Kumon vs Sylvan Learning Centers

I am not affiliated with either one but I am familiar with them. As a substitute teacher for 10+ years regularly in the same school, we see some children who go to both.

What you have to keep in mind is that they are a business and the bottom line is their profits. So they want to keep your child as long as possible to keep money coming in the door. As far as learning, both teach a little differently.

our school district is not crazy about businesses like this, because.... the teaching styles are sometimes different than the way the curriculum is at the school therefore, some children end up more confused than before because they learn at school, relearn at a business, then have to relearn at school again. Our school IS a top notch district with many exemplary schools and heavy focus on learning the right way.

Our school provides afterschool tutoring for small groups for FREE.

If you need more than that, the guidance counselors are there to help. Many teachers tutor on the side during the summer and during the year. They can help you find the right "fit" for your child with a teacher tutor. Most will tutor at the closest library, Starbucks, or at a sudents home, provided another adult is present.

In my area, academic tutors start at $50 per hour, cash. This is one on one, completely tailored to your child and their needs.

If it were me, I would look into a private tutor who can focus directly with my child and not be worried about a month end profit, running payroll, and business expenses.

Best wishes to you.

We do Kumon, my dd is way ahead of her class in math. The work through repetition. They have a math and reading, you can do one or both.

The upside to Kumon is their system works. Our school district's math program is horrible and they do not require students to really learn math facts. Kumon gets back to the basics which is what is missing in school. My dd knows all her math facts and applies them. Reading is really more "language arts". They learn parts of a sentence and nouns, verbs, subject, predicate, spelling, etc.

so the upside is that it works.

The downside is there's a lot of complaining by my dd when it's time to get her work done (they have a packet every day, including weekends and summers). Parents get a grade book and check their work (so there's my time too). Really, what you pay for is their system, their worksheets and you pay to have them oversee that the work is getting done. If I tried to do this myself (which I could), we would let it slide.

They both teach in different ways.

I know moms who's kids have had Kumon or Sylvan.
They liked it.
But the one that went to Sylvan, although it was good and they liked it.... IN their child's school, math was taught in a different manner and with different methods.
But in the end, well, the point is that the child learns how to do math, and gets more proficient in it.
But keep in mind, that in school, per how it is taught in school/class, it may be different than the way they learn at Kumon or Sylvan.

Kumon, is more per repetition and drills. It is not one-on-one tutoring. They have Kumon sites all over the place. Many kids go there. I think because of word of mouth. At least in my city. And costs vary between both.

another option is to find a Tutor for your child.

I have not been involved with either tutoring system, but I've read other reviews that say the Kumon program is primarily based on "homework" ... they are given worksheets to do. If you have problems getting your child to complete those worksheets, especially since it is summer, then you probably will have problems with the program.

If that were the case, I would be tempted to find worksheets online and do it myself and save the bucks!

Not knowing the costs associated with the programs, do you think you could find a local teacher (or teacher in training) for one-on-one tutoring? They would get the individual attention that way... I've also heard that some of the tutoring programs do group tutoring......

If you're doing this just for math, look into whether there is a Mathnasium business in your area. It's a math-only tutoring center. The kids do the work there and do not bring home packets to do at home, as they do with Kumon (I don't know about Sylvan). I do know that friends who had kids doing Kumon said it could be very tough to get their kids to do all the daily worksheets Kumon requires, especially on top of regular homework in the school year.

Kumon has a specific program and the kids do the rote problems, moving up in difficulty, with lots of problems. It doesn't track with the math they are doing in school, but does really hone their skills with the particular math they are given.

Sylvan offers homework support so that they go in and get help with certain homework. There is one teacher and usually 3 kids.

You have to decide what it is you want for her. The Kumon is totally separate and has to be done in addition to homework.

If you want more work on concepts, you might try one-on-one. Sylvan doesn't really save you money - it's just as expensive as a private tutor.

Dawn

I enrolled my GS in Kumon years ago. It is great. They start the student at a point where the student has mastered the skill. That way the student starts out being successful which translates to a good attitude and willingness to keep going. Then they build on that mastered skill very slowly, and they do not progress until the student has mastered the new concept. The way they do it, any gaps in your child's education will be filled and your child will come away with self-confidence that you can't believe.

They also encourage a routine for studying - set amount of time each day at exactly the same time so it becomes routine. And it's only like 15 - 30 min each day - not a whole lot of time.

Also, they are much better priced than Sylvan.