Our Mission Statement

To provide a safe, nurturing environment where children can boost their grades and build their confidence.

The relationships we build at Tutor Tots are all very important to us. We promise to treat all children with the respect they deserve.  We promise to provide an environment that puts the fun back into learning, gives children permission to express themselves, nurtures a child's learning journey, builds confidence, and celebrates the uniqueness of every child.

Fees

1-Hour Classes: $45
45-Minute Classes: $35

*Plus HST, if applicable. 

How HST Exemption Works: 
I will send you a letter to send to your child’s teacher, in order to obtain an outline/lesson plan. Studies have shown that aligning tutoring with the student’s school curriculum improves the retention of skills and content. If we simultaneously work on what the student is doing in the classroom then we help prevent the student from developing more learning gaps.  

The old way of tutoring with the student bringing homework to the classroom does not always work any more because so many students no longer get homework. Consequently, tutoring centres should be changing their tutoring methods in order to help students learn (according to the experts at the National Student Support Accelerator), and this is what we have done at Tutor Tots. Since we have changed our methods to align with what the recent research has shown, we have most definitely seen better results with more organized tutoring sessions, better grades, and, most importantly, more self-confidence in our students. 

​If the teacher gives us the outline/lesson plan, then you will be HST exempt. If they do not, then HST will be applied to the fee. We do, however, have a very high success rate with teacher participation.

​For high school students, the course syllabus they are provided with serves as an outline from the teacher. 

​Please Note: The requirement for HST exemption is not my requirement. This has been mandated by the CRA. "Paragraph 9(A) of Part III of Schedule V exempts a supply of service of tutoring or instructing an individual in a course that is approved for credit by, or that follows a curriculum designated by, a school authority. For the exemption to apply, it generally must be evidence that there is a direct connection between the supply of the service of tutoring or instructing in question and the course approved for credit by, or the curriculum designated by, a school authority." It is not enough that I have the requirements mandated by the Ministry of Education. I must have a "curriculum outline" by the school authority (teacher).

How to Prepare for Online Sessions

​​You need access to a laptop, computer, iPad or tablet.   The device needs to have a microphone built in along with a web cam. Please note that older laptops, computers, iPads or tablets may not support all the PDFs we use in the classroom.  
  • Log in before your set time to ensure that your camera, mic, etcetera are in working order before your session begins.  
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  • All students up to Grade 5 must have a small whiteboard (a lined whiteboard is preferred) along with the appropriate markers and an eraser (larger eraser…not the eraser on the back on the marker, as it is too small and takes the students a long time to erase their work).  Grade 6+ students, who can fully manipulate the online tools, do not need to have a whiteboard.
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  • Your child must work in a space that is quiet.   If you cannot provide a quiet environment for your child to learn and for the tutor to teach then we do not recommend online tutoring for your child. Noisy sessions will result in termination of the session.
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  • Ensure your child has a pencil and some paper available to work out math problems. Of course, younger students can use their whiteboard. Also, as we often play interactive games (more so for the younger students), please ensure your child has some dice available.
 
  • Your child must also be sitting at a desk or table ready to work. Lying on the couch or floor or sitting on the floor does not ​create a productive working environment for your child. Sessions will be cancelled if your child is not at a table/desk.
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  • If your child is young and needs help navigating the program, it is imperative that you be in close proximity to your child, so that your child does not have to look for you every time he/she needs help. 
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  • If we are tutoring two siblings at the same time, they must be in separate rooms to avoid the distraction of the background noise.  

Important: We recommend that you create a "tool" bin for your child that contains all the necessary tools (pens, paper, calculator, ruler, etc), so that your child is able to have a productive session.

Please make sure your child has something to drink on their desk.  There is no food permitted during tutoring, as the child tends to focus on eating and not on learning.  Please make sure your child has had an adequate snack before tutoring starts, as a hungry child has trouble learning and staying focused. 

Internet Requirements for Online Sessions


  • Minimum Download/Upload Speed: 128kbps / 128kbps
  • ​Recommended Download/Upload Speed: 300kbps / 300kbps
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  • ​If you want to test whether or not you have the requirements, click on the following link:
  • https://www.learncube.com/virtual-classroom-requirements.html
 
  • Use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser.  ​

Parental Involvement During and After Online Sessions


We ask that students have a separate space in the house, where it is quiet, for their sessions.  We ask that parents not communicate with their child during sessions.   
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In addition, if you notice that your child is restless or not paying attention, please do not reprimand your child during or after their session. By doing this, you are actually creating a negative tutoring experience. Any behaviours that Tutor Tots feels need to be addressed, will be addressed with you. Often times what looks like inattentive behaviour to the parent is just the child releasing some anxiety, so the child seems tuned out, preoccupied or restless. For other children, there is a difference in the brain that affects focus. Children who are perfectionistic will also appear tuned out or might exhibit avoidance when things are tough because their brains are trained to do everything perfectly. Consequently, you need to put the desire to reprimand on pause, and let the tutors address the situations and correct the behaviours that need to be corrected. Remember, not all the behaviours need correction, as some of them are necessary for the child to destress.

​If you reprimand your child during or after their session, you are not only creating a negative tutoring experience for your child, but you are also undoing any progress the tutors are making to help your child with their anxiety, stress, low self-esteem or perfectionistic tendencies.

Treat online learning as if your child was in the classroom. Their homeroom teacher at school does not report everything to you about your child and neither do we because it's just not necessary. As mentioned, if something needs to be addressed or there is a major concern, you will be contacted. 

