As students, teachers and parents approach the beginning of the first full school year since the COVID pandemic rocked the world, many questions remain about how a virtual school year will play out.
ACES Learning Hub is a new, locally-owned, education-based staffing company dedicated to providing assistance to students and families, while also offering opportunities for teachers and educators.
Many K-12 students throughout the state will be conducting at least part of their schooling from home this fall. ACES founder Sara Kimble finds that while many parents are busy with their own workday, nobody is ensuring that their children are staying on task and comprehending their material.
Kimble, who is a lifelong educator herself, has set out to build a network of teachers and educators to assist students as they attend online school from home. Her brother, Michael Fragassi, is the co-founder of ACES and also plays a key role in it.
ACES founder and co-founder Sara Kimble and Michael Fragassi are passionate about expanding quality, affordable educational opportunities for families who don’t want to sacrifice quality for safety.
“We are finding and interviewing quality educators, people with teaching degrees or paraprofessionals who have experience in the classroom, and we are placing them in the families’ homes with their children, or a small group of other children within their own school district,” Kimble said. “The educators are essentially helping to facilitate the learning and provide educational support from home.”
Those small groups of students are referred to as a “pod,” and ACES is prepared to provide teachers for pod sizes of up to five students. By keeping pod sizes small, and providing CDC suggestions to parents, ACES is committed to keeping educators, students and families safe amid the COVID pandemic.
ACES Learning Hub is an education-based staffing company, who is providing certified educators to families to assist their children as they navigate through online schooling this fall.
“When families sign up we are providing them with a list of suggestions as it pertains to CDC guidelines,” Kimble said.
It is then up to the families to implement these suggestions, which include measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and proper hand hygiene.
The ACES model itself is built around limiting exposure for educators, which also helps prevent the spread of COVID.
“If you’re a substitute, you’re not going into multiple school districts right now,” Kimble said. “You’re with the same small group of children all year long.”
The ACES model is also built to provide affordable services for families. Their basic rate is $26 per hour for an ACES teacher and one student. However, their services become more affordable as the pod size increases, as the rate only increases by $2 per hour for every additional student.
For a pod size of four students, the price is $32 per hour, or $8 per student per hour. More pricing information is available on the ACES website.
The company is also committed to providing personalized solutions for each family’s situation. While they list various services on their website, they are remaining flexible and are willing to work with families to suit their needs.
As a recently started business, ACES is currently in the process of hiring teachers and educators to join their network.
Kimble is a graduate of Penn State University with a BS in Elementary Education. She also has a master’s degree from Wilkes University, and since graduating she has spent time teaching in multiple school districts.
The connections she has made in her career are helping her find teachers and educators to staff her network.
“I’ve worked in different school districts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, so I have a lot of colleagues and friends who are educators,” Kimble said. “I was able to reach into a lot of alumni networks for fresh college graduates in the area.”
Kimble is also looking for early retirees, or teachers who have been furloughed or laid off due to the COVID pandemic. Teachers must have all of their clearances, including criminal and child abuse checks, in order to be eligible to join the ACES network.
It is not required that all educators have a teaching certificate to be eligible, however they must have professional classroom experience. ACES is also asking applicants to submit two reference letters.
Interested educators as well as families interested in utilizing their services can learn more on the ACES website. The company also posts information and regular updates on their Facebook page.
Aisley and Chase Kimble–demonstrating the ease of at-home learning–are the children of ACES founder Sara Kimble, who named the company in their honor. ACES stands for “Aisley, Chase Educational Services.”
