NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia parents can now sign up for tutoring microgrants for their children provided by a program to address COVID-19 pandemic learning loss, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration announced.
The K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program will provide $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in English, mathematics, science and history, as well as foreign languages needed to meet diploma requirements. Families can also use the grants for speech pathology and reading intervention.
Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level could qualify for $3,000 grants.
The grant program is open to parents of any public, private, parochial or homeschooled K-12 student who lives in Virginia.
Some of the services include in-person, online, or hybrid tutoring in a one-on-one or small to large group settings. Families of children with disabilities may also use up to $750 of the grant for assistive technologies in their Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan.
It's another step in Gov. Glenn Youngkin's plan to bring more parents into their children's education. However, not everyone agrees with this approach.
Educator and President of the Virginia Beach Education Association Kathleen Slinde said it would be easier to put this funding toward school divisions, so more teachers can directly work with students in the curriculum.
"I believe that using the funds in this grant to fully support our schools and get them fully funded and fully staffed would be a much better use of the funds instead of tutoring," said Slinde. "When we talk about training students, remediating and tutoring them to catch up, the best people to direct that learning generally happens in a school setting and many people do that as part of the school day for students who are struggling."
Families must use at least $750 of each grant by August 15, or the remaining money will be reallocated to other applicants.
To apply for the program, visit the Virginia Department of Education's K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants page and fill out an application.