We are an approved vendor for BCPS
If your child is enrolled in a school that partners with Baltimore County Public Schools, you may have heard the term “approved vendor” tossed around at PTA meetings or in school newsletters. But what does it actually mean for your family? And more importantly, how can it help your child?
An approved vendor is a tutoring service that has been vetted and authorized by the school system to provide supplemental education to students. It means the program has met specific standards for quality, safety, and instructional effectiveness. For parents in Prince George’s County and the surrounding Maryland area, this matters because it narrows the field from hundreds of generic tutoring options to a smaller list of services the school system actually trusts.
Good Hope Tutoring Services (GHTS) is one of those approved vendors. Based in Accokeek, Maryland, GHTS has been providing personalized K–12 tutoring for over 20 years, and the BCPS approval is one more layer of accountability for the families we serve.
What Does “BCPS-Approved Vendor” Actually Mean?
When a tutoring company becomes an approved vendor for a school system, it goes through a formal application and review process. The school district evaluates things like the qualifications of tutors, the curriculum and teaching methods used, whether background checks are conducted, and the company’s track record of results.
For parents, this provides a few key benefits. First, it saves you the guesswork. Instead of scrolling through dozens of online listings trying to figure out which tutor is legitimate, you know that an approved vendor has already passed a vetting process. Second, it often means the tutoring can be coordinated with what your child is learning in school, so the support is aligned with their actual curriculum rather than being generic test prep.
Third — and this is the one parents often miss — some school-funded programs, Title I programs, and district initiatives specifically require that tutoring be provided by an approved vendor. If your child qualifies for supplemental educational services through their school, an approved vendor may be the only route to access that support.
Why Personalized Tutoring Makes a Bigger Difference Than You Think
There’s a reason personalized tutoring consistently outperforms classroom-only instruction for students who are falling behind. Education researcher Benjamin Bloom found that students who received one-on-one tutoring performed two standard deviations better than students in conventional classrooms, a finding now known as Bloom’s 2-sigma problem. In a classroom of 25 to 30 kids, a teacher can’t pause the lesson every time one student doesn’t understand a concept. The class moves forward, and the gap grows.
One-on-one or small-group tutoring flips that dynamic. A tutor can identify exactly where a student’s understanding breaks down, and it’s often not where parents expect. A 7th grader struggling with pre-algebra might actually have a gap in fraction concepts from 4th grade that was never caught. A high schooler who “hates reading” might have a comprehension strategy issue that no one has addressed because the focus has always been on vocabulary.
At GHTS, every student starts with a diagnostic assessment before we assign a tutor or build a learning plan. This isn’t a quick quiz; it’s a structured evaluation that identifies specific strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. That way, the tutoring plan targets the actual problem rather than just covering the same material the student already doesn’t understand.
What Services Are Available for Prince George’s County Families?
GHTS offers both virtual and in-person tutoring, which means families across Prince George’s County — whether you’re in Accokeek, Bowie, Upper Marlboro, Fort Washington, or Largo — can access support without a long commute. Here’s a quick overview of what’s available:
- K–12 Subject Tutoring: Math, reading, English, science, and more. Sessions are tailored to your child’s grade level and current curriculum. See all subjects and grade levels we tutor.
- Test Preparation: SAT, ACT, HSPT, ASVAB, PSAT, Praxis, and GRE prep courses. Each one is structured around the specific test format with practice materials and timed sessions.
- Mentoring and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): GHTS offers a CASEL-aligned mentoring program that goes beyond academics to support student confidence, emotional regulation, and social skills. The CASEL framework is widely recognized as the gold standard for SEL in education.
- Title I Program Partnerships: If your child’s school receives Title I funding, GHTS can partner with the school to deliver supplemental tutoring. This is often available at no cost to the family.
- Parent Engagement Program: A unique offering designed to help parents become active partners in their child’s learning. Research from the National PTA consistently shows that parent involvement is one of the strongest predictors of student success. Learn more about the Parent Engagement Program.
- Diagnostic Testing: A comprehensive assessment that identifies learning gaps and informs the tutoring plan. Every new student begins here.
How to Know If Your Child Needs a Tutor
Parents often wait until report card day to realize something is off. But there are earlier signals that a student could benefit from outside support. Watch for consistent frustration or avoidance around homework, especially in one specific subject. If your child used to enjoy math and now dreads it, that shift usually points to a gap that’s growing. A drop of one letter grade over the course of a quarter is another sign — it doesn’t have to be an F to warrant attention.
Other less obvious signs include spending significantly more time on homework than their peers, difficulty retaining information from one week to the next, or a teacher flagging “missing foundational skills.” None of these means your child isn’t smart; they mean there’s a piece of the puzzle that hasn’t clicked yet, and targeted support can often resolve it faster than parents expect. For a deeper dive into this topic, check out our guide on how to identify and support a struggling student.
What Sets GHTS Apart from Other Tutoring Options in Maryland
There are a lot of tutoring services in the Maryland area. National chains, independent tutors on listing sites, and college students offering homework help online. So why does the vendor approval matter, and what makes GHTS different?
Vetted and approved. Being a BCPS-approved vendor means GHTS has met institutional standards. It’s not just a Google rating.
Diagnostic-first approach. Every student is assessed before tutoring begins. No guessing. No wasted sessions.
Qualified, background-checked tutors. Every tutor on the GHTS team has been screened, background-checked, and selected for both subject expertise and the ability to engage students.
Flexible scheduling. Virtual and in-person options mean you can fit tutoring around your family’s life, not the other way around.
Holistic support. GHTS doesn’t just teach subjects — the mentoring and SEL programs address the whole child, including confidence, study habits, and emotional wellbeing.
20+ years in business. GHTS was founded in 2004 and has helped hundreds of students across Maryland and nationwide. That longevity speaks for itself.
You can also read more about how personalized tutoring helps close learning gaps on our blog.
How to Get Started
If you’re a parent in Prince George’s County and you’re thinking about tutoring for your child, here’s what the process looks like with GHTS:
Book a free 15-minute consultation. This is a no-pressure conversation where you share what’s going on with your child, and we help you figure out the best path forward. Schedule your free consult here.
Diagnostic assessment. Once you decide to move forward, your child takes a diagnostic assessment so we can pinpoint the exact gaps and build a personalized learning plan.
Get matched with a tutor. We pair your child with a tutor who’s not only an expert in the subject but also a good personality fit because the relationship matters as much as the content.
Start learning. Sessions happen on a schedule that works for your family, virtually or in-person. We track progress continuously and adjust the plan as your child improves. Enroll now.
If your child’s school participates in Title I or other funded programs, ask your school’s administration whether approved vendor tutoring is available and it may be covered at no cost to you.
Ready to give your child the support they deserve?
Book a free 15-minute consultation with Good Hope Tutoring Services and find out how we can help your child learn, grow, and achieve.
→ Schedule Your Free Consult
→ Or call us directly: (301) 717-8046