Legal Blog
Inspiring Views from the Bright SideSM
An Interview with Sara Kimble
1. What are the goods/services offered by your primary business?
ACES is an education-based staffing company. We match screened and qualified teaching professionals with students in their communities for educational support or tutoring services in the family’s home or POD. At ACES Learning Hub, our mission is to ensure the educational growth of the child continues even in the toughest of times.
2. What did you launch in response to the COVD-19 pandemic?
We understand the struggles families are facing in ensuring the education of their child continues. We launched an education-based staffing company to match professional educators with families, where the educator comes to the family's home with a group of 1-5 students to facilitate instruction from the student's home school district.
3. What steps did you take to develop and promote your new initiative?
In speaking to many of my colleagues and fellow educators, we wanted to design an affordable model for families but also ensure a teacher will be paid more than an hourly substitute teaching rate. We involved some of our closest families and friends who are passionate about this mission and outstanding and knowledgeable in their own professions in on the project to develop marketing, advertising, and communication with teachers and families.
4. What or who inspired you to undertake this effort?
This was developed by teachers for our students. ACES is named after my own children, Aisley, Chase Educational Services. They are my greatest teachers, and for me as an educator, our focus is on the kids. My "aces" and yours. We as teachers want to be with our students, we want to alleviate stress on our families, and we want our students to succeed. This model allows students to learn at home in a stress-free environment so the parents can go to work and know their child's education is in the hands of quality educators.
5. What results have you seen so far from this initiative?
We are a new company and have a lot of interest! We are interviewing teachers daily and speaking with families about their needs. This matching process does take time, but we are working on it daily.
6. How do you define success for your project?
If this model helps one family and alleviates stress for one student, it was a success.
7. What are the biggest challenges for you to meet your goal?
The biggest challenge we are facing is financial support for families who need it. We are looking for government help to aid families right now who are faced with tough decisions regarding their child's schooling.
8. How long do you anticipate continuing this effort?
ACES will naturally transition over to after school homework help, tutoring services, parent workshops, etc. once the immediate need is over. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of a pandemic. The immediate need is for students to be supported during this time as well.
9. What have you learned by undertaking this project?
I have met educators from all over the state of Pennsylvania and beyond. I have learned about some of the struggles families are facing and, honestly, for me, how to go through the process of designing a business that meets the needs of people who really need it.
10. How can others learn more about your COVID-19 response efforts?
We are connected on social media via Facebook, have been interviewed by channel 69 news, and have been pushed out through various teaching networks in communities as well as local colleges and universities.
