Celebrating 20 Years of Sylvan Learning in Rockford

Jessica Rollins has been part of the Sylvan Learning family for over 20 years, and 2025 marks a special milestone for her Rockford location’s 20th anniversary. Starting as a part-time teacher in 2002, Rollins has grown her passion for education into a thriving business and now owns 11 Sylvan Learning centers across Michigan.

Her Rockford center has been a cornerstone of her journey, helping countless students improve their confidence and achieve academic success. As she looks ahead, Rollins is excited to strengthen partnerships with local schools and continue making a difference in her community.

Early career and franchising

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Jessica Rollins: I started with Sylvan in 2002 as a teacher. At the time, I was teaching part-time and also working in a classroom during the day. From 2002 to 2003, I taught at Sylvan, and then I was offered a director position. From 2003 until 2017, I worked as a director across several locations.

In 2017, I purchased three of the locations I had been working in. Since then, we've expanded quite a bit. We started with three locations, added a fourth in 2017, and then expanded to a fifth and sixth in 2021. Most recently, in February 2024, we acquired all the West Side locations, including Rockford, which added five more locations to bring us to a total of 11.

Success factors and growth

1851: Tell me about what you think has made your locations so successful? What has growth looked like over the years?

Rollins: Longevity is definitely one of our strong points at Sylvan. The reason we’ve expanded so much over the years is that, even as an educator, I couldn’t provide the level of programming that I can without the backing of Sylvan’s data-driven curriculum. Even as an educator myself, I’m so much stronger with the Sylvan curriculum.

We can take the best educators in every one of our communities and make them even stronger by supporting them with Sylvan’s curriculum. It’s incredibly strong on a global scale, with so much data behind it. It’s not just about what I, as Jessica, think a student needs; it’s about what I know a student needs. Sylvan has a great phrase: “Why hire a tutor when you can hire a team?”

For us, with 11 locations, we meet every week with all of our centers. If someone is experiencing an issue, they can run it by all 11 centers and benefit from their collective expertise. Across our locations, we have 139 staff members. This means our families aren’t just working with one individual — they’re supported by a collective body of 139 experts.

1851: What do you think sets Sylvan apart from other tutoring franchises in the community?

Rollins: In our locations, one thing that really stands out is that we ask our directors to volunteer at least an hour a month in an area of the community they’re passionate about. For some of our directors, that might mean volunteering in their child’s classroom while others might work with food banks to prepare meals for students over the weekends. This allows our team members to fuel their personal passions within the community — not just as employees, but as individuals.

1851: Are there any special things about your center staff that you’d like to highlight?

Rollins: What’s really cool about the Rockford location specifically is that it’s a small, tight-knit group. Our directors really get to know the students and their families, which allows them to anticipate needs — often before they even arise. We’re able to support the entire family — not just the student — academically. Through our parent conferences, we can address any other concerns that come up and work with the whole family to find solutions.

1851: How do you believe Sylvan has helped kids in your area?

Rollins: I think, at the end of the day, it comes down to building confidence in our students. While our core program focuses on strengthening academics, the real key is helping students feel comfortable and confident. We can teach them all the skills in the world, but if they don’t have confidence, they won’t be successful outside of our four walls.

What we do really well at the Rockford location is help students build that confidence so they can carry their success into their daily lives and whatever comes next — whether it’s moving on to the next grade, preparing for college or becoming career-ready. They’re able to see their success extend beyond our center.

Milestones and future plans

1851: What have been some of the most significant milestones in your journey?

Rollins: I think our growth has been one of the most impactful milestones. We started with three locations in 2017, and in less than 10 years, we’ve expanded to 11 locations. My husband and I both work full-time in the business, and we grew up in Lowell, which is just outside of Rockford. It’s been really exciting for us to expand back into the area where we grew up and see some of the schools we attended. It’s a full-circle moment for us.

1851: What do you think the future holds for the Rockford location, as well as all of your Sylvan locations?

Rollins: One of the big things we’re focused on in the upcoming year is strengthening our partnerships with schools. Over the past five to seven years, we’ve been very passionate about bringing our programs directly to students at school. Many students face barriers like limited disposable income, lack of transportation or time constraints that make it difficult to reach our centers. By bringing our programs to them — whether parent-paid or funded through federal dollars supporting school tutoring initiatives — we’re able to meet students where they are.

This focus on building and securing school partnerships is a key priority — not just in Rockford, but across all of our Michigan centers.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?

Rollins: I think it’s important to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Sylvan is definitely a passion-based business; it’s not a passive-income opportunity. My husband and I both work full-time in the business, but we can sleep at night knowing we own a business that changes lives. It’s a different kind of franchise in that you have to be actively involved on a day-to-day basis. However, I wouldn’t trade that for the world because I get to see the impact we make in the communities where we have centers.

With more than 45 years of experience and more than 710 points of presence, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience.

Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE — STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep — college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit www.

Unleashed Brands currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101, Premier Martial Arts and Sylvan Learning and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be.