Special Needs Tutoring

The shortcut: Get one real certification (Wilson or Orton-Gillingham), become the only certified specialist in a 20-mile radius, and let speech therapists and IEP coordinators feed you a waitlist.

Industry: Childcare & Education | Investment level: Small — $2,000-$5,000 (before the certification path, which is the real cost) | Time to launch: 6-12 weeks to first paying clients; 12-18 months to full Wilson or OG practitioner credential Best for: Former classroom teachers, reading specialists, speech-language pathologists, or parents who already navigated their own kid's dyslexia diagnosis. You're a fit if you can sit through 60+ hours of structured literacy training, take case notes, and stay with one family for two years. What you'll likely make: $1,500-$2,500 month 3, $3,000-$4,500 month 6, $5,000-$7,500 month 12. Math is in Section 4.

Market Opportunity

A parent whose 8-year-old just got a dyslexia diagnosis is not price-shopping. They've watched their kid hide reading homework for a year, gotten the eval back from a neuropsychologist, and sat through a meeting where the school offered "30 minutes of pull-out, twice a week." By the time they Google "Wilson tutor near me," they'll pay whatever the right person charges.

Dyslexia alone affects roughly 15-20% of the population. Public schools must provide a free appropriate public education under IDEA, but special education caseloads are stretched, the interventions schools use are often not the structured literacy programs research supports, and waitlists for certified specialists in private practice routinely run 6-12 months in metro areas. Parents fund the gap directly.

The trap most generalist tutors fall into: charging $40-$60/hour and competing with Kumon and Sylvan on price. The certified specialist charges $90-$150/hour, takes 8-12 weekly clients, and keeps them for 18-36 months. One client at $100/hour, twice a week, for two years is $20,800. You don't need 40 clients — you need 10 of the right ones.

Launch With AI

Pro section. Special needs tutoring is a credential-and-trust business — AI cannot run a phonics inventory on an 8-year-old who's hiding her reading homework, and AI cannot sit through an IEP meeting and translate a school's "30 minutes of pull-out twice weekly" into what the family should actually ask for. But the time you waste hand-typing quarterly progress reports, drafting cold emails to the 5 pediatric SLPs in your metro, and writing the same parent debrief after every session is exactly the time you should spend on supervised Wilson practicum hours or one more 1:1 reading session. AI does the writing tail. You do the work that pays — Tuesday afternoon at 4pm with a sandpaper-letter tile and an 8-year-old.

The trap most first-year specialists fall into: they think AI can write the IEP for them. AI confidently writes "your child needs 90 minutes of structured literacy intervention 5 days/week" — but you cannot legally write or modify an IEP. That authority sits with the school district's IEP team under IDEA, and a parent who paid you because your marketing said you "guarantee IEP outcomes" is a state attorney general complaint waiting to happen. AI is for the writing tail (quarterly progress reports, SLP referral emails, parent debrief notes, IDA directory listing copy, IG/Facebook explainers) — but every assessment call, every "she's not ready for level 4" judgment, every IEP-meeting prep conversation where you support but don't write is yours.

Important up-front: AI cannot run a CTOPP-2 phonological-awareness screen, identify the dyslexic 8-year-old's specific decoding gap, or have the conversation with a parent whose Wilson practicum hours are 8 months out and they want results now. It will also confidently write marketing that says "OG-certified" when you're actually "OG-trained" — the AOGPE distinguishes them sharply, and a misrepresentation claim from a parent who paid $100+/hour on the wrong credential is a real risk. You own every assessment call, every credential-language line, every IEP scope-of-practice decision; AI scales the writing and the prospecting around them.

AI Tools You'll Use

Tool	Price	What it does
ChatGPT Plus	$20/mo	Quarterly progress reports, SLP referral emails, parent debriefs, scope-of-practice decline scripts
Canva (free)	$0	One-pagers for SLP visits, IEP support letters, parent group flyers, Acuity intake form layouts
Acuity Scheduling AI (built-in)	included $20-$50/mo	Auto-rebook reminders, intake form storage, secure file upload for psychoeducational evals
Google Business Profile + ChatGPT	free	Review replies, monthly post drafts, "decoding gain case study" testimonial showcase (with WRITTEN parental consent)
Loom AI (free)	$0	Quarterly progress walkthroughs for parents, "what to ask at the IEP meeting" prep videos

