About This Guide
About Fit Learning St. Louis
- How Fit Got its Start
- Fit’s Core Company Values
- Fit’s Learning Coaches
Fit Learning is Different From Other Tutors in St. Louis
Subject Areas and Services Offered at Fit Learning
- Core Curriculum Areas
  - Reading (grades K-12)
  - Math (grades 1-12)
  - Logic (grades K-12)
  - Expressive Writing / Grammar and Composition (grades 3-12)
  - Study Skills
- Supplemental Literacy Services
  - Spelling (grades K-12)
  - Penmanship (grades K-12)
- Other Learning Programs
  - Fit Homeschool
  - Lil Fits
  - Academic Summer Camp
  - Gifted Students
  - Prep for Private School
  - Fit Lite
- Other Services
  - Comprehensive Learning Assessments
  - Progress Monitoring
  - Learning Consultations
Fit Offers Remote Learning Options
Fit’s Method Provides Unparalleled Academic Benefits … and More
- Academic Benefits
- Non-Academic Benefits
  - Building Confidence
  - Relieving Stress and Anxiety
  - Improving Executive Functioning
  - Helping With Learning Retention
  - Boosting Processing Speed
What Makes Fit’s Instructional Method So Effective
- It’s Shaped by Scientific Evidence
- It Uses Continuous Assessment and Data
- It Uses Precision Teaching
- It Trains Students to Fluency
- It Uses Deliberate Practice
- It’s Intensive … and Fun!
Learners Who Benefit From Tutoring at Fit Learning
Tuition at Fit Learning
Attendance Policy at Fit Learning
Getting Your Child Started at Fit Learning
Visiting and Observing at Fit Learning

About This Guide

Whether you’re just beginning to explore tutoring options or you’ve already heard about Fit Learning St. Louis, this guide is designed to help you understand how our approach works and where to find the information most relevant to your family. You’ll learn what makes Fit Learning different, what to expect during the enrollment process, which programs we offer, and where to explore each topic in greater detail. If you have questions at any point, we’re always happy to discuss your learner’s unique needs and help you determine whether Fit Learning is the right fit.

A message from our founders: Fit Learning is not a franchise or conglomerate. We are a highly specialized program that provides unparalleled services to every kind of student. A website cannot fully capture the uniqueness of our methods and the quality of services we provide. We approach every learner as a unique case and develop a custom curriculum to meet their specific needs. After browsing the website for general information, we strongly encourage you to contact us to have a personal conversation with you about your child.

About Fit Learning St. Louis

Fit Learning is a unique — and uniquely effective — specialized learning program that provides unparalleled services to every kind of student in preschool, elementary school, and high school. An alternative to private school, Fit is the only tutoring provider in the area that combines learning science, precision teaching, direct instruction, and curriculum-based measurement into one comprehensive approach. So, what does that mean for you as a parent and for your child as a student?

To start, here is a message from Janice Smith, Lab Director of Fit Learning St. Louis:

“Is your child behind in school? Or do they have difficulty learning in a traditional classroom environment? Or are they simply not living up to their potential? At Fit Learning, St. Louis’s only precision learning lab, children ages pre-K through high school work one-on-one with our fun and engaging coaches who treat learning like a sport. Kids earn points for beating their best scores in math, reading, comprehension, critical thinking, penmanship, grammar, and composition. Fit Learning closes the gap between where your learner is today and where they need to be through finding what motivates them. That sports thing I mentioned? Well, just like a sport, kids need to practice a lot to make stellar gains in their education. Learners at Fit Learning attend 4-5 days a week. And, while accuracy is an important measure of learning, we teach skills to fluency, or true mastery, where the skill becomes automatic.”

How Fit Got its Start

Fit Learning was founded in 1998 by a team of scientist-educators from the University of Nevada, Reno who set out to apply the science of learning to help children achieve better academic outcomes. Since then, the Fit method has been refined through decades of research and practical application, helping learners build stronger academic and cognitive skills. In 2020, Fit cofounder Dr. Kimberly Nix Berens also authored Blind Spots: Why Students Fail…and the Science That Can Save Them, which explores how learning science can transform educational outcomes.

