the tutoring, and want to do the best possible job, to secure good grades and possible recommendations.

If you cannot find any institutions or organizations prepared to help, hop online and see what you can find. Do a quick search using keywords like "free tutoring," "homework assistance" or something similar, and narrow it down with the specific subject your child needs help with. You'll find several websites that offer at least some free services before requiring a membership. Expand the search even further into additional types of websites. Youtube could be a great resource, as many teachers actually upload lesson plans or work through tutoring sessions that could be just what your child requires. Look for websites run by schools or teacher's unions, as many of them include downloadable lesson plans, tips, and strategies for study help. In these cases, your child won't have physical tutors, so you may need to step in. But if you can help him organize this information, with a bit of oversight he could do just fine.