How to choose the best tutor for your child

While it might be difficult for some parents to accept that their child is struggling academically and requires additional resources, those struggle's aren't uncommon and hiring a tutor may be the best option.

Angie's List, the nation's premier provider of consumer reviews on local services companies, including tutors, talked to highly rated tutoring companies who offered some A-rated advice to help your students excel in school.

Angie's List Tips to find the best tutors and get the most out of the investment:

• Make the learning environment in which a child learns one where he or she can focus and feel supported. Oftentimes a student will fear failure, but if help is available immediately and the child knows this, he or she is much less likely to allow emotional aspects of school affect their cognitive ability.
   
• It is important to tailor a tutoring session to the individual student. If that student feels more comfortable in a group of students and thrives off competition, then a group session is best. If a student is shy about her or his academic prowess, then individual tutoring is probably in order.
   
• Put your child on a school schedule. Include bedtime, wake-up time, mealtime and study time, prior to the first day of school to help ease him or her back into a routine.
   
• Make sure your child studies or is tutored in between semesters. This will help so that he or she doesn’t lose the knowledge they’ve gained. Read books that are appropriate grade level, do something with math like multiplication tables, counting money or word problems.
   
• Go over school skills with your kids whenever you get a chance. Have them do math in their heads at the checkout counter of the grocery store, read billboards aloud when you’re driving in the car, or help you measure out ingredients in the kitchen. They’ll love the attention and it will keep their skills sharp.
   
• Have an older sibling read aloud to a younger sibling. It creates a sense of accomplishment and maturity. Also, have a family reading time when the children can read aloud. Review your child’s textbooks and look for the additional resources that often go along it.
   
• Interview the tutor. Have your child present to get a feel for how their personalities would mesh.
   
• Check the tutor’s credentials. Contact references and check Angie’s List for reports on the tutor, and read the fine print on any contract before entering into a hiring agreement with a tutor.
   
• Don't be afraid to shop around. Tutoring can range from $25 to $50 per hour. The price can vary depending on the type of tutoring and the level.

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