Fit Learning St. Louis opened in 2018 under the leadership of Lab Director Janice Smith, bringing this research-based approach to families throughout the St. Louis area. Learn more about Janice and the rest of our St. Louis coaching team on our St. Louis Team page.

If you’d like to learn more about Fit’s history, founders, and the research behind the model, visit our Why Trust Fit Learning page.

Fit’s Core Company Values

Every decision we make—from curriculum development to coach training to our interactions with families—is guided by eight core values centered on Science, Transform, Nurture, Teamwork, Responsibility, Change, Fun, and Integrity. These principles shape every learning session and every interaction with families. Learn more about how these on our Why Trust Fit Learning webpage.

Fit’s Learning Coaches

One of the biggest differences at Fit Learning is the expertise of the coaches who work one-on-one with learners. Our coaches are trained in structured literacy and the Science of Reading, and many have backgrounds in behavioral science and psychology. Every coach completes an intensive certification process that includes successfully passing five certification audits in each curriculum they teach, followed by ongoing quarterly performance reviews.

We also regularly host interns from Washington University’s Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, reflecting our ongoing connection to the learning sciences.

The result? Research-based instruction delivered by coaches who understand how children learn, not just what to teach. They’re trained to be resourceful, flexible, and responsive to your child’s needs in real time, all while making learning engaging and fun. Meet the dedicated team behind Fit Learning St. Louis on our St. Louis Team page.

Fit Learning is Different From Other Tutors in St. Louis

At Fit, we help learners build fluency in core academic skills by identifying and treating the source of the problem instead of just its symptoms — through learning science, precision teaching, direct instruction, and curriculum-based assessment. Traditional tutoring, or homework help, tends to reuse the same tools and approaches that didn’t work the first time around, just with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. It can help a student turn in more assignments, but the underlying skill gaps remain — so they fall behind again the next unit or grade.

From Fit Learning St. Louis director Janice Smith:

“Traditional tutoring usually means the same tools and the same approaches that didn’t work for a child in the first place — the only real difference is the student-to-teacher ratio. If a method failed in a classroom of twenty-five, repeating it across a kitchen table won’t produce a different result. Struggling learners need a different methodology, not just a smaller audience.”

Fit never assigns homework, and all responsibility for remediation sits with us, not you or your child. Learners typically gain 1-2 years of academic progress in 40 hours.

For more on what sets Fit apart, see Why Trust Fit Learning.

Other related reading: How Fit Learning Stands Out From Other Tutors and The Science of Fluency

Subject Areas and Services Offered at Fit Learning

Core Curriculum Areas

Fit Learning provides high-impact tutoring in the curriculum areas of reading, math, writing, logic, spelling, penmanship, and study skills. For more information on selecting the best Fit program for your child, check out the blog post on Choosing the Right Fit Learning Program for your Learner with insights from Fit Learning co-founder Donny Newsome.

Every enrollment begins with a comprehensive assessment to identify your child’s specific skill gaps — see Learning Assessments for details.

Reading (grades K-12)

Fit Reading trains K-12 learners to true fluency in phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension — not just accuracy, but the point where reading becomes automatic. The program is based on the Science of Learning, meaning that the methods we use are proven effective by scientific research. There’s no guesswork involved. Parents often ask how Fit compares to programs like Wilson Reading System® or Orton-Gillingham; we break that down in detail on the Fit Reading page. Reading is available in-person or via remote learning.

Math (grades 1-12)

Fit Math trains learners to fluency across numeracy, computation, and problem-solving — closing the underlying skill gaps that cause math struggles to compound with age. The program promotes numeracy (or number sense) and incorporates natural environment teaching (NET). Available in-person or via remote learning.

Related reading: Math Anxiety in St. Louis Kids

Logic (grades K-12)

Fit Logic builds critical thinking, comprehension, and executive-functioning skills at two levels — basic (foundational reasoning and comprehension) and advanced (grade 4+, adding math application and grammar/composition). Available in-person or via remote learning.

