1-5 Years in Operation Finalist: Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services Inc.

Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services Inc. began tutoring its first local student in October 2011. In the 19 months since, the franchise has grown its ranks to 31 part-time tutors and increased revenue 61 percent compared to the first six months of 2012 to $85,000.

Providing individual tutoring in subject-specific areas, general study skills and standardized test prep, husband-and-wife team Kevin and Leisha Baker franchised the Tampa-based Club Z! for $19,750 and serve students at all ages and educational levels. Kevin Baker spent years in marketing and sales management, while Leisha Baker is a fifth-grade teacher at Springfield’s Disney Elementary.

Tutoring about 150 students during the last two years, Club Z! rates range from $35-$40 an hour and the team supports the varying curriculum of nine area school districts: Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Willard, Republic, Rogersville, Fair Grove, Greenwood Laboratory School and New Covenant Academy. The Bakers say math is always their most requested subject.

With projected year-over-year growth above 50 percent in 2013, the Bakers say the Ozarks is experiencing heightened educational awareness. Thanks to the expansion of private educational opportunities and the addition of specialized public school offerings such as Reed Academy and International Baccalaureate programs, parents are considering educational opportunities at an earlier age and taking steps to prepare. Because the future demands it, tutoring services are a hot commodity right now, says Kevin Baker.

“Colleges are paying much closer attention to test scores and grade point average. Parents are really becoming proactive in helping their children prepare. The application process has become highly competitive – not just for larger, more prestigious institutions, but for all universities and colleges,” he says.

As an educator, Leisha Baker is quick to point out the omnipresent challenge of increasing class sizes in public schools. For many students – even gifted and highly intelligent children – classroom resources are simply stretched too thin to afford them the necessary individual attention, she says.

“I see it every day,” she says. “Even at  higher-performing schools such as Disney, there are kids who could make great strides if given just a little more focused instruction. Our tutors help to bridge that gap for our student clients.”

Elementary students regularly experience multiple grade-level improvements in as little as three months of individual tutoring, Baker says. But the couple is quick to point out that there is no age cap on success. Club Z! tutored a Missouri State University student who had twice failed her college-level anatomy course, focusing on both the subject matter and studying techniques, and upon taking the class for the third time last fall, received a passing grade.

The Bakers say because of their high recruiting standards – a Bachelor of Science minimum – Club Z! staffs many new college graduates with degrees in educational instruction from Missouri State, Drury and Evangel universities.

“These are well-educated young people who just haven’t been able to get their foot in the door with one of the local school districts,” says Kevin Baker. “We hear from many of them that working for Club Z! is helping them stay in the area until they land that first teaching job. Keeping that kind of talent in the area is something we’re proud to be a part of.” [[In-content Ad]]