Sylvan Learning Center Cost

[Zane_Anthony]

Does anyone have any experience with Sylvan Learning centers? I have heard they are really good but expensive. I was thinking $4000-$5000 which is high but I figured it might be worth it. My son is in 2nd grade and struggling with reading/language. I took him for his assessment and almost passed out when I found out just how expensive it really is, my estimate was $13,000-$15,000 Does anyone know of any other good programs out there to help with reading/language skills? I have looked online and found several but don't want to waste the time if they are not going to work. He is still passing but I figure it will get worse as time goes on. I have tried working with him myself but I just don't remember learning the way they are being taught so it's confusing to both of us.

 

[fivefordisney]

Does anyone have any experience with Sylvan Learning centers? I have heard they are really good but expensive. I was thinking $4000-$5000 which is high but I figured it might be worth it. My son is in 2nd grade and struggling with reading/language. I took him for his assessment and almost passed out when I found out just how expensive it really is, my estimate was $13,000-$15,000 Does anyone know of any other good programs out there to help with reading/language skills? I have looked online and found several but don't want to waste the time if they are not going to work. He is still passing but I figure it will get worse as time goes on. I have tried working with him myself but I just don't remember learning the way they are being taught so it's confusing to both of us.

Who assessed your son? Sylvan or a psychologist or educational psychiatrist?

That price seems HUGE to me.

Private tutors around here run from $60 to $100... Speech and Language Pathologists and/or Reading Specialists who work privately or in conjunction with universities may be a better route to go.

When I was young, the teachers who had difficulty getting jobs went to Sylvan or Huntington Learning Centers and got paid a lot less than they would had they worked in the public schools.

I just think that money could be spent in a better way...

 

[Zane_Anthony]

Who assessed your son? Sylvan or a psychologist or educational psychiatrist?

That price seems HUGE to me.

Private tutors around here run from $60 to $100... Speech and Language Pathologists and/or Reading Specialists who work privately or in conjunction with universities may be a better route to go.

When I was young, the teachers who had difficulty getting jobs went to Sylvan or Huntington Learning Centers and got paid a lot less than they would had they worked in the public schools.

I just think that money could be spent in a better way...

He took the Sylvan skills assessment. I agree with the results of the test as it is all stuff I had already noticed however I did not realize it would take them around 300 hours to "fix" the problem. That just seems like a lot to me. He has had speech therapy in the past however he has completed that. I do have a conference with his teacher on Monday to see what she thinks about it and to see if she knows of any other programs available. If I knew that was the ONLY option I would suck it up and pay it but I sure hate to spend that kind of money if it's not necessary.

 

[snjmorrison]

Wow, that does seem like alot of money. How can they tell you exactly the amount of hours required to remediate your son? Your son's teacher might know teachers that tutor after school. Your son might have been dismissed from speech and language therapy b/c he no longer met the criteria. If he saw a therapist in a public school, he needs to qualify for services. Many kids don't meet the criteria but still struggle in class. If you live near a university that has a speech language pathology program, you could contact the clinic. You might get services their for a reasonable price. Best of luck to you.

 

[justtobeme2]

Yes, I know someone who did that and had to take out a loan to take their child and they did better the next 9 weeks or so but after that they were back to their old habits/ways.

After telling someone I know who is a teacher that story theay told me that MANY teachers tutor on the side for MUCH MUCH less and that you should always ask their teacher for reference/referral.

 

[Zane_Anthony]

Wow, that does seem like alot of money. How can they tell you exactly the amount of hours required to remediate your son? Your son's teacher might know teachers that tutor after school. Your son might have been dismissed from speech and language therapy b/c he no longer met the criteria. If he saw a therapist in a public school, he needs to qualify for services. Many kids don't meet the criteria but still struggle in class. If you live near a university that has a speech language pathology program, you could contact the clinic. You might get services their for a reasonable price. Best of luck to you.

Well they say the amount of time is just an estimate based on an the average amount of time it takes kids at his level to get to where he needs to be, they say they work based on the kid and it can be shorter or longer. I did have him re-evaluated at a local university for his speech and he did pass the actual "speech" part of it but he was behind in the language part however they do not have any spots available at the time. He is on a waiting list and I am hoping it comes through soon. I have looked at the websites for the universities here and I am not having much luck but I figure I will call and see if I can get more info. Thanks for the well wishes!!

 

[Zane_Anthony]

Yes, I know someone who did that and had to take out a loan to take their child and they did better the next 9 weeks or so but after that they were back to their old habits/ways.

After telling someone I know who is a teacher that story theay told me that MANY teachers tutor on the side for MUCH MUCH less and that you should always ask their teacher for reference/referral.

Thanks for the info...I have a conference with my sons teacher Monday so hopefully she will have some other resources for me.

 

[HeatherAnn23]

Another vote for talking to the teacher first. You may get some good tips from the teacher on specific strategies to help in difficult areas, or as others have said a personal referral. Another option is that you may find out there are other programs available at the school. At the school where I teach, we offer before and after school small group tutoring, computer tutoring in early literacy, and have a crew of high schoolers that come in after school to do "homework club". I'm at a public school, so you never know what might be an option for free!!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We had DD14 in Sylvan for a month this summer to try to improve her Algebra skills. $850 down the drain. They put her in a group of 3 other kids who were much younger than her. She got absolutely nothing out of Sylvan. She went for 2 hours a day twice a week. Even during the 2 hour session they took several breaks and had "snack time" where the instructor would break out the tea set and have a "tea party" (I kid you not!). I wish we had saved our money and hired a private tutor. DD14 is a straight A student in every subject but math. We wasted our precious time this summer on Sylvan and their pricey program because we thought it would be better for her but we were very wrong.