Expressive Writing / Grammar and Composition (grades 3-12)

Fit Writing helps grades 3-12 communicate clearly in writing — from students who struggle to get thoughts on paper to already-strong writers preparing for college-level work. Covers grammar, sentence/paragraph construction, brainstorming, and organization. Available in-person or via remote learning.

Study Skills (grades 4-12)

An online program, Fit Study Hall helps students in grades 4-12 develop the critical habits needed for academic success, regardless of what specific subjects or material they are currently studying in school. These habits will help them at all stages of their schooling, from grade school to college and beyond. Like all Fit Learning programs, the Fit Study Hall is customized to meet each student’s needs, areas of concerns, current academic habits, and skill deficits. Some learners may require one or more Advanced Logic enrollments before starting Fit Study Hall.

Supplemental Literacy Services

Spelling (grades 2-12)

Fit Spelling builds phonemic awareness, orthography, and word-family knowledge — the foundation for both reading and writing fluency. Available in-person or via remote learning.

Penmanship (grades K-12)

Fit Penmanship targets the mechanics of handwriting — fine motor control, letter formation, and legibility — through repeated, data-tracked practice.

Note that Fit Learning’s approach to penmanship differs from how an occupational therapist (OT) typically teaches children to write. At Fit, learners are taught proper handwriting skills using repeated practice opportunities. They work toward specific goals that have been set based on previous performance. They are provided with lots of immediate and enthusiastic feedback to motivate them. And every response is charted and recorded, so there’s proof of skill gains and a clear direction forward.

Other Learning Programs

Fit Homeschool

Fit Homeschool (also known as Fit Learning’s Intensive Alternative Educational Placement) takes homeschool students’ learning in core subject areas to the next level while also providing needed support to busy parents. Like other Fit programs, Fit Homeschool gets real results; students can gain several years of academic progress during the year. Learners attend Fit sessions for three hours per day, five days per week, and receive intensive 1:1 academic and cognitive training. Learners performing several grade levels behind across multiple curriculum areas need more than a 50-minute supplement 4-5 days per week to make up the significant gains they need to close the gap. Note that Fit Homeschool is an excellent alternative to specialized schools; more information on that is available at our blog post on Private Tutoring vs. Specialized Schools: What’s Right for Your St. Louis Child?. Available in-person or via remote learning (or a hybrid model).

Lil Fits (School Readiness)

Lil Fits is a comprehensive program developed especially for younger learners, covering the basics needed for school readiness. It provides fun and effective fluency training in core subject areas such as reading, math, and critical thinking. Plus, it builds important school readiness skills such as following instructions, listening, understanding, and perspective taking. Using 1:1 instruction, the program is designed to provide the best possible foundation for long-term academic success and foster a love of learning. Available in-person or via remote learning.

Academic Summer Camp

Fit Learning’s Academic Summer Camp is an excellent way to identify and address students’ core skill gaps through targeted remediation, sharpen their existing skills in preparation for the next grade, or proactively prevent summer slide. Learners can enroll in one or more subject areas. Summer is also a great time for younger learners to benefit from the multi-subject Lil Fits school readiness program. Summer learning sessions run for 50 minutes, with students attending four or five times per week. In total, summer camp comprises 50 sessions, or about 10 or 13 weeks. There are options for double camp or intensive enrollments. Available in-person or via remote learning.

Gifted Students

Fit Learning’s 1:1, customized instruction ensures that gifted or talented children are provided sufficient rigor in their curriculum in order to maintain their interest in learning, get opportunities to learn from mistakes, and develop the cognitive and study skills that will be needed as the academic material gets harder or as readiness for private school. Because our approach is individualized and grade-level agnostic, we are uniquely positioned to challenge and meet the learning pace of an accelerated learner. Available in-person or via remote learning.

Prep for Private School

Many families look to Fit to help prepare students for attending rigorous private schools. This can range from brushing up on core skills to preparing specifically for entrance exams such as the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) and Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT).

