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Customized in-person and online tutoring and test prep in all subject areas.

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Detailed Assessment

Determine your child’s strengths and weaknesses through diagnostic tests.

Matched with a Teacher

Every tutor who works with your child has classroom teaching experience and is an expert in their subject area.

Customized Tutoring Plan

A customized tutoring program will be designed that is based on your student’s individualized learning needs.

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Have a question? Talk to a client specialist.

Meet some of our team...

All of our tutors are state licensed teachers with Bachelors degrees and most have their Master’s degrees or are currently working towards advanced degrees

Meet the whole team here

Nina Parrish, M.ED.
CEO and Co-Founder
Nina Parrish, M.ED.

CEO and Co-Founder

Nina Parrish graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. While attending the University of Mary Washington, Nina was elected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities in recognition of outstanding merit and accomplishment. Following graduation from the University of Mary Washington, she received the Project PISCES scholarship to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she completed her certification in Special Education for K-12 students with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and emotional disturbance. After obtaining her license, Nina earned a Masters Degree in Education for School Counseling in grades Pre K-12 from Virginia Commonwealth University while achieving a 4.0 GPA. Nina was chosen as one of the “Top 10 of the Next Gen” business leaders. This award honors 10 Fredericksburg-area professionals under the age of 40 for their professional accomplishments and community contributions.

Nina has been a Special Education teacher in the public schools for seven years and has tutored students privately for over five years. She has taught remedial reading, language arts, math, history, and study skills classes in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Nina has classroom and counseling experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is excited to have the opportunity to design customized instructional programs for use with students individually and in small groups so that all students are able to experience learning success.

Nina writes a blog on education and parenting topics for Fredericksburg Parent and Family and The Huffington Post. She is also a contributor on education and parenting topics for the TODAY Parenting Team. Her articles have been published in Fredericksburg Parent and Family Magazine and featured on Huffington Post Parents.
Lauren Cannavo
Client Specialist | SAT/ACT Prep, Middle and High School English Tutor
Lauren Cannavo

Client Specialist | SAT/ACT Prep, Middle and High School English Tutor

Mrs. Cannavo graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Psychology. She spent eight years managing a longitudinal research project on Adolescent Development which helped her develop a deep understanding of the science of the teenage brain, as well as how to harness and encourage their motivation. Mrs. Cannavo realized that as much as she liked studying teenagers, she would find more satisfaction in having direct relationships with them through teaching. She completed a Career Switcher Program at Shenandoah University through the Department of Education, and currently teaches English at Riverbend High School. She finds deep satisfaction in helping her students become better writers and find their own voice, as well as helping them find books they enjoy and aiding them in increasing their literary analysis skills. Mrs. Cannavo strives to facilitate students’ growth by helping them realize and harness their potential. In her free time Mrs. Cannavo enjoys reading, having game nights with friends, and hiking with her husband.
Jim Slane, M.ED.
SAT/ACT Prep, Middle and High School Math Tutor
Jim Slane, M.ED.

SAT/ACT Prep, Middle and High School Math Tutor

Mr. Slane graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2008 with a degree in Secondary Mathematics Education. He has a Masters Degree as a Mathematics Specialist through the University of Virginia. Mr. Slane has been teaching for seven years. He has taught: 8th grade math, Algebra and Geometry, but is qualified for mathematics in grades 7-12. This year, he is enjoying his first year as a Math Specialist for Spotsylvania County Public Schools. He spent several seasons coaching both girls and boys basketball at the middle school level. Mr. Slane enjoys tutoring because it gives him the opportunity to interact with students even though he is out of the classroom and working with teachers as a math specialist. He finds it very rewarding to help students finally “get it” and start seeing success. Mr. Slane is married with one daughter and another of the way! Some of Mr. Slane’s greatest accomplishments are being a husband and father and earning his Master’s degree.
Stephanie Fuller
Elementary and Middle School Tutor
Stephanie Fuller

Elementary and Middle School Tutor

Mrs. Fuller graduated from Longwood University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Elementary Education. In 2005, she earned a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from University of Mary Washington. She has taught a multitude of subjects at the middle school level over her 24 years. Currently, Mrs. Fuller teaches sixth-grade science and social studies for Stafford County Public Schools.

When Mrs. Fuller has spare time, you can find her with her husband, David, watching their son playing baseball or traveling to UVA to visit their daughter. She also enjoys being near a lake or the beach, reading, and catching up on her favorite television shows.

Mrs. Fuller enjoys working with the students at Parrish and watching their confidence grow.

From The Blog

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How Do I Know if my Child Needs Reading Help?

by Nina Parrish | Sep 30, 2019 | Children, Education, Family, Grades, Learning Disabilities, Parenting, Reading, School, SOL, Students, Study Skills, Tutoring

Often I talk with parents who are frustrated to find that their child is one, two, or even four or more grade levels below what would match up with their year in school. They usually express some version of the same frustration, “I wish I had known what to look for...

