About Us
Dutchess-Orange Tutoring (DOT) for K-12 is a network of local undergrads and high school students in the Orange and Dutchess, New York area dedicated to our pillars of community service, educational equity, and circular learning.
DOT strives to level the local playing field by focusing on serving student populations with disproportionate access to educational resources.
Through DOT, K-12 students can receive access to free 1-on-1 virtual tutoring to supplement learning in subjects ranging from math to English to college readiness. Each K-12 student is paired with a volunteer tutor, who typically meets with the student on a weekly or biweekly basis.
Our volunteers not only have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with their students and the DOT community, but also develop their own leadership skills and career readiness in this circular model of learning.
Founded in March of 2020, DOT is on a mission to leverage our collective power as students to center educational equity in how we uplift each other and our communities. Read more about our story here.
Our Story
In March of 2020, Dutchess-Orange Tutoring (DOT) for K-12 was founded in response to a move to remote learning necessitated by COVID-19. DOT is a network of local undergrads and high school students in the Orange and Dutchess Counties of New York, who initially volunteered virtual academic assistance to K-12 students in public districts in these counties while school was remote or hybrid. We particularly served students who were at risk of being disproportionately affected by remote learning, including but not limited to students with parents who did not have the time to supplement their children’s new form of online learning, did not speak English as a first language, or did not otherwise have the ability or resources to help their kids with their coursework.
During the pandemic, we were able to provide free, virtual tutoring to hundreds of students in school districts across Dutchess and Orange counties. Our dedicated high school, college, and graduate student volunteers ensured the students we served received hours of quality mentorship and tutoring. The pandemic emphasized to us the deep inequalities in our educational system while revealing the benefits of virtual tutoring for at-risk students even beyond the bounds of COVID-19. Therefore, we are continuing to offer free virtual online to students, even as our country and schools begin to return to normal.
Our Mission
DOT strives to connect community service-minded high school and college students to K-12 student populations with disproportionate access to educational resources, focusing on our core pillars of community service, educational equity, and circular learning.
Through the dedication of our volunteers, we work to eliminate the financial and transportation barriers associated with traditional tutoring, and seek to bring individualized help to students in the area who may benefit the most.
DOT was founded by a small group of undergraduate and high school students, who serve as the core of the administrative team. DOT also works collaboratively with other community programs and school districts. If you are a local organization that would like to work with DOT, please send us an email at dutchessorangetutoring@gmail.com.
Join DOT
Sign Up
for Tutoring
Open to K-12 students enrolled in a public school district in Orange or Dutchess County, NY. For students in middle or elementary school, we ask that a parent or guardian sign up.
Join the
Tutor Team
We welcome any high school or college student to join our tutor team! The weekly commitment is generally a few hours or less.
Questions?