Sylvan Franchisees Continue to Thrive Amid Challenging Times to Meet Students’ Academic Needs

At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Sylvan Learning , the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12 with more than 710 points of presence worldwide, didn’t shy away from the challenge. It chose to adapt. Its quick technology solutions and breadth of content and delivery options allowed franchisees to not only continue accommodating the learning needs of students amid the pandemic, but to grow and thrive.

Judy Cornell , who has been involved with Sylvan for 12 years and opened her first location in O’Fallon, Illinois in September 2019, is one of those franchisees.

“From March 23 to June 1, we were closed,” said Cornell. “But within a week of closing, Sylvan supported students moving online, with about 60% moving to online tutoring. Parents saw the challenges children were having and difficulties with online and packet learning. They wanted to make sure their children were in a better position come fall.”

Pandemic response efforts

Kate McComiskey , senior vice president and general counsel at Sylvan Learning, said the franchise pivoted quickly to best meet the needs of its families, and that it was possible because of Sylvan’s effective use of technology and years of experienced teachers gaining the trust of families.

Although students were accustomed to in-person instruction at Sylvan centers pre-pandemic, the brand and its many students were able to pivot quickly because the technology and operations team created a seamless experience for students virtually that still has all the modalities of coming into a center. McComiskey said that Sylvan’s team over the last forty-plus years has laid the groundwork of a vast curriculum and nimble processes that have allowed the brand to adapt and react quickly, always meeting the needs of students even in the toughest of times.

“We already had the components in place to piece everything together to create this really robust virtual learning environment when the pandemic hit in 2020,” said McComiskey. “Now, two years later, we know that virtual learning is here to stay and we will continue to play an integral role in the educational system. With our personalized educational resources, we’re prepared to be the leaders in virtual and in-person education.”

When Cornell reopened her center for in-person instruction on June 1, 2020, the summer started off a bit slow, with families still wary of in-person interactions due to COVID-19. But she knew there was still a need from families in her community to get students ready for the fall school year, so she made some adjustments to safely accommodate in-person learning.

“We had to reduce our capacity, as did a lot of places,” Cornell said. “We had to spread tables out. We had to put up Plexiglass and rearrange tables in such a way that the kids were not as close as they had been previously. We also limited the number of adults in the center. As the school year went on and we got busier, we had to think about how we could increase the capacity but still stay within a safe capacity. So we got another room. Now, we’re back to the capacity of pre-COVID.”

Franchisee support and impact

For Cornell, like many other franchise owners, the ability to reach as many children as possible with supplemental education resources and testing gives parents and teachers the tools and resources they need to best assist students who might be struggling.

“Everyone can benefit from supplemental support,” said Cornell. “Schools aren’t able to personalize every child’s materials and individual needs. That’s not what public education is meant to do. For children who were behind before the pandemic, that's just been amplified because they weren't able to be in school, or be taught in the manner that they were accustomed to. Additionally, schools now have staffing issues that don't allow them to provide the supplemental resources that they've provided in the past.”

Furthering the need for Sylvan centers amid the pandemic, Cornell said that children who were behind in school are now behind by two to three years. In a fall 2021 report, McKinsey and Company projected that in a typical classroom of 30 students, three students would be two or more grades behind for the school year. Sylvan centers and resources shorten academic delays considerably to get students back on track, Cornell explained.

McComiskey furthered the point of Sylvan proving to be a crucial resource to students moving forward, especially in an age where virtual learning is the new normal.

“Children will learn the importance of changing with the times, adapting to circumstances because certainly COVID won’t be the last time that we were forced to adapt,” McComiskey said.

Cornell said that the value and services of the franchise continues to make an impact in her Illinois community, and she’s honored she can make a difference.

“We're just very thankful that we've been able to accomplish what we have and support the community in a way that was needed during this pandemic,” said Cornell. ??