The Workflow

Quarterly progress report template (ChatGPT, ~30 min/client/quarter). The quarterly progress report is what parents take to IEP meetings. It's the single highest-value deliverable in the practice. Paste session notes + assessment scores:

"Below are 12 weeks of session notes for [student first name only], age [X], dyslexia diagnosis, currently on Wilson Substep 2.4. Baseline scores (week 1): nonsense-word fluency [X], oral reading rate [Y], phonics inventory accuracy [Z%]. Current scores (week 12): nonsense-word fluency [A], oral reading rate [B], phonics inventory accuracy [C%]. Generate the 2-page quarterly progress report a parent can share with the school's IEP team: (a) the 1-paragraph executive summary in plain English (NEVER 'multisensory phoneme intervention has yielded a statistically significant gain' — write 'X is now reading words she couldn't decode 12 weeks ago, here's the data'), (b) the score-change table (baseline → current → gain → grade-equivalent if applicable), (c) the 4 specific skills she's mastered this quarter (e.g., '/sh/ digraph in initial position, closed syllables with short e, voiced th, suffix -ed'), (d) the 4 specific skills she's still working on for next quarter, (e) the 2-3 questions to ask at the next IEP meeting (e.g., 'is she getting the structured literacy program she needs at school, or just generic reading help?', 'can the school formally measure her decoding rate at the next progress monitoring?'), (f) the absolute scope-of-practice line — 'I support [student]'s home reading practice. Modifications to her IEP are made by the school's IEP team. This report is data the team can consider — it is not an IEP recommendation.' Tone: senior reading specialist respectful of the parent who isn't trained in this. Output as Notion-ready 2-page PDF."

Send first business day of every quarter. The quarterly report is what cuts churn from 30%/year to under 10% — parents stop the tutor whose work doesn't show up in IEP meetings.
SLP + neuropsychologist referral email batch (ChatGPT, ~60 min/quarter for 10 cold emails). SLPs and neuropsychs are the entire commercial growth path. Paste:

"I'm a Wilson-trained reading specialist in [city] (currently in supervised practicum for the W.D.P. credential, 32 hours of 60 logged). I want 1-2 active SLP referral relationships by month 6. Build me the cold-email package for 10 pediatric SLPs and neuropsychologists in my 20-mile radius: (a) the prospect list — search method (Google 'pediatric speech-language pathologist [my zip]' + cross-reference with my state's licensure board database, filter to private practice not hospital-affiliated, prioritize ones with public dyslexia content on their site), (b) the cold email — subject under 50 chars ('Wilson-trained reading specialist taking dyslexia referrals'), 5 short paragraphs (P1 — I noticed your practice diagnoses [pediatric dyslexia / executive function / ADHD with reading impact], P2 — your patients are usually told 'find a Wilson or OG tutor' the same week and the wait in [my city] is 6-12 months, P3 — I'm Wilson-trained (intro course complete, in supervised practicum), my rates are $90-$110/hr, my schedule has [N] open weekly slots for new students, P4 — my offer: 1 free 30-min consult call with any patient family you refer + a quarterly progress report shared back to your practice, P5 — 1-line CTA 'happy to drop off my one-pager next week — Tuesday or Thursday afternoon work?'), (c) the leave-behind 1-pager (my Wilson progress, my assessment process, my abuse & molestation insurance proof line, my background check current as of [date], my Tresorit-secured intake form for psychoed eval upload), (d) the 5-day phone follow-up script. Tone: senior reading specialist, factual, NEVER 'I'd love to help.' Output paste-ready."

Walk in to 5 SLP offices/quarter. One enthusiastic SLP referral relationship = 4-6 clients/year at $20K each = $80K-$120K of annual revenue from one document.
IEP support letter (NEVER write the IEP) + scope-of-practice decline template (ChatGPT, 1-time setup). This is your liability shield. Paste:

