Learn To Be

Learn To Be is a non-profit that gives free, one-on-one online tutoring to underserved K-12 students across the United States. The About page says the organization has been running since 2008, and that its volunteer tutors have helped students from low-income households and foster organizations in subjects "ranging from basic math and reading comprehension to chemistry and precalculus." The footer identifies it as a 501(c)(3). Its stated mission is short: "Money shouldn't dictate access to education."

For a family, the offer is a dedicated tutor at no cost. The homepage says "Each student receives a dedicated tutor to master core math and reading skills," and that the same tutor stays with a student "for 6 months to 6 years." Everything happens online: "No need for students or tutors to travel anywhere. All of our sessions are hosted online." The site has two audiences at once, families looking for free help and volunteers looking for a meaningful way to earn service hours, and the entry covers both sides.

How families enroll

Enrollment follows three steps on the homepage. First, a family signs up and tells the organization about the student "so we can determine if Learn To Be is the right fit." Second, the student is matched: "Within 3 days, your student will be matched with a tutor that meets your student's needs." Third, the family and tutor set a schedule that works for the student, and sessions continue weekly with the same person. The site frames this continuity as the core of the model: "Work with the same tutor every week! 1-to-1 tutoring has been shown to be more effective than group tutoring."

The homepage names three tutoring tracks. Free math tutoring "identifies and addresses specific learning gaps." Free reading tutoring targets "phonics, fluency, and comprehension." A third track covers all other K-12 subjects. The footer also lists writing tutoring and summer tutoring as separate options for students.

The course library tutors teach from

Learn To Be publishes a structured course library that tutors work through with their students, which gives sessions a curriculum rather than leaving each tutor to improvise. The Browse Courses page lists each course with its lesson count and grade.

Math runs from Math Facts (64 lessons) and Kindergarten Math (41 lessons) through Grade 1 Math (97 lessons), Grade 2 Math (78 lessons), Grade 3 Math (244 lessons), Grade 4 Math (139 lessons), Grade 5 Math (135 lessons), Grade 6 Math (156 lessons) and Grade 7 Math (168 lessons), with Pre-Algebra (235 lessons, tagged Grade 6) and Algebra 1 (191 lessons, tagged Grade 7) for students ready to move ahead.

Reading starts with the Early Reading Program, the largest course in the library at 1,734 lessons for kindergarten. Graded reading courses follow: Kindergarten Reading (38 lessons), 1st Grade Reading (38 lessons), 2nd Grade Reading (24 lessons), 3rd Grade Reading (24 lessons), and 4th through 7th Grade Reading (38 lessons each). A Reading Fluency course is also listed.

Writing is built as a ladder: Writing Foundations K-1 (43 lessons), Writing Foundations Grade 1 (45 lessons), Writing Foundations Grade 2 (50 lessons), Sentence Mastery for Grades 3, 4 and 5 (55 lessons each), Paragraph Mastery Grade 6 (60 lessons) and Essay Foundations Grade 7 (55 lessons). Short spelling units (5 lessons each) run alongside from kindergarten to 5th grade.

What a session looks like

The service-learning FAQ describes the online platform the sessions run on: video conferencing for face-to-face interaction, a digital whiteboard for math problems, shared screen for reading and writing exercises, progress tracking tools to document improvement, a scheduling system built around the tutor's availability, and technical support. Tutors receive curriculum and materials for math and reading instruction, so a volunteer does not need to bring their own lesson plans.

The site publishes six parent and student testimonials, each tied to a grade and subject. A parent of Chelsea, a 1st grade reading student, writes: "My tutor was absolutely amazing with my daughter! She was so patient with her! My daughter is always excited about her next session." For Cameron, a 2nd grade reading student: "Cameron's face lights up when he hears that he will have tutoring this weekend. I think he looks forward to the sessions!" For Faith, a 6th grade math student: "Faith stated she finally feels like she understood the math they were working on. Working with her tutor one on one really helped her!" Others describe Blake (8th grade math) looking forward to sessions with a patient tutor and Elizabeth (7th grade math) gaining "more confidence in school."

Volunteering and service hours

The other half of Learn To Be is its tutor program, which is aimed at high school students, college students and working professionals. Volunteers apply online, and the FAQ lays out the path: an online application that "takes about 15 minutes," a brief orientation, a background check and basic training modules, then a match with a student based on schedule and subject preferences. The site says the process "typically takes 1-2 weeks from application to first tutoring session." No teaching experience is required; the organization says it provides training on tutoring techniques, ongoing support and mentorship from veteran tutors.

Tutors choose their own student. The service-learning page says volunteers "search through student profiles to find the perfect fit for you based on your tutoring experience and schedule," then meet that student every week.

Service hours are where Learn To Be stands apart from a typical volunteer listing. The community service hours page says the platform "automatically track[s] every minute you spend tutoring," with a real-time dashboard and no manual logging. All hours are "validated and verified by our platform," and tutors can download official verification letters for schools, scholarships and applications. "Sessions as short as 30 minutes count toward your hours," and there is no minimum commitment. The FAQ estimates that most tutors give 1-2 hours per week, or 52-104 hours a year.

The site names the programs these hours count toward: National Honor Society, college applications and scholarship requirements. It notes that the Presidential Volunteer Service Award program has been suspended and that Learn To Be offers its own recognition awards instead, plus letters of reference and membership in its Tutor Corps. For college students, the service-learning page says many colleges accept the program for service-learning course credit, with structured reflection, supervisor support and documentation of outcomes, and that the team works with professors on course requirements. Letters of recommendation from the Executive Director are also offered. Further pathways named on the site are the California College Corps, Federal Work Study, intergenerational tutoring and starting a campus chapter.

Who runs it

The About page lists the team, led by co-founder and Executive Director Neeraj Kapoor and co-founder Stephen Chen, with a director of operations, a program manager, community support staff, a head of growth and an in-house software team. That last detail matters: the scheduling, hour tracking and course library are the organization's own platform rather than a third-party tool. Service-learning questions go to the Executive Director by e-mail, and the site also links a help desk and a student safety page.

Who it suits

Learn To Be suits families who cannot pay for private tutoring and want a consistent, long-term tutor for a K-12 student, especially in early reading and elementary or middle school math, where the course library is deepest. It suits students who do better with one familiar adult than with a rotating roster, since the model is built on the same tutor every week. Because sessions are online, location is not a barrier for families anywhere in the United States.

On the volunteer side, it suits high school students working toward National Honor Society or college applications, college students who need service-learning credit or Federal Work Study placements, and professionals in corporate volunteer programs who want documented hours with no paperwork.

It is a weaker fit for families who want to choose a specific paid tutor, book on demand, or buy a set number of sessions: the program is free, needs-based and starts with a fit check, and matching works on volunteer schedules. Families looking for advanced high school test preparation will also find the published course library stops at Grade 7 and Algebra 1, even though the About page says tutors have worked up to chemistry and precalculus.