A new benefit helps working parents improve their kids' literacy skills

Hoot Reading, an educational technology startup company, has debuted a new corporate benefit that provides working parents with online literacy tutoring for children in preschool through sixth grade.

The program gives employers the chance to prioritize the needs of employees and their families through free or subsidized access to the Hoot Reading online tutoring service. Parents who enroll their children in the Hoot for Companies benefit will have access to a virtual classroom where they will connect with teachers who specialize in the development of early childhood literacy skills through one-on-one, 20-minute lessons.

Children across the U.S. have been experiencing significant learning loss since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers and students out of the classroom and into a virtual educational environment. Students had experienced a cumulative learning loss of five to nine months by the end of the 2020 school year, according to research by McKinsey. Additionally, 75% of students who don’t overcome reading difficulties by the third grade never catch up later on, according to research from the University of Alberta.

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“Parents are often shocked to hear that over two thirds of kids are reading below grade level by grade four, making them unable to make the leap from learning to read to reading to learn,” says Carly Schuler, co-founder and CEO of Hoot Reading. “Through this benefit, parents get access to the Hoot reading program, but what the parents actually receive is a very flexible program where lessons can be pre-scheduled anywhere from two to five times a week, or they can be taken on demand if that fits better with the working parent’s schedule.”

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Hoot Reading’s first corporate partner is technology services company Accenture, whose North America-based working parents now have access to this benefit.

“At Accenture, our working parents told us that to be successful, both professionally and personally, they needed tutoring support for their children to supplement virtual schooling as they return to the classroom,” says Chris Klunk, Accenture’s chief human resources officer of North America. “Hoot for Companies is easy for families to access, helps working parents alleviate some of the stress of their many responsibilities, and most importantly, it gives children personalized attention with a certified teacher who can help them boost their skills in a fun and engaging way.”

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Hoot Reading is hopeful more employers will adopt this benefit as they continue to grow their teacher bases. Currently, Hoot has 250 teachers on board and is adding more educators at a rate of 50 teachers per week as the company expects there to be significant demand in the fall.

“If you as an employer are truly looking to create a workforce that is equitable and diverse, then it's so important to consider the unique needs of working parents,” Schuler says. “With working parents — and mothers in particular — leaving the workforce at a rate higher than ever before, unique benefits like this are a huge lever to recruit and retain working parents.”