Related reading: Preparing for Private School Entrance Exams

Fit Lite

One of our newest offerings, Fit Lite is a classroom-based, results-driven literacy program designed to help struggling readers get back on track quickly and effectively. A streamlined version of the full Fit Learning model, it’s an ideal solution for schools seeking reading remediation interventions.

Other Services

In addition to core Fit academic programs as discussed above, Fit Learning St. Louis offers these additional services: comprehensive learning assessments, progress monitoring, and learning consultations. Progress monitoring is a great way to ensure that learners’ skills stay sharp and to pinpoint any learning gaps before they become bigger challenges. It’s useful as a check-in after the learner completes a class or grade level, for a second opinion on the learner’s skill level, to provide a benchmark for learners who are homeschooled, and for families whose learners are on the wait list for a Fit enrollment. Call us to learn more!

Fit Offers Remote Learning Options

At Fit, we’re flexible, and evidence bears out that our method works remotely as well as in person. So, if you’re looking for online/distance tutoring — or hybrid learning — in the St. Louis area (or beyond), Fit is a great virtual option.

Fit’s Method Provides Stellar Academic Benefits … and More

Academic Benefits

When it comes to how Fit benefits learners, this is a biggie: through Fit Learning, learners can typically gain 1-2 years of academic progress in just 40 hours. For examples of how Fit has transformed students’ learning in specific subject areas, check out our Results webpage.

There is more, though. Fit’s personalized method actually equips students to be better learners in the future, even as their schoolwork gets more challenging. It gives them a newfound capacity for learning, essentially helping them “learn how to learn better” for future successes. These wide-reaching benefits are simply not seen with most traditional tutoring.

Non-Academic Benefits

Building Confidence

The skills mastery (or competence) that Fit learners gain leads to overall increased confidence and higher self-esteem. Fit breaks down complex cognitive skills into smaller, more manageable building blocks, providing students with a sense of accomplishment as they achieve one “personal best” after another.

Relieving Stress and School-Related Anxiety

It’s not uncommon for students to experience anxiety and dread about upcoming tests and quizzes … or as relates to school in general. However, Fit’s approach helps alleviate that. Because, after instruction at Fit, learners are fluent in the core skills, so they know the material inside and out and feel confident at test time.

Improving Executive Functioning

Fit’s overall approach – including its multimodal technique, use of explicit instruction, and focus on fluency – is particularly conducive to improving learners’ executive functioning. In the Fit Logic curriculum, we provide executive functioning coaching around the following skills:

Planning: the ability to think ahead and organize and prioritize actions necessary to reach a goal
Problem-solving: the ability to first identify a problem and then develop a strategy to solve it
Working memory: the ability to remember specific short-term memories needed to execute a function or daily task
Attention: the ability to focus and recall from short-term memory (closely tied to the skill of working memory)
Reasoning: the ability to understand, analyze and think critically about ideas, and then be able to use the information
Cognitive flexibility: the ability to think on your feet

Helping With Learning Retention

We frequently hear from parents who are concerned that their learner isn’t retaining the information they’ve learned in previous grades, courses, or units. Fit’s approach is designed to help with that.

Boosting Processing Speed

Slow processing speed (SPS) is another common challenge in learners that is improved with Fit’s technique.

Related reading: Helping Learners With Slow Processing Speed

What Makes Fit’s Instructional Method So Effective

Where to start? There is so much that distinguishes Fit’s tutoring method from other providers. It’s based on what science says works best, the results are unsurpassed, it’s actually enjoyable for kids, there’s no homework involved, it’s always individualized and 1:1, and much more …

Fit’s Approach is Shaped by Scientific Evidence

The scientist-educator founders of Fit Learning crafted Fit’s method based on years of teaching, hands-on work with children, extensive research, and hundreds of publications, presentations, and certifications. The resulting approach is grounded in a wide variety of scientific and learning-based disciplines, including behavioral science and analysis, precision teaching, direct instruction, neuroscience, speech pathology, and even social skills training. For more on the Fit founders’ evidence-based approach, check out our Why Trust Fit Learning and Research webpages.

