Sylvan Learning Centers

[chickie]

Does anyone have any experience with them? My DD is going into 3rd grade this year. I've thought about sending her to Sylvan for some extra help with some reading comprehension and fluency problems. I have her set up for an assessment test with them on Thursday. She's not behind in school, but she didn't progress as well as I would have liked in 2nd grade. She used to be ahead of the game and I'm afraid she may struggle when she gets into 3rd grade.
Any thoughts before I get myself stuck in a very expensive venture?
Thanks!

 

[toddlerhouse]

My DS wasn't progressing as well as his teacher would like in reading in the
1st grade. While he wasn't far behind he just wasn't getting it. We tried extra home reading and the teacher even stayed after school 1 day a week for a month to help him. She suggested Sylvan. We did the assessment and he as reading at a first month first grade level at the end of first grade. We sent him to Sylvan and within 4 visits he was reading signs along the road. We only went for about 4 months over the summer because after he "got it" he took off in reading. This past year in second grade he had no trouble. I have only great things to say about them.

 

[chickie]

Thanks! I appreciate the quick response! I guess we'll try it and see!

 

[LISAVWL]

my DS14 is enrolled at Sylvan right now. He didn't do as well in math this past year and with starting high school we didn't want him falling any further behind. His teacher suggested Sylvan and I'm so glad we did it! He went through the whole math program they suggested in about 2 weeks, they suggested 6 weeks. I think his biggest obstacle was confidence. The one on one tutoring really helped him and now he feels so much better! He'll be going back for one more week just before school starts to get a crash course in Geometry to give him a bit of a head start for the year. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the staff at Sylvan, here in PA.
FWIW -- I think they may exagerate the amount of tutoring needed to start up, you can sign up for as many or as few hours you feel comfortable with. It can get $$$!

 

[ChrisAlli]

I have a nephew who went to Sylvan. He was is 6th grade reading at a 3rd grade level. ( I have no idea how the school didn't pick that up) Anyway after Sylvan he was right on track and maybe a little better. His grades went up to A and B instead of C and D in every class.

 

[MM27]

I'll speak for the teachers and say that I'm sure the teacher knew that the child was not reading on grade level. I teach 4th grade (I don't teach Reading though) and we have plenty of kids that are reading below grade level. Many school districts use a guided reading program in which the teacher works in a small group on skills that the kids need. Therefore, in a
4th grade class you may have some kids reading on anywhere between a 1st to maybe 6th grade level. The kids that are the lowest don't get lost like they very often do when the teacher uses whole class instruction.

 

[Harmoniebreeze]

Hi. I can also say that if you can afford it Sylvan is the way to go. Before I had kids I was a CD for them and they can really do wonderful things. It is the idea teaching situation. As a teacher the daily achievements of the students is inspiring! If in this country we could afford to run our schools the way Sylvan does then "no child would really be left behind” Pardon my pun!

The trick is that they can test all the skills you child should know and pinpoint each individual skill that is missing. Reading and math both start out with a foundation - like a building. Everything builds off of that, so if your child misses a few skills or concepts then the ones that build on top of those become unobtainable …..creating a vicious cycle. This cycle often reeks havoc on a child’s confidence level which in turn makes the problem even worse because then school or the subject becomes a "can't"

Sylvan is a great place to correct those problems. With the testing they can go directly to the place where the problem began. The trouble is that a lot of parents wait until they have no other option and then it gets really expensive! The longer you wait to correct the problem the further behind the child gets. If you can afford to do it then I suggest doing it sooner rather than later.

I also just want to say "good for you"! When I taught in the classroom I came to realize how far and few between parents like you are. Most parents expect the school to handle there child's education, but with the way education is today no teacher can live up to that expectation for every student they teach. Parents like you.... that are in tune with the child and willing to do what it takes are really too few than I will ever admit!

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

My son started struggling in 3rd grade this past year. There was no extra help offered at his school (which really frustrated me), so we turned to Sylvan. The closest center to us was almost an hour away, but we took him for 2 hours per week and we and his teachers definitely saw improvement. More than anything it was a big boost to his confidence and he really felt better about himself. We took a break this summer but will definitely go back when school starts at the first sign of struggle.

 

[soccermom17]

I can honestly say that Sylvan Learning Centers are great! I'm 34 now and I attended a similar program when I was in high school. I graduated high school, went on to college, then on to graduate school. It was the best thing for me (although at the time I couldn't stand going).

My sister actually went to Sylvan Learning and got a ton out of it. She too graduated high school and is just about done college (she took a break before going back to school).

Its definately worth it. If its too pricey, ask them about any scholarships. Its something that is available to qualified families, just not something offered or advertised.

K-

 

[tanyaandallie]

My nephew is in Sylvan right now. We are on week 3 and hoping for the best. He is so far behing. He should be going into the 4th grade and they are having to go back and work on his kindergarten skills. It is really impressive that they can go back and pinpoint exactly where his problems are. We are really really hoping it works. Seeing the success stories gives me hope.

 

[jstbcuz]

My duaghter has been going for over 2 years. We started when she was in 6th grade. When they tested her she was at a 2nd grade level in reading. We too live almost an hour away and every Sat we would go for 4 hours (2 Reading and 2 Math). Over the summer we would go 2x a week for 4 hours each.

Fast forward 2 years and Mon will be our last time going. She is starting 9th grade now and reading at a 10th grade level. I agree with someone else that stated I think alot of it is the confidence level. The teachers are AWESOME and we both are really going to miss them.

I do agree that it is expensive. But we had tried everything else we could think of and thought if we didnt try and it could have helped that wasnt fair to our DD, but if we tried and it didnt work............then we could move on.

I too have nothing but good things to say about Sylvan.

 

[chickie]

Thanks everyone!
We had DD tested and yes - she does need some work on her reading fluency and comprehension. I'm glad we are catching this before she has too much trouble. My DH was a little shocked with the cost, especially for the month of August (going 4 times a week until school starts), but he agrees that now is the best time to get her caught up. I'm glad everyone has had such good experiences. She's only been once, so far, but she's really enjoying it! Wish us luck!