Photo courtesy Club Z In-Home TutoringThe team at Club Z in-Home Tutoring uses a car to attend enrollment visits with customers.
Strategy
Club Z In-Home Tutoring Grows Throughout Pandemic
In preparation for the academic school year, Club Z In-Home Tutoring reinvents academic support in the face of COVID-19 with their new pod learning program.
By Max Havey
Nov 2020
The Problem
When Kevin and Leisha Baker brought their franchise of Club Z In-Home Tutoring to Springfield in 2011, they specialized in face-to-face, one-on-one tutoring with students. But as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and caused much-needed nationwide stay-at-home orders, this meant traditional in-home tutoring was out of the question. “We needed to make a pivot and change where we stood as far as what the tutoring would look like,” says owner and area director Kevin Baker.
The Big Idea
In the spring, the Bakers first found success with virtual tutoring via video conferencing services like Zoom. In the summer, the team started exploring pod learning—group learning for a small group of students outside the classroom. Once they realized pod learning was both affordable for clients and profitable for Club Z, they started preparing their program in mid-August.
The Learning Curve
Outside of reworking contracts to accommodate larger groups, the Bakers and their tutors have also had to focus on pod dynamics. “We thought that pods would sort of be the same,” Baker says. “And that's not necessarily the case.” To provide the best experience, Baker notes that Club Z started capping pods at six students and setting clear expectations for both students and parents in order to focus more on academic support than just supervision.
The Takeaway
Club Z In-Home Tutoring has seen a 20% increase in the amount of students it’s tutoring this fall from 2019. Baker attributes this growth to his team’s ability to pivot their services. “We've always said in our businesses, you always have to look at ways to reinvent yourself,” Baker says. “Pod learning is another arrow we can put in our quiver.”
