OUR MISSION:
After The School Bell aims to empower students with accessible, after-school academic support and to provide an opportunity for volunteer tutors to gain experience and skills while helping others.
OUR STORY:
After The School Bell was founded in the summer of 2020. During the 2019-2020 school year, our founder, Leah Solomon, tutored a third-grade student in an online-based, volunteer tutoring program for underserved youth. She gained so much from the experience and felt that, if tailored accordingly and with the right guidelines in place, a similar program would be greatly beneficial to the Orthodox Jewish community. When the pandemic of 2020 hit, it became increasingly clear that the need for such tutoring was rising meaningfully as schools were closing and “Zoom School” became the new normal. Kids were falling behind in their schoolwork and the capacity for parents to afford extra-curricular help was constrained as the economic fallout made its way through the country and the community. Leah realized something needed to be done – so she started ATSB with the goal of providing after-school educational support to children who are struggling academically or who just need a little extra attention.
Leah quickly learned that designing and launching a fully functional website needed for such an endeavor was more costly and difficult than anticipated and began to search for sources of funding and assistance. After drafting a proposal, she applied for a grant from Klal Ventures, a group formed during the pandemic to help back new entrepreneurial ideas that would help the community in an impactful way. ATSB is very grateful to Klal Ventures for its financial support and strategic advice. Leah strongly hopes that ATSB will continue to grow and help children all over feel more confident and proficient in the classroom while their tutors feel a sense of accomplishment from helping their students succeed.