Tutoring services offered in Ventura County are adapting to the statewide stay-at-home order and social distancing by moving their services online, in efforts to continue supporting K-12 and college students with one-on-one tutoring while schools remain closed.

Directly in response to the closure of local schools, Sarah Yadegari, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, kick-started a new non-profit service called Zoom Tutoring Company. Her service works with youth ages six and up and donates a portion of its revenue to COVID-19 relief funds. 

“I started it because I saw that there would be a gap that needed to be filled from parents moving into this really uncomfortable and unknown zone where they have no idea how to adjust to online classes,” Yadegari said.

As a relatively new group, Yadegari said her team has around 10 tutors who are other undergraduate students from local universities. The company was created shortly after many schools began to make the transition to virtual learning. 

Yadegari said another important role her start-up plays is providing jobs. She said this company has provided work for her friends who were laid off or displaced from their on-campus jobs.  

“We are really here to help not only [parents], but with everything that’s going on,” Yadegari said. “We are helping undergraduate students maintain some sort of income and helping students succeed in their classes all while also helping with coronavirus relief funds.”

Danny Kab, founder of Danny’s Tutoring in Thousand Oaks, said that his tutors have moved their services online, but acknowledges that it is not the most ideal situation for tutors and their clients alike.

“In-person tutoring is the most effective tutoring that there is. However, because of our relationship and our brand in the area, our clients decided to continue to move forward with us to do online tutoring,” Kab said.

Mazy Jamneshan, a private tutor in Ventura County, said though online tutoring is not ideal, he has made the best of the functions it offers to continue to support his students in STEM subjects and standardized test preparation. 

“I think Zoom is great because it has a whiteboard that I can write on, [using] my mouse,” Jamneshan said. “It’s been going pretty well honestly. Other than that, nothing else has really changed.”

Jamneshan said that he has heard many students talk about their new experiences in their classes–some of his clients have told him their teachers are not teaching, while others are watching pre-recorded or live lectures. He added that some students need one-on-one level tutoring even with the resources given to them by their instructors, making his service a necessity.

“They need to be able to ask questions in real time, and even if they have all the materials, it’s hard to teach yourself so a lot of people are struggling with that,” Jamneshan said.

Despite having to adjust to a different mode of teaching and interacting with their clients, Kab still believes it is important for his company to help those seeking tutoring to find the tutor most suited for them.

“Although the tutoring is now done remotely online, you still want to be matched up with the best tutor that’s going to get along with you, who will be the best fit with you and knows the subject, and I know my team better than anyone,” Kab said.