 

[geetey]

Definitely speak with your son's teacher. You should also make an appointment with your school's learning consultant... She/he should have a list of tutors available, as well as speech/language therapists.

My dd has a language processing disorder so we have lots of experience in that area. Around here, a tutor runs $40 an hour while the speech/language pathologist get $75 an hour. Based on her grades, she has never qualified for 'free' help, but the focused help has made a HUGE difference. Using her evaluation results, we were able to target her specific areas of weakness. Good luck!

 

[sahm1000]

Does anyone have any experience with Sylvan Learning centers? I have heard they are really good but expensive. I was thinking $4000-$5000 which is high but I figured it might be worth it. My son is in 2nd grade and struggling with reading/language. I took him for his assessment and almost passed out when I found out just how expensive it really is, my estimate was $13,000-$15,000 Does anyone know of any other good programs out there to help with reading/language skills? I have looked online and found several but don't want to waste the time if they are not going to work. He is still passing but I figure it will get worse as time goes on. I have tried working with him myself but I just don't remember learning the way they are being taught so it's confusing to both of us.

Like so many other posters, I agree with the idea to ask his teachers. As a former teacher I know many teachers who tutor on the side and $40 an hour seems to be the current going rate. I would definitely try this method first before I signed up for a program.

You are right to think that a problem might get worse as time goes on. Although I do think there are exceptions when a child finally has a "lightbulb" moment and it all becomes clear to them and they are able to grasp the subject matter easily from that point on. But if this isn't happening don't waste your time waiting for it. If you are unsure how to help your child definitely ask the teacher what it is you should be doing to help him. Even with a tutor your help everyday of the week will be necessary. Most teachers are very receptive to explaining to you what it is you can do to help your child and are very happy when they know a parent is involved. Good luck!

 

[paysensmom]

You should look into Learning Rx. They have a great program that will give you results!! I do not work for them or anything, but I did go through the training to instruct and got to work with some children. They have an AMAZING program there!! You could find a lot out from googling them!

 

[Isi]

my dd6 is in 1st and is struggling with reading, I have a teacher from her school that is tutoring her at $25 hour twice a week for one hour each day..her teacher did recommend this tutor to me..

 

[cndij]

I had my neice in Sylvan for about 3 months, 2 years ago. While I believe she got some benefit from it, the price, considering she was in a group of 2 or 3 other kids, was terribly high considering what you can get private 1 on 1 tutoring for. We had a private tutor this summer who was a teacher at her school for a fraction of what Sylvan charges. The only problem is with using a teacher, the school can not suggest it, unless you request a referral. I guess it is to prevent them from promoting their own teachers. So be sure and ask. We actually had to ask several times before they gave us some names, but it ended up being well worth it.

 

[jam217]

I also recommend checking with your child's teacher. Also, in our school the guidance counselors have a list of teachers who tutor and provide it to parents. If the teacher can't help you, then perhaps the guidance counselor can.

 

[mikkiwikki]

The USA the shinging light of hope to many........where our middle class is taxed for a failing education system, and then parents notice its failings and then have to spend more money to educate their children - something the educational system should have been able to address in the first place. Its sad to say that its been increasingly clear to me....what our nations priorities are.

I have noticed more and more parents feeling they have to send their kids to Sylvan - or some other tutorial lessons at exorbitant cost. This trend will only continue, and these programs are more than happy to charge top dollar for educating these kids well. The education system is failing many of our kids.

IMHO you all are great parents who are noticing exactly how the educational systems are failing our kids. Maybe if we spent 700 billion on our educational systems in this country instead of sending it overseas to iraq, our kids wouldnt be underserved. Teachers need more support in public schools. Its a brutal job of do more and more with less and less. Until Parents unite, and DEMAND that our country meet the standards imposed on other industrial nations, we are just going to keep passing the buck onto parents who have to shoulder the burden of this cost...to simply educate their children.

 

[LParente]

I am a fifth grade teacher and also worked part time at Sylvan for about a year. IMHO I think you would be better off with a private tutor. It would cost much less and your child would be getting individualized instruction rather than the small group Sylvan provides.
Good luck!

 

[powellrj]

If you have a local college, give them a call. We have 2 schools that we have used over the years with great results.

 

[disneyvacalover]

My son was diagnosed with a learning disability when he was 5. He was struggling and I knew something was not right. He had central auditory processing delay. We got him "therapy" right away, in addition to what school was providing. It was actually considered speech therapy and our health insurance paid for everything. He had 3 doses of this therapy, in k, then 1 then 2nd grade.
He is now an honor roll student in 9th grade. Good luck!

 

[becjlek]

A few years ago we checked out sylvan too. We tried to get help during the school year through the school. We got nothing, until the end of the year when I got a price list from teachers willing to tutor him during the summer. I am a teacher's daughter and I know how busy they are, but I also know that my mom would never have ignored a child just to get extra money in the summer. We went to Sylvan and my son got individual sessions. He is now in high school, taking honors classes and has a 3.87 grade point.