DiversiTy, Equity, Inclusion

Diverse staff – I realize that my identities can only cover my own experiences, so I have worked to ensure we have a diverse staff with numerous touchpoints for students to connect with. Races, ages, abilities, parents and non-parents, sexual orientation—we are all different and we have a place for you here that celebrates your identities.

Living wage – I make sure each coach is paid a livable wage. Most business owners take 70-80% of each incoming profit. I split it with my coaches 50/50, hire them as employees so they can be paid if they need to collect Unemployment or L&I, and do all of their tax withholding. It costs significantly more for me as a business owner, but it makes for happier coaches who can live without financial worry.

Two months of paid vacation – Our students don’t love meeting over the summer because they are fried and need a break. Really, we do, too! I pay my coaches to take the summer off, recharge and refresh, and come back ready to serve students. It is a huge line in my budget but absolutely worth it to ensure students get well-rested coaches who are eager to help them.

Limited student load – Same thing here. I don’t want coaches who feel like they need to over-commit and run themselves ragged in order to take on enough students. By capping the number of students they see, they can be flexible with schedules and give strong, undivided, and focused attention to each of their students.

Fully-paid training – All of my coaches get paid training in Gretchen Wegner’s Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying and her Art of Inspiring Students. I also pay for the annual membership for the Rock Your Coaching community.

Scholarship partnerships– We partner with existing scholarship programs to support students at free and drastically reduced rates. This allows us to serve a wide array of diverse students and give some of our most vulnerable learners access to critical coaching services. At the same time, partnering with these organizations allows them to meet the needs of their student population without needing to hire experts full-time.

Scholarship students – We also work with students from all kinds of families. We don’t want cost to be a barrier to students getting the support they need. We volunteer our services throughout the year, give free presentations on topics from college to study skills, and serve students in a variety of no-charge ways.

Environmental awareness – I care deeply about our planet and the life that relies on it for survival. Many of our coaches have switched to working with students over online platforms like Zoom or Discord to reduce their CO2 emissions. As a coach who drives to students at their chosen location, I try to group trips to various areas of town and drive an electric vehicle. We keep our physical waste to a minimum and use digital tools instead. When possible, we buy from local and small-owned businesses and those who are good stewards of the environment with missions that value sustainability.

Community support – We give to a variety of non-profits and charities that share our values. Some of these are:

• Local school fundraisers and programs that our students are involved with (band trips, jog-a-thons, sports teams, fund-a-student campaigns--all kinds of things!)
• Seattle Public Library
• Seattle Parks Foundation
• Camp Fire Carkeek Park Day Camp
• Crisis Text Line