Some N.S. parents have trouble accessing literacy tutors for their children

Demand for literacy tutors is on the rise in Nova Scotia, but several factors are making it difficult for some parents to get their children the assistance they need.

Nicole Conrad, a psychology professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, co-authored a research article published earlier this year that found financial constraints and long waits are among the obstacles parents face in trying to secure tutors for their children.

She said her interest in the topic started when she noticed how many parents were commenting in Facebook groups about searching for help for their kids.

"They were posting information about why they were looking for tutors and the difficulty they were having to find tutors. And I just thought it seemed like an overwhelming number of parents," she said.

Affording a tutor 

Some parents interviewed for the research said hiring a tutor for their children meant making sacrifices.

Tirsa Finlay of the Links Literacy Program at Chisholm Services for Children in Halifax says their program works to ensure that money doesn't stand in the way of families trying to access tutoring services.

"A lot of the kids that need literacy support, their families can't afford it," Finlay said.

"So, that's why we work hard and we work with the HRCE [Halifax Regional Centre for Education] and the Department of Education to find ways that we can offer that at a low cost or free."

But little to no cost isn't always a given.

Some parents paid up to $7,000 a year for their child to go to private tutoring businesses, Conrad's research found, and some paid rates ranging from $30 to $100 an hour for independent tutors.

The expense can make accessing tutoring services especially difficult for low-income families, particularly those in rural areas who don't have affordable services like Links Literacy.

"Just yesterday I received a call from someone in the [Annapolis] Valley looking for literacy support for a student in Grade 1," said Finlay.

Finlay said that although they are expanding their program, they are not yet offered everywhere.

Long waits for private literacy services have also posed problems for parents. Some were told they could be waiting for up to five years, according to the research.

Demand for tutors amid curriculum changes 

Conrad said her research shows that some parents believe the literacy education their children receive in schools is inadequate, driving the demand for tutoring.

"The parents had children who were struggling to learn to read and they didn't seem to be getting the support that they wanted to get from the school that their child was in," she said.

Provincial assessments from 2022 showed that reading scores were below the grade level for nearly one in three students in Grade 3.

Despite the difficulties in accessing tutors, Conrad found that parents took the initiative to ensure their children could build literacy skills.

"The parents here seem to be very strong advocates for good literacy instruction and wanting that for their kids and that was really lovely to see," said Conrad.