Fit Uses Continuous Assessment and Data

Fit uses data to track student progress prior to and throughout their enrollment. This regular tracking, an element of precision teaching, makes learning sessions more efficient. So, at all times, our learning coaches have a clear picture of where the learner is academically and can make data-informed decisions accordingly. Furthermore, the Fit instructional team is always clear on how the student’s knowledge stacks up to others in the same grade or age group. For more information on our progress monitoring process and why it’s important, check out our Fit Progress Monitoring webpage.

There are several assessment tools that we use to measure and track learners’ skill mastery; see Learning Assessments for the full breakdown. We use these not only when a learner starts at Fit, but also throughout their enrollment to enable the learning coach to customize sessions to their specific needs. This is critical since grades and report cards simply don’t tell the whole story when it comes to knowing how a learner is progressing.

Fit Uses Precision Teaching

One facet that sets Fit Learning apart from other tutors is the use of precision teaching. (In fact, Fit Learning is St. Louis’s only precision teaching lab.) According to the Behavior Analysis in Practice journal, precision teaching is a “system for precisely defining and continuously measuring dimensional features of behavior and analyzing behavioral data on the Standard Celeration Chart (SCC) to make timely and effective data-based decisions to accelerate behavioral repertoires.” So, at Fit we capture performance data on an ongoing basis to stay informed on how the learner is progressing toward their mastery of core skills. Using that data, Fit learning coaches can adjust their teaching in “real time” to attain the best possible results. This science-based approach helps ensure that each learning session is efficient and fast-paced, with students never getting bored.

Fit Trains Students to Fluency

Fluency is synonymous with being an expert, where demonstrating skills appears to be second nature. With the type of training that Fit provides, students become experts in core skill areas. This allows them to effortlessly complete classroom and homework assignments. Even more, when students achieve fluency (or mastery) across the core skills, they experience an actual transformation as a learner.

A fluent foundation produces learners who demonstrate cognitive fitness – or the ability to learn and perform as an expert in any academic setting on any type of task. Additionally, they can engage with the material in such a way that they actually begin learning new things. Ultimately, students who are cognitively fit tend to be agile, flexible, focused, perseverant, confident, determined, and able to think critically.

Notably, Fit’s focus on fluency is one of several factors cited for children’s academic success in countries outside of the US. For more specifics, check out How Your Learner Can Benefit From Educational Best Practices.

Fit Uses Deliberate Practice

In their learning sessions, Fit students receive lots of opportunities to practice and respond, with deliberate practice being an important aspect of the Fit Learning method. This purposeful and systematic practice requires students’ focused attention with the specific goal of improving their performance.

Fit is Intensive … and Fun!

Fit learners have fun – the focused sessions fly by, and students look forward to attending them. There are great prizes to celebrate their personal bests and keep the motivation flowing. Which is doubly beneficial, since research shows that learning is most effective when students are having fun.

So, how do we keep learners engaged?

Fit’s 1:1 method is highly interactive, multisensory, and stress-free. Learners use multiple senses: sound, sight, touch, and movement. Not only does this help deepen students’ understanding and improve their retention, but the hands-on approach makes learning more enjoyable.
Learning sessions at Fit are high-impact, fast-paced, and led by our credentialed learning coaches who are pros at motivating students.
At Fit, we use an individualized curriculum that meets students right where they are. We take a personalized approach, and there is no small group learning.
We use lots of reward, reinforcement, and celebration – including an awesome prize tower. To kids, learning at Fit feels less like work and more like a game. In fact, Fit’s technique incorporates elements of gamification to make learning fun, interactive, and very effective. These include tracking personal bests, mastering (or becoming fluent in) lower-level skills before leveling up, providing immediate feedback, using short spurts of effort, and building in reinforcers such as earning points.

