Academic Tutoring
On Wednesdays, Our Place holds free academic tutoring sessions for elementary through high school youth. This program was established in 2023 as a response to a community need for free accessible academic support and extended learning during early release Wednesdays for Portland Public School students. Tutors are a mix of experienced teen Mentors, USM Education interns, and specialized staff.
We partner with the University of Southern Maine’s School of Education to bridge connections between aspiring teachers and youth who need extra academic support.
College students enrolled in University of Southern Maine’s EDU305, Foundations of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity course can complete their 12 intern credit hours at Our Place as academic tutors.
This program is meant to give USM students experience supporting the whole child from basic needs, to social support, and finally, academics, and to observe the high quality learning that can happen when youth feel fully supported.
We currently host 8 USM interns as Academic Tutors.
(Fall 2026)
Authentic Learning
Between Winter 2025 and Spring 2026, 90% of Elementary youth felt more confident in Math, specifically in counting and spending money as a result of Academic Tutoring.
In Spring 2026, 4 Middle school English learners felt more confident in Science as a result of 1:1 tutoring.