Today we’d like to introduce you to Neisha Richie.
Hi Neisha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In January of 2017 I loss my father to lung cancer and leukemia. I relocated back home to Miami, FL, from Katy, TX to support my mother in her grieving. Soon after, a dear friend and college roommate asked me to tutor her son in Reading & English. We began our sessions at the public library. As a result of word of mouth and inquiries during our sessions at the library, I decided to turn my passion/hobby into a licensed business. By November of 2017, I became Ray of Hope Academy-Florida LLC and secured a 100 sq. ft. office space in Miramar, FL. Two clients grew to 17, and by the summer of 2018, I had a staff of two tutors, a total of 25+ clients, and we moved into a bigger space.
In March of 2020, the pandemic forced my business to pivot to a solely online/virtual platform. When most small businesses’ future’s were threatened, mine thrived. With school districts across the nation struggling to determine how to successfully deliver meaningful instruction online, my staff and I had already figured it out. We are state certified interventionists/instructors that possess a wealth of knowledge regarding literacy in Reading & Mathematics. Ray of Hope Academy-Florida is an affordable, effective, and highly engaging VIRTUAL tutoring service.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When you are in alignment with God/Universe, miracles are created, benefits are endless, and you will be able to attract the inspiration from God/Universe to manifest your goals. The road to entrepreneurship is not a smooth one. When starting, you realize it takes money to make money. Some struggles along the way included finding a financial balance so that the business could sustain itself (this kept me from depleting my inheritance which I used as start-up funding). There are peak seasons in every business, so you have to be reflective and pay close attention to your financial reports to learn the trends of your business. Learning the trends of my tutoring business helped me to develop a consistent cash flow. When your cash flow is fluid, everything else runs smoothly.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am Neisha Richie, the owner and lead interventionist of Ray of Hope Academy-Florida. I use innovation, technology, and dynamic instruction as a means of creating and nurturing a lifelong love of learning in children. Currently, I teach English Language Arts at the middle school level in Broward County, FL. I am also a former Emotional Behavior Disorder teacher. My areas of expertise are Early Literacy Intervention, Reading Comprehension, and modifying behavior through Applied Behavior Analysis. I have a B.S. in English Education from Florida State University and an M.S. in Reading Education from Florida International University. My dedication for helping ALL children has awarded me the honor of having been recognized as one of Legacy South Florida’s top Black educators, West Memorial Junior High’s first African American American Teacher of the Year (Katy, TX) , and a Miami-Dade County Rookie Teacher of the Year. I offer highly effective individualized enrichment and/or intervention through virtual learning experiences.
To ensure academic success, I use diagnostic assessments of reading and mathematics to develop a prescriptive and individualized tutoring plan. My individualized tutoring plans outline my clients’ current reading, writing, and mathematics abilities, and our sessions include a variety of multisensory activities based on the child’s needs. Research shows that engaging, individualized instruction increases students’ intrinsic motivation to be academically successful; this success then transfers into other areas of the student’s development. Above all, my clients achieve dramatic learning gains. It is my ultimate goal that my clients enjoy learning while building their confidence. Therefore, I use a token economy to provide positive reinforcement and modify the behaviors of my clients. When homework is completed and good scores are achieved, I reward my clients with Ray Bucks. On a bi-weekly basis, clients can go shopping with their Ray Bucks at my online Ray’s Reward Store! Tokens and points come in the form of Ray Bucks which is similar to earning a paycheck. To earn a paycheck, you need to go to work and complete your job responsibilities (behavior/assignments); in turn, you receive money (tokens/Ray Bucks) for working; and you can exchange this money for a nearly unlimited number of reinforcing items (choices/Ray Bucks).
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
As a result of the pandemic, the learning gaps of our children have widened nationwide. Therefore, I foresee in the next 5-10 years Ray of Hope Academy-Florida franchising. There will be a Ray of Hope Academy-North Carolina, Ray of Hope Academy-Georgia, and more. As the need for effective instruction shifts, so will the need of my tutoring business’ approach.
Pricing:
- Summer Learning Sessions – $150 Bi-Weekly
- School Year Virtual Learning Sessions – $220 Bi-Weekly
- Early Literacy Sessions – $120 Bi-Weekly
- Reading Diagnostic Assessment – $50
- Math Diagnostic Assessment – $50
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: rayofhopeacademyflorida.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayofhopeacademy_fl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayofhopeacademyfl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj0e-esdhV91DtOy9KUULw