"I'm a special needs tutor. Build me the 1-page templates I use every time IEP-adjacent work comes up: (a) the IEP support letter I send TO THE PARENT (never to the school directly without written parental consent) — '[Student first name] has been receiving structured literacy intervention with me since [date]. Below are her current decoding rate, fluency rate, and accuracy data on the [CTOPP-2 / DIBELS / Wilson WADE] assessment. This information may be useful for her IEP team's review. As a private reading specialist, I do not author or modify IEPs — that authority sits with the school's IEP team under IDEA. I am happy to attend her next IEP meeting as a non-decisional support person if the parent requests it,' (b) the scope-of-practice decline template for parents who ask me to 'write the IEP': 'I appreciate you asking. Writing or modifying an IEP is the school district's authority under IDEA — even with the strongest data, I cannot author one. What I CAN do: provide quarterly progress reports your IEP team can consider, attend the meeting as a non-decisional support person, and help you draft questions to ask the team. Want me to send you the meeting-prep questions checklist?,' (c) the 'guaranteed grade-level reading by spring' decline script for parents whose expectations need to be reset BEFORE we start ('I cannot guarantee a specific reading level by a specific date — outcomes depend on consistent practice, the school's parallel intervention, and individual factors. What I CAN promise: every quarter you'll receive measured data on her gains, and we'll adjust the plan together'). Tone: senior reading specialist, factual, kind. Output paste-ready as a 1-page document I print + tape inside my desk drawer."

The decline templates are your liability shield + your scope-of-practice insurance. Use them every time.
Async parent debrief notes (Loom AI + ChatGPT, ~10 min/session). Parents pay $100/hour for the session AND for the assurance that their kid is progressing. Record a 90-second Loom after every 3rd session showing the work:

"Hi [parent first name], just finished [student]'s session today. We worked on [specific skill — e.g., the /ch/ digraph in initial position]. She got 14 of 20 correct on the controlled-text passage [pause, show passage]. Next session we're moving to /ch/ in final position. Try this at home this week: read these 3 books I'm sending [show titles]. Any questions, text me."

Loom AI auto-titles + transcribes. Paste transcript into ChatGPT:

"Below is my 90-sec Loom debrief for [parent]. Generate the 1-paragraph follow-up text I send 30 min later: (a) recap the SPECIFIC skill we worked on, (b) the data point (14/20 correct), (c) the 1-line homework assignment, (d) the next-session prep ('come ready to drill /ch/ in final position'), (e) the encouraging-but-honest sign-off ('she's working hard — slow and steady on this one'). NEVER over-promise. Tone: warm friend who's also a senior reading specialist. Output paste-ready text."

The Loom + text combo is what justifies $100/hr to the parent who used to pay $40/hr — they see the work, not just the bill.
IDA directory listing + Decoding Dyslexia parent group post (ChatGPT, ~20 min/quarter). The two directories diagnosing professionals actually search. Paste:

"I'm a Wilson-trained reading specialist in [city] (currently in supervised practicum for W.D.P. credential, X hours logged). Generate (a) my International Dyslexia Association provider directory listing — 100-150 words, factual, names my credentials accurately ('Wilson-trained, in supervised practicum' NOT 'Wilson-certified'), my rates, my online + in-person availability, my abuse & molestation insurance proof line, my contact, (b) the AOGPE practitioner directory listing IF I have OG training (use 'OG-trained' or 'completing OG practicum,' NEVER 'OG-certified' until the credential is in my hand), (c) the Decoding Dyslexia state-chapter Facebook post (250 words, 'why I do this work' angle — 1 anonymized case-study with WRITTEN parental consent to use anonymized data, my approach, my 1-paragraph offer for any local parent who DMs me, my contact). Tone: senior reading specialist, factual, kind. NEVER 'I guarantee.' NEVER claim a credential I don't have. Output paste-ready."

2 directory listings + 1 Decoding Dyslexia post = 3-6 inbound parent inquiries/quarter — and IDA-directory clients have already been told you're the certified specialist.

Time Saved Per Week

Roughly 5-8 hours/week once your quarterly report template, SLP cold-email batch, and decline scripts are built:

Quarterly progress report: 3 hours/client/quarter → 30 min (ChatGPT)
SLP referral cold-email batch: 4 hours/quarter → 60 min (ChatGPT)
IEP support + decline templates: 1-time setup → reused every IEP-adjacent conversation
Async parent debrief Loom + text: 30 min/session → 10 min (Loom AI + ChatGPT)
IDA directory + Decoding Dyslexia post: 90 min/quarter → 20 min (ChatGPT)

Trade that time for: 4 more supervised Wilson practicum hours (gets you to W.D.P. credential 30 days faster = +$25/hr ceiling), the second SLP relationship visit, and the Saturday morning Decoding Dyslexia parent meet-up where one introduction lands a $20K-of-LTV client.

