WAINIHA — Homeschool Now, a 501(c)3 nonprofit for education, opened a tutoring center for students grades three to 12 last January to help Northshore children get the one-on-one attention they need.
Christina Zimmerman, owner and director of HSN, has been an educator for 10 years, and started HSN five years ago.
“It has been a dream of mine to expand my normal school program to help more children,” Zimmerman said.
“Education is the most transformative tool that we have to change ourselves, our society, our island and our world. We do not want to give up on these students. We are here and able to provide them with the attention and education they need in order to succeed.”
The tutoring center is located next to the Wainiha General Store on the North Shore, and Zimmerman said it’s an asset to have during these unprecedented times.
“Since the majority of our NS (Northshore) kids are virtual or partially virtual, we wanted a place where kids could always go to receive academic help,” Zimmerman said.
“We all understand how stressful online school is for children and for parents. I have parents reach out to me daily expressing their concerns and discontentment with online learning and being the parent plus teacher.
“It’s simply not working. Opening this center gives the parents a break, the children teachers to help them, and also food to ensure they are nourished,” Zimmerman added.
According to Zimmerman, the tutoring center was funded by grants and generous donors in the community who see the importance of education and know how essential it is to give children the gift of good education.
“We only have it funded through May 2021,” Zimmerman said. “We will reevaluate the need and available funds at the end of this school year. All donations are tax-deductible for any donors who still want to help. There is always room to grow.”
HSN’s goal is to meet the needs of its community and ensure every child who is frustrated or needs one-on-one support from a teacher (in-person) has that available to them. “Also, any child who is hungry and needs a quiet place to do work, we will be available,” Zimmerman added.
Zimmerman said parents can expect dedicated teachers, healthy food and a safe, nurturing environment for their keiki. But due to COVID-19 restrictions the are limits.
“It’s a small space, so we can only have around six children in the center at a time to follow proper CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines, but there are a lot of hours in the day, so we will hopefully be able to filter kids in and out to meet the demand,” Zimmerman said.
“Students will wear a mask when they are not sitting at their table working. We also have hand-washing and sanitizing stations.”
Zimmerman said she couldn’t have done it without the help of retired teacher Karla Rowan, a Wainiha resident for over 30 years.
“She is the hardworking manager behind this,” Zimmerman said. “Her love for the island and kids is simply priceless. She was supposed to retire this year, but after seeing the need, she did the opposite and partnered with me to help more kids. She is the heart behind this project.”
For more information, see homeschoolnow.com/.
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Stephanie Shinno, features, education, business, and community reporter can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
