Las Vegas tutoring company and advocacy group for special needs students sees influx
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — It's back to school month for students across the Vegas Valley, with schools operating a lot differently regardless of whether it's in person or virtually.
One tutoring and advocacy group in the area says it's seeing an increase in enrollment for families of children with special needs as the Clark County School District moved to begin the year with full distance learning.
Nevada Educational Advocacy and Tutoring, or NEAT Services, has in person or at-home learning options with instructors who have backgrounds in special education as well as other types of tutoring specialties.
Since the Clark County School Board announced a semester of full distance learning, owners of the advocacy group say people are contacting them non-stop.
"We used to get one or two calls a day and that we're getting a dozen a day," said Dan Stock, co-owner of NEAT Services.
Stock and therapy dog Charlie, welcomed News 3 into the home school help program center in south Las Vegas Monday.
"Every child goes through temperature check, hand sanitizing station," he said during the tour.
Classrooms will also look a little different.
"We'll put dividers up, make sure that only four kids are in each classroom now," said Stock of the classrooms that used to have six students at a time pre-COVID.
Each room will be led by one of the group's educational therapists.
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"Then in addition there may be additional therapists that are coming in with the child themselves," said Stock. "But other than that, you know, we would invite the parents to sit outside."
NEAT Services also provides home tutoring.
"Whether the child is working in a CCSD environment or whether they're working in their own curriculum," said Stock.
Tutors will either stop by the home or teach students one-on-one virtually.
Sonya Toma's son Joey, a current CCSD student, is in the virtual learning program..
"He is diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities. They tried to get distance learning in order but he didn't really have that much engagement, and I think the schools are still figuring out how to," she said.
What do these sessions look like?
"We use different modalities," said Toma. "There's cubes that he uses, they read books together."
She plans to have Joey continue tutoring for the foreseeable future.
"It's more of a one on one," said Toma. "They can pick up the pace or slow it down, or do things that joey's interested in. And so he's, he seems a little more engaged.
To meet the growing need, NEAT Services recently hired ten additional educational therapists.
And they plan to expand their facility as well.
For more information on their programs, you can visit NEAT Services online. Their programs are not limited to students with special needs and provide options for students of all ages and learning abilities.