The Bare Necessities Tutor

The Bare Necessities Tutor Helping struggling readers in PreK–5 build confidence through personalized reading intervention. Online tutoring & IEP coaching. Message for a free consultation!

Hi, I'm Cara Robertson, owner of Bare Necessities Tutor. I'm a certified elementary teacher, Reading Specialist, and former special education teacher with a passion for helping struggling readers build confidence and strong foundational literacy skills. I provide personalized online reading intervention for PreK through 5th grade students, focusing on phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension. Every lesson is tailored to meet each child where they are and help them make meaningful progress. In addition to tutoring, I offer IEP coaching for parents who want support navigating the special education process before, during, and after school meetings.

What does individualized tutoring actually look like?When I start working with a new student, I don't automatically pull...
10/13/2026

What does individualized tutoring actually look like?

When I start working with a new student, I don't automatically pull out the same assessment or start working on whatever they're doing in class. I want to get to know the child first and figure out where they are. Just meeting them and talking with them can help me decide what I need to look at more closely. Depending on the child, I may assess uppercase and lowercase letter recognition, letter sounds, sight words, reading comprehension, or other reading skills.

Parent input is an important part of that process too. I want to know what your child does well, where they're struggling, and what you're seeing at home. I also want to know what the school is seeing and what they've already tried. Have they been pulled for small group instruction? Are they receiving intervention through a tiered system? Do they have an IEP? If their teacher wants to communicate with me, I welcome that input too. All of those pieces help me get a better picture of the child and determine where we need to start.

And where we start may not be what your child's class is currently working on. If a child is struggling with a grade level skill because they're missing foundational skills that came before it, working on the harder skill during tutoring isn't necessarily going to fix the problem. I want to find those missing pieces and fill in the gaps first so we have a stronger foundation to build on.

From there, tutoring really does ebb and flow. We might work on phonemic awareness and phonics, connect reading and spelling, use decodable books, work on comprehension, or read chapter books. If a child needs more time with a skill, we review it. If they make a connection and are ready to move forward sooner than expected, we move forward. The plan changes as the child grows.

I also want students to have some input in their sessions. I love finding books about topics they're interested in, letting them choose between activities, playing reading games, or finding a series they enjoy. I've had students who love reading about soccer, so we find ways to bring that interest into our reading time.

That's what individualized tutoring looks like to me. It's not one program, one assessment, or one plan that every child follows. It's getting to know the child in front of me, figuring out what they need, and adjusting instruction as they grow.
If you're wondering what individualized tutoring could look like for your child, reach out. I'd be happy to talk with you.

The IEP meeting shouldn't be the first time the team hears your concerns.IEP meetings can be overwhelming. There can be ...
10/08/2026

The IEP meeting shouldn't be the first time the team hears your concerns.

IEP meetings can be overwhelming. There can be several people in the room, a lot of information being shared, data being reviewed, and decisions being discussed.

Then you're asked, “What are your parental concerns?”

Even if you walked into the meeting knowing exactly what you wanted to say, it can be easy to forget something in the moment.

That's why I recommend sharing your concerns with the IEP team in writing before the meeting.

Sending your concerns ahead of time gives the team an opportunity to know what you want to discuss before everyone sits down together. It also gives you a written record of the concerns you've shared.

And communication shouldn't only happen around the annual IEP meeting. Parents and school teams should be communicating throughout the year and sharing updates with one another.

The IEP meeting shouldn't be the beginning of the conversation. It should be part of an ongoing one.

If you have an upcoming IEP meeting and aren't sure how to organize or communicate your concerns, that's something I can help you with through IEP coaching.

Your child is making progress. What comes next?Your child has been going to tutoring. You’re seeing progress. Maybe they...
10/06/2026

Your child is making progress. What comes next?

Your child has been going to tutoring. You’re seeing progress. Maybe they’re more confident, reading is getting easier, and they’re finally where they need to be.

So...what happens next?

When a student has made significant progress, I reassess. Then I sit down with the parents and go over the results. We look at where their child started, the progress they’ve made, and whether there are any remaining gaps.

If their child is now on grade level, I give the parents that information and let them decide what makes sense for their family.

Some families decide it’s a good time to pause tutoring. Others continue working on remaining gaps or decide they want their child to work ahead. Sometimes we use that individualized time to dive deeper into something the child is interested in. And sometimes a child simply really enjoys coming to tutoring and wants to continue.

Tutoring isn’t just for children who are struggling.

Sometimes tutoring is intervention. Sometimes it’s enrichment. And sometimes a child reaches a point where they’re ready to take a break.

If you’re wondering what individualized tutoring could look like for your child, reach out. I’d be happy to talk with you.

Advocacy is a partnership.Parents, teachers, and the rest of the IEP team all bring something important to the table. Pa...
10/01/2026

Advocacy is a partnership.

Parents, teachers, and the rest of the IEP team all bring something important to the table. Parents know their child, and teachers know what that child looks like in the school setting.

Those two pictures may not always look the same, and that’s okay. Home and school have different schedules, expectations, environments, and academic demands. Both perspectives are important.

Problems can start when communication breaks down. Parents may feel like they aren’t being heard or that decisions are being made without their input. The school may also feel like what they’re seeing in the classroom isn’t being heard.

