MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Camp Pendleton leaders kicked off a new method of providing educational assistance with a ceremony that recognized a partnership between Tutor.com and the Department of Defense at the base’s Patrick J. Carney Library, Feb. 11.

Tutor.com provides free, 24-hour, one-on-one, online tutoring to active-duty service members and their families for all grade levels, anywhere in the world.

“Tutor.com is a program that I am extremely excited about, because I know how much it really makes a difference in Marines’ and their families lives,” said Col. Nicholas F. Marano, commanding officer, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. “The new feature of being able to use this program at home is a great advance that will help our families and is an asset to be proud of.”

Service members have previously only been able to use the program for free at installation libraries, but the new partnership extends that service of tutoring to personal computers as well.

The program was created in 1998 by George Cigale and a group of education and technical professionals who hired about a hundred tutors for the Web site. Since then, thousands of tutors, who undergo extensive screening and certification, have joined the staff.

In addition to traditional subjects like math, science, social studies and English, Tutor.com provides assistance for a number of general practical subjects such as GED preparation, the U.S. Citizenship exam, resume writing, job interview preparation and job searching. The program also has bilingual Spanish tutors for certain subjects.

Tutor.com is not totally new to the Corps; it debuted about four years ago at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, said Brian Taylor, director of Lifelong Learning, Headquarters Marine Corps.

“It was such a success there that it was brought up to Headquarters Marine Corps to be funded for use across the Marine Corps and military,” said Timothy Larsen, director of Marine and Family Services, Headquarters Marine Corps. “It’s a great way to support the service members and their families across the military.”

In addition to active-duty service members and their families, if reserve Marines, National Guard members, and Department of Defense civilian employees are in a deployed status, they and their families can use the site.

To get started, visit or contact your installation library for a username and password, then log into the Web site at www.tutor.com/military.