South Bay Gives Back: Exceptional Mindset Tutors
Providing your child with the best educational opportunities and tutoring services that actually fit their needs and unique learning styles can often feel like a daunting challenge. Which is why we’re featuring Exceptional Mindset Tutors, an affordable online tutoring program for children that’s gone above and beyond to make sure that children struggling with learning have the tutors they need to thrive and succeed. Combining mindfulness activities, personalized tutor matching, yoga, meditation and affordability they are paving the way for children with exceptional minds to feel confident in learning and school!
South Bay Gives Back: Exceptional Mindset Tutors
Tell us a little about you?
I moved to The South Bay in 2013 with my son and his father. My son was going into the 3rd grade and I wanted to live in a safe community with great schools and a walkability factor. That year, my son was diagnosed with ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which turned our world upside-down. While we were happy to have a diagnosis, we didn’t know where to start in terms of helping him. With the wonderful staff at Hermosa Valley and a slew of therapists, we learned to navigate the hectic and complicated world of raising a child with special needs. A few years later, I left a career in television to be more present in my son’s life. I was lucky enough to be hired as a camp director at a very popular summer camp, Steve & Kate’s, in Manhattan Beach. My skills as an unscripted tv producer/director really helped me transition into this career. The new job allowed me to work from home and be present to help my son with his schoolwork, sports, and socialization. I loved this job, as it gave me the opportunity to work with kids (which makes me so happy) and allowed me to meet so many wonderful families in my community. When COVID-19 hit last spring, I was laid off. I decided that I wanted to do something meaningful with my time away from camp. I had just completed a teacher’s training course in mindfulness as I was hoping to give my camp staff tools to use among kids with behavior problems. I knew that I wanted to create something that helped families that had kids with special needs and that mindfulness could a very important tool in making that happen. I reached out to one of my favorite camp counselors, a Hermosa Beach local named Annie, about starting a non-profit organization that helps children with special needs take a mindful approach to learning. This is the moment when Exceptional Mindset Tutors was born.
Please tell us about Exceptional Mindset Tutors
Our nonprofit’s mission is to bring a more focused and calm approach to learning and to increase our students’ ability to be more mindful in their everyday lives. Because each child is unique in the way that they learn and communicate, they need a tutor who can work productively with the ways in which they are exceptional. A five or ten-minute daily mindfulness practice can help to reduce children’s stress and anxiety, increase their concentration and engagement, improve their social skills, improve their decision-making, and more! As a special needs mom myself, I know the struggles that parents face when trying to find the best support for their child. I created this organization to give back to other special needs families in my community, individuals with whom I have bonded over our efforts to advocate for our kids’ mental, social, and emotional well-being.
Who does Exceptional Mindset Tutors support?
A majority of our students have special needs such as ADHD, SLD, ASD, speech or language impairment, visual or hearing impairment, and Down Syndrome. Almost all of them have some level of anxiety and depression.
We believe that ALL families should have access to mindful learning, no matter their socio-economic status. Using a sliding-scale pricing model starting at $0, we are dedicated to providing our services to children of all income levels.
What inspired you to create Exceptional Mindset Tutors?
When COVID-19 hit, I was very active in online parenting groups. Through these groups, I noticed how seriously people were suffering from lockdowns and school closures. I noticed parents of children with special needs were especially worried and anxious about the fate of their children’s education under these extreme circumstances. I wanted to help. With my newly-completed mindfulness training, I knew that teaching families and kids about the importance of being mindful was a small step in the right direction.
How can the community support Exceptional Mindset Tutors?
Please help us spread the word about our non-profit. As a new startup, we are actively trying to reach lower-income or underprivileged families in our community.
We want to help as many children as possible, so both word-of-mouth and monetary donations are extremely helpful in supporting our cause. All of the funds that we raise go directly back into helping families-in-need obtain our services at an affordable price.
Anything else you would like us to include?
We are aware that many kids are struggling with Zoom fatigue, but our sessions give them the chance to have the one-on-one social interaction that they are craving. Not only have our tutors helped their students become more focused and confident, but they have also improved behavior problems and are introducing mindfulness to a new generation of families and children.
Exceptional Mindset Tutors
www.exceptionalmindset.org
www.instagram.com/exceptionalmindset
www.facebook.com/exceptionalmindset
Check out these other local stories about giving back to our community!
South Bay Gives Back: Supporting Local Homeless
South Bay Giving Back: Easter Basket Project
Local Community Spotlight – The Buddy Bench Project
South Bay Gives Back: Homeless Project
