Surehand
Launching at PS 281 The River School

Small-group tutoringfor your child’s class.

Up to four kids from the same grade meet online each week with one of Surehand’s own tutors, in Math or Wit & Wisdom. Between sessions, Sprout gives each child practice on exactly what they need.

Reserve a spotHow a pod works
  • 2nd & 4th grade now, 3rd & 5th soon
  • Math or Wit & Wisdom
  • Taught by our own team
  • Sprout practice between sessions
Now forming

Pods at PS 281, 2nd and 4th grade

Each pod follows what your child’s class is covering this fall, so the help lines up with the homework coming home. Pick a pod, and it’s set as soon as two families sign up. From there it meets every week, and your child can join any week until it’s full.

Reserved OpenA pod starts with 2 kids, fills to 4, and takes new kids any week.
2

2nd grade

1 spot reserved

4

4th grade

2 spots reserved

Coming soon

3rd grade and 5th grade

Math and Wit & Wisdom pods open next. Join the waitlist and you’ll be first to hear, with first pick of times.

3rd grade waitlist 5th grade waitlist
Before week 1

It starts with a 10-minute check-in

We already know what your child’s class is covering. A short Sprout check-in at home shows where your child is on each skill in that unit, so the first session starts in the right place. We do it again after their 8 sessions, so you can see the growth.

About 10 minutes

Short enough to do after school, from home.

Read aloud

Every question can be read to your child, so reading never gets in the way.

Adapts as it goes

Each answer picks the next question, and it stops once it knows enough.

Finds the why

It asks how they got an answer, so a mistake tells us what to teach.

Powered by Sprout

Same unit, different next steps

Two kids from the same pod: one catching up, one ready for more. Sprout gives each their own practice, and the tutor plans the session around both.

Example2nd grade Math podClass unit: adding, subtracting, and place value
  • M
    Maya
    Working on: regrouping
    Step 3 of 4
    1. ✓Adding within 20
    2. ✓Tens and ones
    3. Regrouping
    4. Subtracting with regrouping
    Sprout10 ten-frame problems on carrying the ten, with a hint after each miss
    SessionOn-screen base-ten blocks for carrying the ten, with the tutor watching each try
  • S
    Sam
    Working on: adding 3-digit numbers
    Step 4 of 4
    1. ✓Tens and ones
    2. ✓Regrouping
    3. ✓Subtracting with regrouping
    4. Adding 3-digit numbers
    SproutA stretch set: adding 3-digit numbers, like 248 + 175
    SessionLeads the warm-up game, then takes on a stretch problem

This week’s hour, planned from every child’s plan

Your tutor gets this brief before every session
  1. Together

    Regrouping with on-screen blocks, from this week's class unit

  2. Own next steps

    Each child works on their own step while the tutor follows every one

  3. Wrap-up

    Sam leads a game, and everyone sees next week's practice

Pod day

Inside the live hour

Your child and the tutor meet live in Sprout. Some of the hour is the whole pod together, and some is each child on their own next step, with the tutor watching every child’s work as it happens.

  • Their own next step

    Each child works on the skill they're ready for, from the same unit.

  • A tutor who sees it all

    Every try shows up for the tutor live, so help comes the moment it's needed.

  • Camera optional, work private

    Kids say hi on video at the start, then cameras are usually off. You decide about the camera, and answers and progress stay private.

A week in a pod

One hour together each week, with help all week long.

Early week

Practice arrives

Sprout gives each child a short set on this week's class unit, aimed at their own next step.

Any night

Questions answered

Stuck on homework? Your child or you can ask in Sprout, anytime.

Pod day

Pod session

An hour together online with the tutor, after school or Saturday morning.

After

Your update

What your child worked on, what clicked, and what's next.

Stuck on Tuesday night? Ask.

Your child, or you, can ask a question in Sprout anytime. Sprout helps right away with a hint, and your tutor follows up.

  • A hint right away

    Sprout knows what your child is working on, so it guides them to the answer instead of giving it away.

