Lani Hansen/Senior Reporter
OKMULGEE, Oklahoma– The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is providing free tutoring through the Accessing Choices in Education (ACE) Program.
The ACE grant program is an extension for children in education, by providing educational opportunities such as learning experience or school success. It also focuses not only on the students but the parents as well to make educational choices for the students. The grant program went through planning in 2020 and began rolling out services January 1, 2022.
For the grant to be awarded, the ACE program went through a needs assessment of the community. The program had to choose an area within the MCN reservation boundaries and found the need for tutoring voiced by many families of the area.
“With COVID shutting down schools there has been a learning gap the last couple of years for students,” MCN ACE Project Director Adrienne Thompson said.
According to Thompson, the tutoring program is run by tutor.com. This tutoring site is an online format with 2,000 spaces available on this program for students to utilize. This year will be the first time for the tutor company partnering with a tribe.
“In order to access that service, students will need to go on our website and apply under the tutoring section,” she said.
Thompson said they send in the application information every Friday to the tutoring company. After two weeks the applicant will receive an email from the tutor company enclosed with the login information.
“The process takes about three weeks for when an application is completed,” she said.
The tutoring website is available 24/7, 361 days a year for students to access at school or at home. According to TUTOR.com, the services are closed on New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The services are offered to students grades K-12. All American Indian/Alaska Native students who live and attend a public school in the MCN reservation are eligible.
Thompson added, “We value parents’ and students’ feedback, if there are services we do not offer, then maybe next year we can offer them.”
To apply for tutoring services visit: www.mcnaceservices.com.