What is the Difference Between an IEP and a 504 Plan?

by Nina Parrish | Sep 16, 2019 | Children, Education, Family, Learning Disabilities, Parenting, Students, Tutoring

Parents who are seeking out additional support for their child are often confused about the difference between an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and a 504 plan. Both plans provide support and often accommodations for a student with a disability. However, there...

How Do I Find Out if My Child is Eligible for Special Education Services?

by Nina Parrish | Sep 10, 2019 | Children, Education, Family, Learning Disabilities, Parenting, Students, Tutoring

I frequently speak to parents whose children have been struggling in school for years. Many times they suspect that this is due to learning or attention issues. Often they have brought this up to a teacher at school and have not received any clear direction on what to...

Parent Approved

Trusted By Parents Around the Fredericksburg Area.

Our Reviews

love the owner. love the detailed feedback. love the attentiveness of the tutor. love Parrish!!!

Jessica Bartels

2019-02-26T22:49:55+0000

My daughter has a math learning disability and hated math. We started working with Nina Parrish and stuck with it for several months. Her grades have improved, but more importantly, so has her self confidence. She now loves going to work on math and will even work on it at home by herself. We are grateful for Parrish Learning Zone!

Laura Ivey Ellis

2018-12-14T14:36:43+0000

Mr. Chaves is an extremely gifted chemistry teacher. It's such a difficult subject--my son was drowning by the time we found PLZ. This was truly a last ditch effort on our part. Mr. Chaves was able to turn that ship around after only 4 lessons and my son passed the SOL! He was able to distill difficult concepts in a way that made them comprehensible and he was patient and kind and gave my son the confidence to succeed. His actual eacher expressed surprise and made a point of telling him he didn't know how he did it but he was impressed. It takes a gifted teacher to get results like that.I only wish we'd found PLZ and Mr. Chaves in the beginning of the school year.

Wendy Zelazny

2018-06-08T02:05:15+0000

Highly Recommend

Anne Kater Reeves

2018-06-07T22:46:05+0000

I highly recommend Parrish Learning Zone. My daughter was able to achieve the SAT score she was aiming for with the help of her Math (Mr. James Slane) and English (Mrs. Lauren Cannavo) tutors. Not only did they help her with practice tests but they also boosted her confidence in taking the SAT. The owners (Nina and Jay) were always prompt in answering my emails. They are very accommodating and worked around my daughter’s schedule (thank you Shiela for all your help in finding available dates for my daughter to meet with her tutors). Thank you Parrish Learning Zone for helping my daughter achieve her goal!

Beth Yankovich

2018-03-23T20:29:18+0000

Awesome! Very structured and student focused - they identified the areas of weakness and turned those into areas of strength in a very short amount of time. I loved the communication from the tutor and the company. I received a specific report of my child's tutoring session including improvements and areas that needed continued work. I received reminders of upcoming tutor sessions - which I needed!! I felt the individual attention and service was worth every penny AND found the prices to be much more reasonable that other tutors in the area. I would HIGHLY recommend Parrish Learning Zone to any parent that needs to find highly competent tutoring help for their child. Parrish is simply the best!

Michele Hiltbrunner Freemyers

2017-03-14T15:53:50+0000

An excellent place to take your kids for any tutoring needs! PLZ is a very personalized and hands on service! Both of my teenage boys have been through here for various reasons and I know we will continue to make use of them!

Tammy Elms Mosco

2016-06-02T12:20:59+0000

Masiel Dubois

2015-06-23T22:16:01+0000

SAT Prep Course with Parish Learning is definitely a worthwhile invest !!...My son's scores improved over 200 plus points!!

Janice Boles

2014-12-02T22:34:32+0000

I am extremely thankful to Parrish Learning Zone. I have a son that is a freshman in college majoring in mechanical engineering. I am so glad that we found out about the Parrish Learning Zone because they were very caring and really worked hard around my sons high school football schedule to ensure that he received all of the needed instruction in order to do well on the SAT testing. It was a great investment for his future. I believe this experience prepared my son for the transition to college life. He was able to attend a top engineering college and to play football there. My daughter is a senior in high school now and was admitted into two of the top ranked public schools in Virginia. She will be a freshman at one of these schools next year. She also was enrolled in the Parrish Learning Zone for preparation for the SAT. I am again thankful to the Parrish Learning Zone and feel that this was a great long term investment into their futures. I would strongly recommend the Parrish Learning Zone to anyone looking for an environment that offers a caring and knowledgeable approach to educating students. They are the best.

Angela Jackson

2014-05-15T00:39:39+0000

Andrew Powers

2014-02-09T12:32:29+0000

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