When one of her children began struggling in school, Ar’Jillian Gilmer and her husband, Charles, did all they could to help the child succeed, from games based around rhymes to spelling raps meant to ingrain the rules for spelling and reading comprehension.
“With this basis in mind, and working in the public school system, I knew that students could not possibly be receiving all the help necessary because teachers don’t have that type of time, not even in small group sessions,” Gilmer said.
While working as a teacher with the Little Rock School District, Gilmer began assisting her co-workers with their college coursework to become certified teachers, then started helping students that her co-workers sent to her, wanting to do all she could to help. Gilmer’s Learning Solutions began as a one-woman operation in 2020, but on her own, Gilmer was only able to assist about five students at a time, so she turned it into an official business in 2021.
“We are contracted with eight Learning Solutions Experts, who range from high achieving high school and college students to educators/expert tutors to an adjunct professor who provides most of our professional collaboration services,” Gilmer said.
Where GLS once had to find free locations like libraries or community centers to meet with clients, it has now grown into a brick-and-mortar location right in the heart of downtown Little Rock.
“GLS provides personalized academic support wherein we access a client’s current proficiency based on Arkansas State Standards,” Gilmer said. “We continuously monitor progress to ensure that our lessons are effective at building the learner’s capacity to retain knowledge, apply it to various contexts, and demonstrate what is learned through various activities and assignments.”
The learning solutions provided by the company take a variety of forms, most of which are available in either private or small-group settings. Thus far, GLS has helped over 50 clients, with recent clients showing academic growth equivalent to four months to up to a year of school during their 18-week contract period.
217 W. 2nd. St, Suite 110 // Little Rock // gilmerlearningsolutions.com
