For parent Beth Lusko-Gunderman, a testament to tutoring platform Braintrust’s quality is the fact that her daughters — ages 8 and 10 — actually look forward to using it.
“Any parent knows what it’s like to ask your kids to do something,” Lusko-Gunderman told PIX11. “But ‘not now, mom’ never happens when my daughters are getting ready to engage with their Braintrust partner.”
Braintrust’s founders, Jen Mendelsohn and Mara Koffman, initially connected through what they both described as “dumb luck.” Now, they’re doing their part to make learning smarter, easier and fairer for both families and educators.
Inspired by her own experience finding resources for her dyslexic daughter, Mendelsohn teamed up with Koffman, a learning specialist, to create a “teacher-driven platform” that matches certified educators to families.
“We’ve built matches that really think like a learning specialist, to make sure that kids are matching not just with teachers, but the right teachers,” Koffman said.
The platform allows parents to filter through tutors based on their children’s individual needs. On the other end, certified teachers can list their areas of expertise, scheduling details and price.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Braintrust’s user base has more than doubled, due in part to parents having more insight during remote learning. And because it works with educators around the country, Braintrust opened opportunities to families who may normally lack access to tutoring services.
Mendelsohn said the positive response to Braintrust has been “hugely gratifying.”
“There is really nothing better than getting…an email from a parent just saying ‘I feel such a sense of relief.'”
