has anyone ever used Sylvan learning center for their kids, is it a good program and worth the money?

Answer 1

I've been tutoring for an Austin-area Sylvan for over 8 years now and it's definitely worth the money. (Especially in math, in my opinion.)

It does cost quite a bit ($40-50 per hour tuition) but for that money you're not only getting a tutor, you're also getting an individually prepared diagnostic/prescriptive program that's updated constantly according to your student's needs, ongoing progress assessments, and regular conferences with the directors to keep you informed and address your concerns.

You start with the diagnostic assessment that will tell you where your child is having problems. For example, if he's having a hard time with algebra because he had a bad sub the semester they did fractions and percentages in elementary school but he's good at everything else, then his program will prescribe lessons going back as far as necessary to cover those bases but won't waste time with lessons in other topics.

Also, retention is really important at Sylvan because no one wants to pay that much money for something the student is going to forget by next week. So, the lessons are designed to reinforce skills in distributed practice and quick retention checks throughout the program.

As Napqueen said, Sylvans can be different depending on their staff -- you're welcome to call and visit to have a chat with the directors and even observe classes to see if you feel comfortable with the interactions at your local center.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Glad you asked. My daughter's been enrolled in a Sylvan tutoring program for math since September. She's in 5th grade now, but really struggled at the end of 4th grade last year & begged me to get her a "real" tutor -- not just an older kid or relative. I'll tell you one thing -- Sylvan's EXPENSIVE. Unbelievably expensive. I had to take a loan out my 401k to pay for it! It was a real wake-up call. Anyway her grades did improved significantly, and she enjoys personal attention of the 3:1 ratio of students to tutors. Personally, I think some centers may be better than others. It makes sense, too, cuz the strength of the center is only as good as its administration and tutors. For instance, my daughter's center recently underwent a major adminstrative shift. The center coordinator & asst. coordination both left within a couple of months of each other! Yikes! Things got a little hairy since they were both very capable & professional. Other than that, it's been fine. However, NEXT year I plan to use an on-line tutoring program for my daughter called Tutor Vista. She'll be a bit older & more able to utilize a non-face-to-face program. Besides that, it's MUCH MUCH MUCH more economical. I hope this was informative for you.

Answer 3

I have a friend who has a daughter who was born premature and had some difficulties keeping up in kindergarten and first grade. She took her to Sylvan and wishes now that she hadn't spent the money. She felt like with patience and some hard work she could have accomplished the same amount with her daughter. This is, of course, just one experience.

Answer 4

I haven't used it myself, but I did have a friend whose child used it. It was very effective for them, but keep in mind that it can be expensive. Another idea would be to see if your school (or your child's school) has any tutors that are posted. You can always put up a poster for tutors wanted. They are usually older students with great marks that are looking to make a little money.