Total AI Stack Cost

Budget tier ($20/mo): Acuity ($20) + ChatGPT free + Canva free + Loom free + Google Business Profile. Acuity is non-negotiable — secure file upload for psychoed evals + intake form storage + Stripe ACH integration are the entire admin layer.
Full tier ($40/mo): Add ChatGPT Plus ($20). Worth it the day you cross 5 active clients — quarterly progress report quality + SLP cold-email quality jumps materially with GPT-4.
Compare: A part-time admin VA for quarterly reports + SLP outreach + parent debriefs runs $400-$800/month. The full AI stack is one-tenth that cost.

Cancel anything you don't open in a 7-day window. Skip Care.com and Wyzant — the parents searching there are price-shopping for generalist help, not dyslexia specialists.

Your First Win

30 minutes from now your scope-of-practice IEP decline template is built and printed for your desk drawer. Open ChatGPT (free tier works). Paste:

"I'm a Wilson-trained reading specialist (intro course complete, in supervised practicum for W.D.P. credential). The single biggest legal trap in this business is scope-of-practice creep on IEPs — you can support an IEP, but you cannot legally write or modify one (that authority sits with the school district under IDEA). A parent who paid $100+/hour because my marketing said I 'write IEPs' or 'guarantee IEP outcomes' is a state attorney general complaint waiting to happen. Build me the 1-page scope-of-practice decline + IEP-support templates I use every time IEP-adjacent work comes up: (a) the IEP support letter I send TO THE PARENT (NEVER directly to the school without written parental consent) — '[Student first name] has been receiving structured literacy intervention with me since [date]. Current data on the [CTOPP-2 / DIBELS / Wilson WADE]: nonsense-word fluency [X], oral reading rate [Y], phonics inventory accuracy [Z%]. As a private reading specialist, I do not author or modify IEPs — that authority sits with the school's IEP team under IDEA. I'm happy to attend her next IEP meeting as a non-decisional support person if the parent requests it. This data may inform their decisions,' (b) the script for the parent who asks me to 'write the IEP': 'I appreciate you asking. Writing or modifying an IEP is the school district's authority under IDEA — even with the strongest data, I cannot author one. What I CAN do: provide quarterly progress reports your IEP team can consider, attend the meeting as a non-decisional support person, and help you draft questions to ask the team. Want me to send you the meeting-prep questions checklist?,' (c) the script for the parent expecting 'grade-level reading by spring': 'I cannot guarantee a specific reading level by a specific date — outcomes depend on consistent practice, the school's parallel intervention, and individual factors outside my control. What I CAN promise: every quarter you'll receive measured data on her gains, and we'll adjust the plan together,' (d) the 5-question IEP meeting prep checklist parents take with them: (1) Is she getting structured literacy specifically, or generic reading support? (2) Can the school measure her decoding rate at every progress-monitoring point? (3) What's the response-to-intervention plan if she doesn't show gains in 12 weeks? (4) Is the intervention being delivered by a credentialed specialist or a generalist? (5) Can we add my external progress data to her IEP file?, (e) the absolute don'ts: NEVER use 'OG-certified' if I'm only 'OG-trained' (AOGPE distinguishes them sharply), NEVER claim 'guaranteed grade-level outcomes,' NEVER write or sign an IEP. Tone: senior reading specialist, factual, kind. Output paste-ready as a 1-page document I print + tape inside my desk drawer."

Print it Sunday. Use it the next time a parent asks you to "write the IEP." One scope-of-practice decline conversation done right is what saves your license + saves the parent's actual IEP rights.

Product / Service Offering

You're selling structured literacy intervention, delivered the same way every session:

Initial consultation + reading assessment. 90 minutes. Review the family's psychoeducational eval, run a baseline (phonics inventory, nonsense-word fluency, oral reading sample), set goals. $200-$350 flat.
Twice-weekly 60-minute sessions. The core offering. Multisensory phoneme work, decoding drills, controlled-text reading, dictation, comprehension. Billed monthly or in 10-session packages, paid up front.
Quarterly progress report. A two-page write-up the parent can share with the school's IEP team — current decoding level, fluency rate, what to ask for at the next meeting. $75-$150 each. Parents value this almost as much as the sessions because it gives them ammunition.
Once-yearly re-assessment. Same instruments as the baseline, used to show growth. $250-$400.

Sessions happen in-home, at your home office, or via Zoom — and Zoom is genuinely fine for structured literacy with elementary clients once the routine is established. Many certified practitioners now deliver 50%+ of sessions remotely. Your geographic market opens up from a 20-mile radius to your whole state.

