Lisa Gilbert
By Erik Deckers
Managing Editor
After 25 years in healthcare. Lisa Gilbert started looking for a new career. However, she wasn’t just interested in making money. She wanted something that would keep her closer to home and something she could believe in. “I was looking for something I felt as good about as I felt about healthcare,” said Gilbert. “Plus, I wanted something that would revolve around children, something that would help kids in the community.”
So Gilbert bought a franchise for the Tutoring Club, a tutoring service for children in Avon, and opened it in January to serve all of Hendricks County. “I feel good about this every day,” she said. “Tutoring was something I locked into. The educational system is struggling right now. It’s strained because of finances – cut budgets, cut teachers – it’s an area of need.”
The Tutoring Club tutors children from kindergarten through 12th grade. Gilbert focuses on the administrative end of the business, but she has six certified teachers who tutor the children. They focus on the basics – reading, writing, math, and study skills – for younger students, and specialized classes like science, calculus, and trigonometry for older students.
Gilbert said a conversation with a teacher friend last month underscored the seriousness of the problem. “She said they only have 10 more days to teach the school curriculum before the kids are done. In February! Because the rest of the time is spent getting kids ready for ISTEP, remediating kids who aren’t doing well, and then actually taking the test.
“That’s eating into core curriculum. How do we not sacrifice education and curriculum so kids will get the skills they need for college and life? When you’ve got middle schoolers who should be in algebra but can’t do ratios and integers, how are they going to succeed in algebra?”
The Club partners with area schools, which understand they’re here to be supportive and increase the academic success of the students in the community. In fact, Gilbert has spent a lot of her time meeting with schools, partnering with parent organizations, and exhibiting at community shows.
“I chose Hendricks County because I grew up in Brownsburg. I’m a West sider” said Gilbert. “I looked at the different areas of central Indiana. There are 19 tutoring clubs in Hamilton County and only one in Hendricks County.”
Gilbert’s Tutoring Center makes only the second for the entire county. This has actually created a bigger problem for her than you might expect. “The biggest challenge I have is because there are so many tutoring centers in Hamilton County, parents already know the model. Here in Hendricks County, this is a new concept. I spend a lot of time getting the parents used to the idea, knowing what tutoring is, how it can benefit their children.”
Gilbert’s favorite part of the business is when she sees a child who comes in and is struggling, but they’re able to change that child’s perception and love for learning.
“I had one student yesterday, a young boy who has been with us for three weeks. He wasn’t doing well in math class when he came in, and he took his first test last week, and got an A. He had never gotten an A on a math test ever. You should have seen him come in. He was just beaming. Now he’s confident, getting the skills to succeed, and lifting his spirits.”
Gilbert says the economy hasn’t affected her business to a great degree. “It’s hard to tell in one month, but other franchises are doing well,” said Gilbert. “ Education is one of those areas where parents are less likely to skip. They focus on what’s really important: feeding, sheltering the family, and paying for healthcare and education.”
Gilbert is also looking forward to this summer, because she thinks she’ll be busy. “After school budgets have been cut, they won’t be able to fund summer school, especially in middle and elementary school, which means parents will need something. You’ll need some program so kids can start the new school year in a better position to succeed.” The Tutoring Club is already getting calls about summer tutoring, which means she’s well on her way to fulfilling her prediction, and her center, which holds 150 students at one time.
Lisa Gilbert
The Tutoring Club of Avon
9158 E. US 36
Avon, IN 46123
(317) 838-8867 – phone
AvonIN@tutoringclub.com