  • Your tutor follows up

    Sprout drafts a reply in your tutor's voice. Your tutor reads it, edits it, and sends it by the next school day.

  • It shapes the next session

    Questions from the week go into the tutor's brief, so the session picks up where your child got stuck.

One price for 8 sessions

Pod pack

2nd & 4th grade

$320 for 8 sessions · $40 each

Start any week, as soon as your pod is set

  • 8 live sessions, an hour each week, with up to three other kids from the grade
  • Start any week once your pod is set, not on a fixed season
  • Sprout practice for your child, every week
  • Questions answered between sessions, by the next school day
  • A short Sprout check-in at the start and end, so you can see the growth
  • A weekly update, plus a progress report after your child's 8 sessions
Reserve a spot

Need one-on-one?

From $95/hr

Private tutoring in any subject, Pre-K through 8th grade, for any school. $95/hr online, $120/hr at your home anywhere in NYC.

Book private tutoring

Just need homework time? Homework Club is $20 a session, online with a club leader, Monday to Thursday at 4 pm. See clubs

Questions parents ask about pods

Anything else? Email us at hello@surehand.co.

Who's in a pod?

Two to four children in the same grade at PS 281 (2nd and 4th grade to start), working on the same unit in Math or Wit & Wisdom. A pod starts as soon as two families sign up, and new kids can join any week until it's full. The kids learn together, and each one has their own plan in Sprout.

Where and when do pods meet?

Online, live in Sprout, once a week, either after school or Saturday morning. Your child joins from home on a laptop or tablet, and the tutor, the other kids, and each child's practice are all in one place. Pods keep meeting week after week, so your child can join any week. When you reserve, pick every time that works. If the pod for your child's grade and subject already meets at a time that doesn't work, we'll start another one at a time that does as soon as a second family signs up.

What is Sprout?

Sprout is our learning companion. It gives your child practice on exactly what they need, answers questions between sessions, and keeps your tutor up to date. It comes with every pod, and there's nothing extra to buy.

How does Sprout know what my child needs?

We already know what the class is covering, so your child starts with a short Sprout check-in on that unit, at home, before the first session. Quick checks along the way show what's clicked, and the tutor adds what they see in each session. If you'd like, you can also share a photo of homework or a quiz, but you don't need to. Your child's work is shared only with their tutor, used only for their pod, and never sold. See our Privacy Policy for the details.

Who answers questions between sessions?

Sprout replies right away with a hint, not just the answer. Your tutor then reads the question, reviews Sprout's draft, and sends their own reply by the next school day. Nothing goes out in your tutor's name unless they've read it.

When do I pay?

Once your pod is set: at least two families and a time. The pack is 8 sessions for $320 ($40 a session), counted from your child's first session. If your pod doesn't come together, you don't pay anything.

Does my child have to be on camera?

No. The camera is always optional, and you decide. Pods usually start with a quick hello on video so the kids get to know each other, then cameras are off for most of the hour. Kids see each other's first names, never each other's answers or progress, and sessions are never recorded.

What if my child misses a session?

The pod still meets. Sprout sends that week's practice and your tutor's notes so your child can catch up before the next session.

Is Surehand part of PS 281?

No. Surehand is an independent, family-owned company in NYC. We're starting at PS 281 because our own kids go there. Wit & Wisdom is a curriculum from Great Minds, and we're not affiliated with Great Minds or the NYC Department of Education.

Why does my sign-in email come from SOFE?

Sprout runs on SOFE, our platform. We email you a private sign-in link, so there's no password to remember.

Reserve your child’s spot

Pick the grade and subject. We’ll place your child in a pod with other kids from the grade and email you when it’s set.

Your child’s grade at PS 281
Subject
When could your child join? Pick every time that works.
After school
TueWedThu
Saturday morning
Sat

This helps us set each pod’s time. We’ll confirm the time with you before you pay.

Nothing to pay today. You pay once your pod is set.