One simple way to help is to communicate before and after meetings. Parents can share concerns in writing before an IEP meeting instead of trying to remember everything while sitting in an overwhelming meeting. After a meeting or phone call, a follow-up email can help make sure everyone has the same understanding of what was discussed.

Schools can do the same. Communication goes both ways.
IEP advocacy doesn’t have to be parents versus the school. The goal is to build a partnership where everyone can communicate, listen, and keep the focus on supporting the child.

If you’re preparing for an IEP meeting and aren’t sure how to communicate your concerns or what questions to ask, I’m happy to help. IEP coaching can help you feel more prepared going into the conversation.

Reading is more than reading the words.A child may be able to read every word on the page, but do they understand what t...
09/29/2026

Reading is more than reading the words.

A child may be able to read every word on the page, but do they understand what they just read?

When I work on comprehension with students, I may start with simple questions. Who are the characters? What happened? Can you retell the story and tell me the beginning, middle, and end?

But comprehension doesn't stop there. It continues to grow as a child grows as a reader.

While we're reading, we talk about vocabulary and what unfamiliar words mean. We make predictions about what might happen next. We work on main idea, making connections, inferencing, and finding evidence in the text to support an answer.

The goal isn't just for a child to finish the book. I want them to understand it, think about it, and be able to talk about what they read.

You can work on this at home too. Don't wait until the end of the book to ask questions. Talk about what you're reading before, during, and after the story.

If your child can read the words but struggles to tell you what they just read, reach out. I'd be happy to talk with you about what you're seeing and how reading intervention may help.

Happy Grandparents Day!
09/13/2026

Happy Grandparents Day!

Why do I sometimes go back before we move forward?I plan my tutoring sessions based on each child’s assessment, but indi...
09/11/2026

Why do I sometimes go back before we move forward?

I plan my tutoring sessions based on each child’s assessment, but individualized tutoring also means moving at that child’s pace.

Sometimes we’ve worked on a skill multiple times and I notice that a student is still struggling with it. Instead of continuing to push forward, I stop and figure out why.

Is there a foundational skill that came before this one that they’re still struggling with? Is it something we’ve already worked on and need to review? Or is there a gap that didn’t show up during the initial assessment but is becoming noticeable now?

Sometimes we need to go back before we can move forward.

Going back isn’t a bad thing. It means we found a skill that needs more support. Once we strengthen that foundation, we have something stronger to build on as we continue moving forward.

That’s the whole point of individualized tutoring. We meet your child where they are, fill in the missing gaps, and move at their pace.

If your child is struggling with reading and you’re wondering if there may be some missing foundational skills, reach out. I’d be happy to talk with you about reading intervention and how individualized support may help.

Why does reading at home sometimes feel like a battle?Before assuming your child just doesn't want to read, try to figur...
09/08/2026

Why does reading at home sometimes feel like a battle?

Before assuming your child just doesn't want to read, try to figure out the why.

Is the book too hard for them? Are they struggling to read the words? Or are they simply not interested in the topic?

If the book feels too difficult, read it together. Let your child read the words they know and help them sound out the words they're struggling with. You can also choose a different book together so they feel like they have some choice in what they're reading.

The library is a great place to do this. Choose a book you know is at their reading level, let them pick a couple of books that interest them, and choose a book that you can read aloud to them. You can do the same thing with books you already have at home, on a Kindle, or through your library app.

And if reading is becoming frustrating, take a break. Come back to it later and work through it together.

Reading at home doesn't have to become a battle. Sometimes we just need to figure out what's making it feel so hard.

If reading at home has become a struggle and you're not sure why, please reach out. I'd be happy to talk with you about what you're seeing and help you figure out what your child may need.

Happy Labor Day.Today is a day to recognize all the hardworking people in our communities and everything they do each da...
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day.

Today is a day to recognize all the hardworking people in our communities and everything they do each day.

What does IEP coaching actually look like?When a parent first reaches out to me about IEP coaching, I start by reviewing...
08/27/2026

What does IEP coaching actually look like?

When a parent first reaches out to me about IEP coaching, I start by reviewing their child's current IEP. I look at what's already there, what may need some work, and what may be missing. Then we schedule a free consultation to talk about what's going on, what concerns the parent has, and what support they may need.

If they decide to move forward with coaching, one of the first things I like to focus on is parental concerns. I've read a lot of IEPs where that section is empty or says, "No parental concerns at this time." But most parents do have concerns. The problem is that they're often asked about them in the middle of an IEP meeting while they're receiving a lot of information, and it can be overwhelming.

Instead, we take the time before the meeting to really talk through what's happening, what the parent's concerns are, and what they would like the team to discuss. From there, we can put together a parent input statement that can be sent to the school before the meeting.

After that, IEP coaching looks different for every family. We might work on an email to the school, review a progress report, prepare for a meeting, talk through questions, or simply bounce ideas around.

The goal isn't for me to do all of the advocating for you. It's to help you learn how to advocate for your child. I love when a parent gets to the point where they feel confident doing it on their own. That's the goal of coaching. And if you need support again along the way, I'm still here to help.

Address

Dawsonville, GA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 12pm - 6:30pm
Friday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+17707091272

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