Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brooke Ooten. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brooke, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Yes! EnrichedNYC started as a company committed to bringing reading remediation services to young children across America. Even though it is a “for-profit” company, we recognized that education is not just for some people. All children deserve the right to learn foundational literacy skills. With this in mind, we started a pro-bono program, where for every paying client we onboarded, we also onboarded a student in need. From there, we were introduced to the I Have a Dream Foundation, and began to work with small pods of their learners in underserved communities. Fast forward two years, and we have worked with large cohorts of Dreamers in Texas, New York and Idaho. Currently, we continue to partner with nonprofit entities across the United States to help children gain access to quality literacy education. Our newest initiative is the New York City Department of Education. We are launching services with their learners next month.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Mary and I were New York City public school teachers many years ago. We saw firsthand the grueling demands made on the time of classroom teachers. Overcrowded classrooms, constantly changing curricular expectations, pressure from standardized testing, and more. Both of us knew there had to be a better way forward for education. We chose to leverage our talents as educators to change the face of student learning, and the pandemic became the catalyst for this. With the onset of online learning, we realized we could teach very young children how to read online. It allowed us to hire excellent teachers to reach learners in even the most remote areas of the world. We started as a two-woman show, and now have over 100 teachers we work with to provide enrichment to students.

We are most proud of our roster of educators. We believe strongly that classroom teachers make the best tutors. While many tutoring firms hire “really smart people” to work with students, we believe that pedagogy trumps IQ. Many learners that seek outside support do not learn in a conventional way. We have the solution to this problem: educators who have a myriad of strategies at their disposal to meet the needs of all learners.

Though we began as a reading company, EnrichedNYC now offers virtual and in-person tutoring services in all areas and disciplines. Additionally, we have one of the strongest rosters of reading remediation specialists in the United States. Our reading teachers are trained in the most successful phonics programs in the country and have logged countless hours of practicum with students. They are the best of the best when it comes to developing reading skills.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a teacher, you go into each day with a carefully orchestrated plan. Each minute of every class period is timed to the minute, with ancillary activities on the back burner in the event you have a few extra minutes at the end of class. Now, as a small business owner, the rigidity of being in the classroom has had to take a backseat to “working on the fly.” New scenarios come up every day: unhappy parents, stressed parents, effusive parents, teachers who want more support, teachers who want less support, students who need a different solution. Each day has its own unique set of challenges, and you have to be able to pivot quickly and follow your gut. This is so antithetical to the day-to-day existence of being a teacher, which is heavily predicated on routine and predictability.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

We are a negative working capital company, so in other words, we pay our teachers before we receive payment from our clients. While we try to “stay ahead” of this, this can lead to some stressful moments, particularly if you have bigger accounts from which you are awaiting payment. Our teachers are top priority. They are the reason our company is so successful! We know teachers depend on their tutoring income to supplement their salaries. We’ve had some close calls, but we will move heaven and earth to get the teachers paid in a timely fashion. This can sometimes require a lot of follow-up with clients, and staying ahead of the billing cycle.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.enrichednyc.com
• Instagram: @enrichednyc
• Facebook: Enrichednyc
• Linkedin: Brooke Ooten

Image Credits
Daphne Youree Photography