Every child learns at a different pace. Some children will quickly pick up on reading, but many others may struggle to keep up with their classmates. In fact, it’s estimated that 65% of fourth graders in the U.S. read at or below their reading level.

Seeing your child struggle to read can make you feel helpless. But fortunately, there is something you can do to help your child. Parents should take advantage of free reading tutoring services to help their children develop the skills they need to blossom into successful readers.

Does My Child Need Reading Tutoring?

Before exploring free tutoring options, it’s important for parents to understand how they can determine whether or not their child is in need of reading help. Your child’s teacher may tell you if your child is struggling to read. But you don’t have to wait for your child’s teacher to realize that there is a problem to get help.

There are certain signs that indicate a child is struggling to read that parents should look for, including:

• Confusing letters that look alike, such as “d” or “p,” or sound alike, such as “d” and “t.”
• Having trouble rhyming basic words, such as “hat” and “fat.”
• Forgetting common sight words that are frequently used in the English language, including “the,” “is,” and “it.”
• Spelling the same word in two or more different ways when writing.
• Omitting syllables or saying the syllables out of order when sounding out a new word.
• Refusing to read or making excuses about why they do not enjoy reading.
• Recognizing a word once, but then failing to recognize it the second time it appears in a passage.
• Paying no attention to punctuation when reading a passage.
• Relying too heavily on context clues, such as the illustrations on each page, to determine what the passage is about.

If you spot any of these signs, your child may be a struggling reader who needs extra help from a reading tutor.

Do Public Schools Offer Free Reading Tutoring?

The U.S. Department of Education provides supplemental educational services, including tutoring in reading, language arts, and math, to certain public school students. These services are available to students before or after school hours, on the weekends, and even during summer break.

Supplemental educational services are not provided to all public school students. To receive these services, students must meet certain eligibility requirements. For example, children must come from a low-income family and attend a Title I school that the state has designated as one that needs to be improved.

Many children are not eligible for these services due to these restricting requirements. However, if your child is eligible, you may want to consider taking advantage of these free services.

Where Can I Find A Free Reading Tutor?

It can be very difficult to find a free reading tutor outside of the supplemental educational services provided by the Department of Education. If your child does not qualify for these services, consider asking a family member, such as an older sibling or cousin, to tutor your child. You can also try to tutor your child as long as your child feels comfortable with this arrangement.  A very good option is to try a reading app like Readability, that will guide you through the process so that your child achieves the objectives traced.

How Much Does A Private Reading Tutor Cost?

Many parents are willing to spend money on a private reading tutor in order to help their child improve their reading skills—that is, until they find out how much a tutor costs.

The cost of a tutor can vary depending on the tutor’s skill, the subject, and your location. But on average, a private reading tutor can cost anywhere from $25-80 per hour. Most children need about three hours of tutoring per week, which means hiring a private tutor could cost you between $300-960 per month. This is far more than most parents are willing or able to spend on a reading tutor for their child.

Low-Cost Reading Tutoring Services For Children

Free reading tutoring resources are rather limited, but there are low-cost options that parents should consider. One low-cost reading tutoring service is the Readability app, which uses artificial intelligence and advanced speech recognition to improve your child’s reading skills. With this app, children will receive immediate feedback so they can instantly correct and learn from their mistakes.

Kids will love the wide variety of stories available on the Readability app, and parents will love that they can track their child’s progress over time. Download the app on your smartphone or tablet to start your free 7-day trial today.