Our method
We start at your child's level and teach one-on-one, with hands-on materials and planned breaks.
Our page on tutoring kids with ADHD and autism covers preparing your child for a new person and how sessions fit alongside therapy, an IEP, or a 504 plan.
What our method is
Every session is built on these six things, whatever your child's age.
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We start at your child's level
At the free consultation we find out what your child already knows and where the gaps are, then build up from there, one step at a time. A 4th grader who is shaky on subtraction will keep finding 4th grade math hard until the subtraction is solid, so that's where sessions start.
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Your tutor makes the materials
Every worksheet is made for what your child needs to practice next. Two real examples, with the notes printed on them, are further down this page.
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Hands-on work comes before paper
Younger children use pom-poms, blocks, Play-Doh, drawing, and games to make a number or a letter concrete before they try it in writing. Older students go straight to explanations and guided practice.
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Short blocks, with the hardest work first
Younger children work in 5 to 10 minute activities, usually two or three, then a break. New or harder material comes first, while your child is fresh, and the session ends on something they can do.
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Good work gets noticed
Your tutor praises good work as it happens and uses small rewards, so sessions stay calm and positive.
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You hear how every session went
You get a written note after each session, and a progress report once a month on what your child has been working on and what comes next.
Where our method comes from
It comes from our founder, Mariya Zakir: a year as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at an ABA clinic, working one-on-one with autistic children, and three years tutoring at a tutoring center.
At the tutoring center she saw that worksheets all day don't work for every child, and that some kids learn best through play and hands-on materials. The planned breaks, praise, and small rewards are ABA-informed strategies from her work at the clinic.
Read our storyA session, start to finish
Every session follows the same order, so your child always knows roughly what's coming.
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Your tutor says hello, then starts with a short warm-up, something your child already knows, to ease in.
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The main work comes next, while your child is fresh.
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For younger children, that main work is broken into 5 to 10 minute blocks with a break after two or three; older students usually work in one longer stretch.
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The session ends on an easy review, so your child finishes on something they can do.
The worksheets your child actually uses
The reading sheet in this photo was made for one student. Under the title, in small print, is a note written to the tutor:
"He can point or circle to answer. Writing the sentence is extra practice, so skip it if he's tired."
The point of that page is reading. If he's had a long day, the tutor can drop the writing and the lesson still does its job.
Young children usually understand a number better once they have counted it in front of them. The subtraction worksheet at the top of this page carries its own note:
"If he gets stuck, build the problem with pom poms first, then cross out the pictures."
He builds the problem, takes some away, counts what is left, and then works the same problem on paper. Blocks, Play-Doh, and drawing get used the same way for other skills.
If your child gets upset or refuses to work
That happens, and it isn't a sign that tutoring is going wrong. Your tutor asks for one more very short task, under 2 minutes, praises your child for finishing it, and then gives a short break. The break comes right after a success, not in the middle of a meltdown, and most children come back more focused.
More about difficult momentsFor older students
Most of the session is their own schoolwork: current assignments, review for an upcoming quiz or test, and whatever earlier skill that work depends on. If keeping track of assignments is the harder part, your tutor sets up a homework and study calendar with them.
Our process, step by step
Six steps, from the booking form to your first monthly progress report.
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You get in touch
First contact
Fill in the form on our booking page, and we'll contact you to schedule a free consultation.
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The consultation, in your home
Free visit
First, we sit down with you. We fill in a two-page consultation form together: why you're reaching out, where your child is having the hardest time, any IEP, a 504 plan, or other therapies your child already has, and what you have already tried. Bring out report cards or recent schoolwork if you have them.
Then we spend time with your child on a short activity based on something they enjoy. It isn't graded, and there's nothing to prepare. While they work, we note where they are in reading or math, how long they stay with a task, and how they handle something difficult.
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Agreeing on a plan
Before we leave
Session length, sessions per week, days and times, a start date, and the goals for your child. If you'd rather we just recommend a plan, say so. Many parents do, and we're glad to lead.
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Adjusting the pace
First few sessions
Your tutor learns how long each activity should run for your child, and when a break actually helps, then adjusts from there.
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Session notes
After every session
A short written note on what your child worked on and how it went.
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Progress report
Once a month
What your child has been working on, how it is going, and what comes next. It's a good time to sit down together and change the plan if it needs changing.
Having a tutor in your home
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Background checked and CPR certified
Every Cedar Elm tutor is background checked and CPR certified before they come to your home.
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An adult must be home
Someone 18 or older, a parent or a nanny, needs to be there for the whole session. They're welcome to sit in, or stay in another room if that helps your child focus.
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One child at a time
Your tutor works with one child at a time. Siblings can share a visit: two children can split a 60-minute visit, with at least 30 minutes each.
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Everything is brought for you
Custom worksheets, pom-poms, Play-Doh, and pencils. You don't need to buy any supplies.
What we ask of parents
A few things at home change how much a session gets done.
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Have an adult home. Someone 18 or older needs to be there for the whole session, sitting in or in another room, whichever helps your child focus.
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Clear a quiet table and turn off the TV. Any table works. A child who has trouble focusing does noticeably better with less going on around them, so the TV off and siblings occupied elsewhere make a real difference.
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Keep pets in another room. Even a calm dog pulls attention off a worksheet.
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Have recent schoolwork out. Homework, report cards, and upcoming test dates help your tutor plan sessions around what your child is actually doing in class.
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Keep the same day and time each week. That slot is reserved for your child, and a routine helps them know what's coming.
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Tell us what already works. A sticker chart, a timer, a visual schedule, "first, then": if your child uses one of these at home, we will use it in sessions too, so the routine looks the same coming from every adult.
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Read the session notes, and call us if anything in one is unclear or worries you.
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Keep your child home when they are sick. One same-day illness cancellation is credited each month. After that, the 24-hour cancellation rule applies. How sick days are handled
Questions parents ask once sessions start
Can I stay in the room?
Yes. An adult has to be home for every session regardless, and some children focus better with a parent nearby while others focus better alone. We'll talk about which fits your child at the consultation, and you can change your mind later.
Will sessions follow what my child is doing in school?
Often, yes. For school-age children we usually work on current homework and upcoming tests, plus whatever earlier skill that work leans on. Trouble with this week's homework is frequently an earlier skill that never quite set, so covering both tends to fix more.
What if my child is shy with new people?
That's common, and it isn't a bad sign. The first visit is relaxed and built around something your child already likes, and your tutor lets them warm up at their own pace. How to prepare your child for a new person
Can we change the schedule later?
Yes. Talk to your tutor, and check Family Policies for how scheduling and billing work. See Family Policies
What's actually in the monthly progress report?
What your child worked on that month, how it went, and what's next. It's the natural point to revisit the plan together.
Book a free consultation
Every family starts with a free consultation in their home.