Also, did we mention that Fit never assigns homework? Since all the work is done during sessions, Fit learners never have tests to study for or reports to write. So, evenings and weekends can be spent playing, enjoying sports, and being with family and friends.

Learners Who Benefit From Tutoring at Fit Learning

Fit’s method is scientifically proven to help learners in grades pre-K through high school, including:

Children struggling academically, in general or in a specific subject
Students whose grades don’t reflect their actual understanding
Gifted and talented learners seeking additional challenge
Learners with anxiety or diagnosed special education needs, including ADHD or ADD, dyslexia, learning disabilities, learning differences, autism spectrum disorder, dyscalculia, or slow processing speed
Elite student athletes needing a flexible or homeschool-compatible schedule
Any student who’s tried traditional tutoring without success

Fit’s technique works well for learners with and without disabilities — no diagnosis is required to benefit.

Tuition at Fit Learning

Enrollment is a 50-hour commitment (traditional pace, ~3 months, or an intensive schedule of up to 10 sessions/week), paid across three monthly payments. For full pricing and how Fit’s cost compares to traditional tutoring, see our FAQ or call director Janice Smith at (314) 246-0540.

Attendance Policy at Fit Learning

We understand that things come up and it may be necessary to reschedule occasionally. Fit’s policy is that we will reschedule up to ten (10) sessions per enrollment when given at least ten (10) business days notice. Additionally, families get two (2) bonus days that we’ll reschedule for any reason without notice.

Visiting and Observing

Parents and caregivers are welcome to visit our St. Louis learning lab. To set up an observation, just contact Fit Learning St. Louis Lab Director Janice Smith. More specifics about our location are available at Visit the Lab.

Getting Your Child Started at Fit Learning

We understand how important it is to find the right support for your child’s learning journey. Our process is designed to give you clear insights into your child’s academic needs and ensure they get the best possible support. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how Fit enrollments work.

Step 1 – Schedule an assessment

To get started, contact us to schedule a comprehensive intake assessment. The testing appointment will take between two and four hours, depending on your child’s current skill level and curriculum areas being evaluated. Additional information about the process is available on our Learning Assessments webpage.

Step 2 – Review the results

After the assessment, you’ll meet with one of our clinical leaders to go over the results in detail. You’ll receive a multi-page report with easy-to-read tables, charts, and graphs outlining your child’s strengths, areas for growth, and recommended academic interventions based on the assessment. You’re welcome to share this information with your child’s teachers or educational team to help guide curriculum planning or IEP goals. There’s no obligation to continue at Fit Learning after this step; our goal is simply to provide you with valuable insights.

Step 3 – Enroll your child, if you opt to move forward

If you decide that Fit Learning is the right fit for your child, we’ll walk you through the enrollment process. You’ll complete our intake paperwork, and we’ll find a spot in our weekly schedule or add your child’s name to the waitlist, if applicable.

Step 4 – Your child will begin one-on-one learning sessions

Once enrolled, your child will meet 1:1 with a certified learning coach for 50-minute sessions, 4-5 times per week. A typical Fit enrollment lasts around 10-13 weeks (or 40-50 hours of instruction). The Fit team will use a curriculum and approach tailored for your learner, with the goal of mastering fundamental academic skills for lifelong learning and overall cognitive fitness.

Step 5 – Stay updated on your child’s progress

We believe in keeping parents informed every step of the way. After each session, your child’s learning coach will provide a quick update on their progress. After 15 and 30 hours of instruction, you’ll receive more detailed progress summaries, including updates on how many personal bests your child achieved and which skills they have mastered. For more details, check out our Progress Monitoring webpage.

Step 6 – Celebrate growth and plan the next steps

After 40-50 hours of instruction, we’ll conduct a comprehensive reassessment to measure the progress your child has made – typically showing 1 to 2 years of academic growth! You’ll meet with Janice again to discuss the results and recommendations for the next steps.

All it takes to get started is a call or email, and you’re one step closer to watching your student’s learning accelerate as their confidence grows in Fit’s fun and supportive environment. Reach out to us today to schedule an assessment!

parents’ guide / revised