Nonprofit Teams Up with Discover® to Expand Free Tutoring to Chicago’s Chatham Neighborhood

When Brianna Williams noticed her son Cameron was struggling with reading last year, she moved quickly to find him help. She looked at hiring a tutor but found many tutoring agencies charged high prices.

Williams learned from a colleague at Discover that the nonprofit Tutoring Chicago provides one-to-one tutoring for free. She signed Cameron up for virtual lessons and his reading soon improved. She also noticed the tutor cared about her son’s academic development.

Her 9-year-old son is now enrolled in lessons from Tutoring Chicago at Discover’s Shine Bright® Community Center as part of a new relationship between the two organizations. It marks the first time the nonprofit has offered in-person tutoring sessions in the Chatham community.

“It’s great for me because I'm able to work next door while my son is tutored inside of the community center,” said Williams, an associate training specialist in Human Resources. “The virtual lessons have been great, but I just knew that it would be more beneficial for him to have the tutor sitting next to him.”

Founded in 1965, Tutoring Chicago offers a unique approach: one-to-one tutoring for 90 minutes per week for students in 1st through 12th grades, all at no cost. Over 1,000 students across Chicago meet weekly with an adult volunteer, either in person or virtually, for an entire school year.

Depending on their grade level, students can enroll in one of four programs, including one that focuses on building literacy. Data from the programming shows the organization is making an impact.

Over 80% of students in the program demonstrated growth in grade-level math skills in the 2023-2024 school year, according to Tutoring Chicago. Additionally, 92% of parents said their child is doing better in school because of the tutoring program.

“We support students on their active homework assignments but we're not a homework-only completion program,” said Erica Nelson, program manager for Tutoring Chicago. “We have a complete curriculum that I and other members of the program team have very eagerly helped to develop.”

The nonprofit offers tutoring in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and Logan Square neighborhoods. Digital tutoring is offered to students across the city. Last year, the nonprofit opened a South Side spot in Chicago’s Washington Park community for lessons during the 2023-2024 school year.

A grant from Discover this year provided funding for Tutoring Chicago programming across the South Side, including at the Shine Bright Community Center. Nearly 30 students are enrolled in tutoring at the center, and 30 more children are currently on a waitlist to meet face-to-face there with a tutor. The nonprofit is actively recruiting volunteer tutors to help meet this demand.

“We’re excited to work with Tutoring Chicago so it can offer a new location to help students in Chicago’s South Side access tutoring,” said Jeanette Igwe, outreach manager for the Shine Bright Community Center. “As we have built a relationship with Tutoring Chicago, we can see the impact they are making and how our community space is helping them reach more students to improve their futures.”

Williams used to commute downtown for work and was among the first people hired at Discover as a call center agent three years ago. It has been a great experience working for the company, she said, pointing to how close she lives to work and a promotion she received two years ago.

“I am so thankful because this is the community we live in, and I am able to have a job here that helps me provide for my household,” said Williams. “And now when I work nights, I know my son is being tutored and getting the extra, hands-on assistance he needs.”

Photo provided by Brianna Williams.