Homework/Marked Tests

Helping your child with school homework is top priority. The sessions designed by Tutor Tots will only be implemented, if your child does not have any homework from school. We are here to help your child with their schoolwork, and by helping your child with  their schoolwork we will have a better understanding of their teacher's expectations.  
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​Please send any homework assigned by your child's teacher directly to the tutor, either via text or email (you will be given the tutor's information). Any homework assigned by Tutor Tots should be sent to Angela at [email protected].  

You can send the homework or schoolwork through pictures or creating PDFs (preferable). If there are several pages, please try to amalgamate the pages into one PDF. 

Note: ​Please submit any marked tests or assignments to Angela. Marked tests and assignments from school help us determine areas that need further development. 

Payment for Tutoring

Monthly payments are due before your child's first session of every month. You will be given a monthly fee payment guide to follow in PDF format.  

Please Note: There are no deductions of fees for vacations, illnesses, birthdays, et cetera. The only deductions for the month will be for recognized holidays/school closures such as Easter, Family Day, Winter Break, March Break, et cetera. 

Payment Method: E-transfer to [email protected].  Tutor Tots is registered for auto deposit. 

​Important: You will not receive a monthly invoice from Tutor Tots, so please keep your e-transfer receipts as proof of payment. 

Emails/Texts

  1. Tutor Tots communicates primarily through email (especially for homework assignment and progress reports), so please check your emails frequently. In addition, our emails tend to go to Junk or Spam, so please check those too and then create a setting that prevents the emails from going to Junk or Spam. Just adding Tutor Tots to your Contact List can alleviate this problem.  ​
  2. Please text Angela at Tutor Tots for any cancellations (see Cancellation Policy below) at 416-433-4863. Please do not email me for any cancellations.​ Please do not cancel classes via LearnCube. 
  3. Please text Angela at Tutor Tots for any issues that require immediate attention.​

Cancellations

Ignore the 24-hour cancellation policy LearnCube has in place,

​Cancellations must be made by 9:00 a.m. on the day of your child's tutoring (Monday to Friday). For Saturday tutoring, cancellations must be made by 6:00 p.m. on Friday. For Sunday tutoring, cancellations must be made by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Any cancellations that do not meet the above will be charged for the full session and will not be eligible for a rescheduled session. Please note that too many cancellations may result in a termination of tutoring services. Termination will be at the discretion of Tutor Tots.

No reimbursements will be given for rescheduled sessions that are not used by the student. We will give you the opportunity to choose from several different tutoring days and times for the rescheduled sessions, so it is important that you confirm one of them.

Any cancelled sessions by Tutor Tots will be fulfilled with a rescheduled session (other than those sessions cancelled for statutory holidays, March break, et cetera) or a reimbursement of fees.

Important: Please text Angela at 416-433-4863 to cancel any sessions.  Please do not email. Please do not text or email the tutors. Please do not cancel through the LearnCube portal.

June and Summer Sessions: ​There are no cancellations permitted in June and during summer sessions.  If your child misses a session or you cancel a session, there will be no rescheduled sessions granted and no reimbursement of funds.  

No Shows/Emergency Cancellations

You will get an email reminder about any upcoming sessions two hours before the session is scheduled to take place.

No Shows: Any no-shows (cancellation notification not given at all or a cancellation given after your child's scheduled time has already begun) will be subject to the full session fee and will not be eligible for a rescheduled session. 

If after 5 minutes the student has not shown up for their session, the tutor will send a text. If after 15 minutes the student is still not present, the tutor will close the session and this will be considered a "no-show."  
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Emergency Cancellations: There are no make up classes for emergency cancellations, and the full session fee will be applied.

Rescheduled Sessions

If your child qualifies for a rescheduled session (see above conditions), then Tutor Tots will reach out with dates and times. Please note that no student is permitted to carry more than 2 rescheduled sessions. 

Important:  For the month of June and during summer sessions, there are no session cancellations permitted. Therefore, no rescheduled sessions will be conducted and any cancelled classes will be subject to the full session fee.

Termination of Services

Important: You may terminate tutoring at any month end.  For example, if you want to terminate tutoring in October, you can terminate after your child has completed their last session for October.  As payments are due monthly, there will be no reimbursement if you decide to terminate tutoring sessions before the end of the month. 

Progress Reports

In an effort to be as transparent as possible, all tutors are required to list every document and any school work that was completed during every tutoring session as well as the observations.  These reports are located in Google Docs.

​All parents will receive a link and more information, so that they can look at their child's progress.

​For any questions or concerns, please contact Angela at 416-433-4863.

Extra Resources

All parents will have access to a page for Members where you will find extra resources to support your child's learning. If there are resources that you are looking for that are not on the Members page, then please reach out. 

Please read the rules carefully. You are not permitted to share any of these resources with anyone else. 

If there is a termination of tutoring services, you will no longer be granted access to this page. 

Note:  The page for Members is currently under construction.

Expectations

Tutor Tots prides itself on helping your child with their homework and creating personalized sessions that will help your child boost their grades and build their confidence.  Although we have a success rate that we are extremely proud of, we cannot guarantee this, so we ask that parents manage their expectations.  

If your child is attending once a week vs. twice a week, this makes a difference in the learning process.  If your child is combining two subject areas into one session versus spending one hour on each subject, this too makes a difference in the learning process.  If Tutor Tots is not provided with information on what is being taught in the child's school classroom, we cannot guarantee we will cover the same material.

​Of more importance, every child learns at a different pace, so it is unrealistic to compare your child to someone else's.
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."  
​​Benjamin Franklin

All children need is a little help, a little hope,
​and people who believe in them.