Revenue Model

Unit economics for a solo certified specialist with a Wilson or OG practitioner credential, working from a home office and Zoom, no employees:

Service	Price	Variable cost (materials, platform fees)	Time per session	Take-home per booking
Initial consult + assessment	$200-$350	$5-$15	90 min + 60 min write-up	$185-$330
60-min weekly session (drop-in)	$90-$150	$2-$8	60 min	$85-$140
10-session package (per session)	$85-$140	$2-$8	60 min	$80-$130
Quarterly progress report	$75-$150	$2-$5	60-90 min	$70-$145
Annual re-assessment	$250-$400	$5-$15	90 min + 60 min write-up	$235-$385

Your first $1.5K month = 5 weekly clients × 2 sessions/week × 4 weeks × $40 take-home (pre-cert rates) = $1,600. Realistic in months 1-3 while you're mid-certification.

Your first $5K month = 8 weekly clients × 2 sessions/week × 4 weeks × $80 take-home = $5,120. Realistic by months 9-12 once the credential is in hand and SLP referrals start flowing.

Two numbers matter more than the table. Retention: these families stay 18-36 months, so acquisition cost amortizes across hundreds of sessions — which is why you can spend months courting one referral source. Capacity: you cannot fill more than 20-25 weekly client-hours sustainably. Sessions take prep, parent debriefs, and progress notes, and they're cognitively heavy. Plan the ceiling at 8-12 active clients, not 20.

Startup Costs

The cash-out-of-pocket for the business itself is small. The real investment is the certification — and most founders underestimate it by an order of magnitude.

Wilson Reading System certification: the WRS Introductory Course runs roughly $500-$900 plus $400-$600 in materials. The full Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner (W.D.P.) credential requires a supervised practicum of 60+ teaching hours with a Wilson-certified supervisor, and total all-in cost typically runs $5,000-$12,000 over 12-18 months.
Orton-Gillingham certification: AOGPE individual certification Associate level requires 70+ hours of coursework plus a 100-hour supervised practicum. Coursework runs $2,500-$5,000; the supervisor's practicum fee is typically $50-$100/hour observed. Plan for $5,000-$10,000 total and 12-24 months.
Materials kit: Wilson kits run $400-$700; OG practitioners often build their own (tile sets, sandpaper letters, controlled-text readers) for $300-$600. Add a Boom Cards subscription for digital task work at roughly $50/year.
LLC + EIN + insurance: $35-$500 LLC filing depending on state (LLC University 50-state table). Free EIN at IRS EIN Online — never pay a third party. Combined general + professional liability with an abuse & molestation rider runs $400-$1,200/year through Hiscox or Insureon.
Booking + payment: Acuity Scheduling at $20-$50/month handles booking, intake forms, and Stripe payment. Add encrypted file storage (Tresorit, Sync.com) for psychoed evals and IEP documents. Zoom Pro at $14.99/month for sessions over 40 minutes.

Realistic all-in for the first six months — assuming you're mid-certification, not waiting on it: $2,000-$5,000 for the operating side. Layer the $5,000-$12,000 certification spend on top across the first 12-18 months. Many founders fund the certification from early client revenue rather than upfront — the Wilson Intro Course alone is enough to start charging $60-$80/hour while you finish the practicum.

Legal & Formation

Business entity. A single-member LLC (limited liability company) the day you take your first paid client. You're working one-on-one with minor children in a high-trust setting, often handling sensitive psychoeducational evaluations — the LLC firewall between business judgments and your personal assets is non-negotiable. Sole prop is fine for the first month if you're still testing demand, but switch the moment you sign a 10-pack. Get your EIN free directly from the IRS at irs.gov — companies that charge $50-$300 for "EIN filing" are reselling a free five-minute form. Skip S-corp election until your net hits $80K+.

Licenses & compliance. Tutoring is instruction, not childcare, so you do not need a state childcare license to work one-on-one with kids — that licensing kicks in around 4-6 unrelated children in custodial care depending on the state (childcare.gov state map). What you do need: mandatory reporter status under your state's child welfare law (Child Welfare Information Gateway — confirm your state's annual training requirement) and a current background check from Sterling or Checkr at $25-$75. If you contract directly with a school district, FERPA applies and your agreement needs the data-use language from the Student Privacy Policy Office — but for parent-paid clients, FERPA does not. Sales tax usually does not apply to instruction services in most states; confirm yours at Avalara.

