This new benefit may help employees’ kids get into college

More working parents may be able to take advantage of individualized counseling services to get their children into top-tier colleges, thanks to a new employee benefit.

A new digital platform, called MyKlovr, uses algorithms created by a Harvard professor to predict the likelihood of students getting accepted to the colleges they want. The platform also provides students with extracurricular activity suggestions based on career goals, and connects them with educational resources to improve grades.

“Most parents have one concern: How do I get my kids into good schools and pay for it? We’re making the process easy for parents while providing a method for companies to attract and retain good employees,” says Gustavo Dolfino, founder and CEO of MyKlovr.

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Students from the London School of Economics & Political Science, also known as LSE, throw their mortar boards up in the air as they celebrate graduation from the university in London, U.K., on July 18, 2013. U.K. unemployment claims fell at their fastest pace in three years in June, adding to evidence the economic recovery is gaining momentum. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

MyKlovr was developed by educational company Student Global. In early November, the company entered into a partnership with benefit provider Benefitfocus, which plans to offer the counseling technology on its benefit offerings platform BenefitsPlace.

“We welcome MyKlovr’s state-of-the-art college planning solution to our BenefitsPlace portfolio of insurance carriers and specialty suppliers as it addresses a major need for families,” says Jeff Oldham, senior vice president of BenefitsPlace Distribution. “MyKlovr is highly relevant to any working parent with children planning to go to college.”

The platform is geared for children between the ages of 14 to 18. Although it focuses on college admissions, MyKlovr executives say the platform is different from other college planners because it uses an individualized, goal-oriented approach.

“Let’s say your employee’s son Tim wants to be a doctor. The machine looks at his IQ, test scores and personality assessments; it might suggest Tim take chemistry courses, volunteer at a local hospital and raise his biology grade,” Dolfino says. “It gives each kid a play-by-play of what they need to do to reach their goals.”

As the young student progresses through high school, MyKlovr predicts their chances of being admitted to the schools they want based on grades, SAT scores and extracurricular activities. When the platform identifies areas in need of improvement, it directs the student to helpful resources. For help with grades, the platform connects students with peer tutoring through Christopher Bot — a Canadian tutoring company founded by social media personality Alec Jones.

“It reminds kids to do their homework and connects them with kid tutors,” Dolfino says.

When it comes time to apply for colleges, MyKlovr predicts — based on admission data and individual test scores — the probability of the student being admitted to each college they applied to. But Dolfino says parents shouldn’t worry about whether the platform’s predictions are accurate because the program comes with a performance guarantee.

If a student using the platform doesn’t get accepted to college, Dolfino says his company will refund the subscription cost, price of nine college application fees and one SAT exam. A parent qualifying for this refund will receive about $3,200.

Access to MyKlovr will be offered as a voluntary benefit to the workforce, Dolfino says. Companies can choose to fund the program entirely or partially; any outstanding costs will be deducted off each employee’s paycheck. A subscription to the counseling platform can cost employees around $18 a month, Dolfino says, which includes access to financial planning services to work out the cost of a college education.

MyKlovr has also signed agreements with insurance brokers Lockton and USI.

This article originally appeared in Employee Benefit News.
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