Missouri Company Offers Free Online Learning for Students Affected by COVID-19

Varsity Tutors, an innovative Missouri-based company and the nation’s leading provider of one-on-one instruction, launched a free set of online classes this week for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The classes are designed for children in kindergarten through 12th grade and are filling a major educational need created by school shutdowns across the country.

“We decided there was an opportunity to step up in a big way,” Varsity Tutors CEO Chuck Cohn said Monday, a few hours after Virtual School Day launched.

The platform includes math, reading, writing, literature and science courses for every grade level, as well as expert-guided study hall sessions and age-appropriate enrichment units, such as “the science of pandemics” for middle schoolers.

Participants can access 20 hours of live instruction each week. The platform also has content to help parents guide their child’s learning.

Cohn said Varsity’s 600 employees — all of whom are working from home as the company does its part to prevent spread of COVID-19 — created the Virtual School Day product in five days. A team of about 40 people was tweaking the system as late as 3 a. before taking it live at 9 am on Monday.

“People have been super-appreciative,” Cohn said. “There’s so much uncertainty, and we are going to be striving hard to provide content to kids and parents who need it.”

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