Industry-specific risk. The abuse & molestation insurance gap is the trap most likely to end this practice. Standard general liability policies exclude abuse and molestation claims, and you are alone in a room (or on a Zoom call) with a minor child for hours every week. Add the A&M rider to your GL policy through Hiscox, Markel, or K&K Insurance — it runs an extra $100-$400/year and covers civil defense costs even on an unfounded claim. Layered on top: scope-of-practice on IEPs. You can support a child with an IEP, but you cannot legally write or modify one — that authority sits with the school district's IEP team under IDEA. Marketing yourself as someone who "writes IEPs" or "guarantees IEP outcomes" is an overreach claim parents and state attorneys general notice.

Marketing & First Customers

Your first 10 clients almost never come from Google ads. They come from three referral channels, in this order:

Pediatric speech-language pathologists and educational psychologists. A child with dyslexia is usually identified during a private psychoed eval, and the diagnosing professional is asked "who do we send them to?" the same week. Visit the 5-10 SLPs and neuropsychologists in a 20-mile radius. Drop off a one-pager with your credential, your assessment process, and a sample progress report. One enthusiastic SLP can supply 4-6 clients a year.
School IEP coordinators and reading specialists. Public school staff cannot officially endorse private practitioners, but they absolutely tell parents "here are some private tutors families have used." Get on that mental list. Apply to district approved-vendor lists too — slow (2-6 months) but a single district contract can be $20K-$100K/year.
Local parent groups specific to learning differences. Decoding Dyslexia state chapters, dyslexia parent Facebook groups, regional International Dyslexia Association branches. One recommendation in a 2,000-member parent group converts faster than $500 of Google ads.

Skip Care.com and Wyzant for now — the parents searching there are price-shopping for generalist help. Once you're certified, list yourself in the International Dyslexia Association provider directory and the AOGPE practitioner directory — the two directories diagnosing professionals actually search.

First 90 Days

Week 1. Register for the Wilson Introductory Course or an AOGPE-accredited OG training program. Commit to the full practitioner path, not just the intro.
Week 1-2. File LLC. Get free EIN from IRS. Open business checking. Buy a domain (firstnametutoring.com or city-readingspecialist.com).
Week 2-3. Bind general + professional liability with the abuse & molestation rider through Hiscox or Insureon. Run a Sterling or Checkr background check on yourself.
Week 3-4. Complete your state's mandatory reporter training online via Child Welfare Information Gateway. File the certificate.
Week 4-6. Set up Acuity Scheduling with intake forms (parent contact, child's diagnosis, school placement, IEP/504 status, eval upload). Connect Stripe. Build a two-page assessment report template.
Week 6-8. Email 10 pediatric SLPs and neuropsychologists with a one-pager: your credential progress, your approach, your assessment fee, an anonymized sample report. Offer one free consult per referring office.
Week 8-10. Hit 4-5 paying weekly clients at $60-$90/hour. Start logging supervised practicum hours toward your full credential.
Week 10-12. Apply to 2-3 local school district approved-vendor lists. Join the International Dyslexia Association and your state's Decoding Dyslexia chapter. Target $2,500+ monthly revenue and 6+ active weekly clients by day 90.

Common Pitfalls

Marketing as "OG-certified" before you actually are. "I took a 3-day OG workshop" is not certification — the AOGPE distinguishes "OG-trained" (loose) from "OG-certified" (documented practicum). Diagnosing professionals will ask, and a misrepresentation claim from a parent who paid $100+/hour on the wrong credential is a real risk. Use "OG-trained" or "completing OG practicum" until the credential is in your hand.
Underestimating the certification cost and timeline. Wilson and OG practitioner credentials cost $5,000-$12,000 and take 12-18 months. Founders who budget only for materials and Acuity blow up at month 6 when the practicum invoice arrives. Build the certification cost into your year-one P&L from day one.
Skipping the abuse & molestation insurance rider. Standard GL policies exclude these claims, and you're alone with minor children every session. Even one unfounded allegation generates six-figure legal defense costs. Add the A&M rider through Hiscox, Markel, or K&K Insurance before your first session.
Promising IEP outcomes you cannot deliver. You support, you do not write, IEPs — that's the school district's authority under IDEA. Telling a parent your tutoring will "fix the IEP" or "guarantee grade-level reading by spring" is a scope-of-practice overreach and an ethics complaint waiting to happen. Frame your work as supplemental, evidence-based intervention with measured progress reports — and let the data do the talking.

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