In Papua New Guinea, educational dynamics are evolving, led by Dianne Meli, the Founder and Director of TIPS For Kids. Established when Meli was age 26, TIPS For Kids started as a tutoring service for early childhood and grew into a registered homeschool, a first in PNG.TIPS stands for Tailored Individual Programs Supporting Children in Need, with a mission to bridge education gaps and a vision to provide tailored programs for children.
Its services are:
- Full-time homeschooling for grades 1-10, operating as a private school with full-time services at clients' homes on weekdays, with recess, lunch breaks, and holidays. Each family gets a dedicated teacher for personalized attention, with multi-grade teaching for families with children in different grades.
- Uses the ACE PACE Curriculum, recognized internationally and recommended for homeschooling.
- Tutoring Services: Sessions offered during holidays and Sundays for early childhood to Grade 8, with secondary support upon request. Individual tutoring at home is also available.
- PACE Order Services: Facilitating purchase orders for the ACE PACE Curriculum, empowering parents in their children's education.
Dianne's personal journey influenced the founding of TIPS For Kids. Homeschooled herself under the ACE PACE Curriculum, she saw the need to extend similar opportunities to others. Working in Port Moresby schools and witnessing gaps in education post-Covid-19, she aimed to redefine the education system by providing tailored support for struggling children.
Her vision for TIPS For Kids focuses on personalized educational experiences, changing traditional schooling paradigms in Port Moresby.
“During my experiences working in the classroom assisting teachers in Port Moresby, I noticed a small but growing number of struggling children,” she says.
These were children “who need more time to master a concept, a subject, a topic, children who are slow and learn individually, children who cannot progress collectively at the same speed with other children in the classroom or together in a group.”
“I recognized these children have a need; they need a teaching program that must be tailored to meet their needs. I decided that I want to use my experiences and my education and start a school that will help these children in need.”
“When I see these children struggling, I remember my own struggles, and I want to help them,” Dianne says.
