How Institutional Partnerships Help Sylvan Learning Franchisees Grow Their Business While Providing Much-Needed Community Support

April Samp has been involved with Sylvan Learning for about two years. After growing up with educators as parents, Samp had more than absorbed the importance of lifelong learning. After transitioning away from a career in journalism, she said she needed an opportunity that would be “a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

“Sylvan provides that. Sylvan is amazing. We build confidence and fill in learning gaps… Parents come to us when they’re looking for solutions, and we prove that solution. It brings happiness and wholeness back to the children,” Samp said. “That’s very rewarding.”

Though there were partnerships in the works when Samp joined Sylvan, she has worked diligently to expand those efforts even further, working with additional districts and organizations. However, the partnership with the West Des Moines district is the franchise’s longest-standing partnership.

Relationships like the one between Sylvan and the West Des Moines school district serve as fruitful business ventures for the franchise owners and provide resources and support that many students otherwise would not have had access to.

“COVID presented many, many opportunities to grow on the institutional side of the business. Federal funding has really allowed us to provide tutoring to hundreds more children that weren’t covered under Title I, so that’s been a fortunate opportunity,” Samp explained. “Personally and professionally, as one of the owners, it’s rewarding to provide more services and expose more children to how great Sylvan is and see their progress.”

Each district receives a certain amount of Title I funding based on free and reduced lunch rates, and each school identifies persistently-at-risk students, students with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) and other students who should be included in the benefits of that funding. However, this formula may not allot the necessary funds to serve all students who may require additional support. 

That is where federal funding and Sylvan’s institutional partnerships come in. Last year, Samp says they were able to serve 300-plus students with an average of over 20 hours of reading and math tutoring. This year, she hopes to increase that number to 400 students and 28 hours of instruction.

Crestview School of Inquiry is one of the institutions that has embraced Sylvan’s partnership, welcoming the brand’s over 40 years of experience to provide personalized supplemental learning that its students need.

“Crestview is a very special place. We have such diversity; 67% of our children are culturally diverse. So sometimes, not all, but several of our children don’t necessarily have a lot of access to different opportunities,” explained Tamara Tjeerdsma, director of Crestview School of Inquiry. “The partnership with Sylvan has been an opportunity to provide a resource to our families who may not be able to afford extra services. Many families would not have the means to pay for this, and the partnership allows us to decrease those barriers and provide equal access to learning.”

Tjeerdsma added that Sylvan’s flexibility within the partnership has also been incredibly beneficial.

“Most of our students will stay after school, but there are certain children that, because of travel or because of a parent’s work schedule, they have to go home,” she said. “It’s been so nice to have Sylvan being willing to still do virtual instruction if needed. I appreciate the flexibility of our Sylvan team to say, ‘If they can’t gain access by coming in person, you can make the concession to provide that flexibility and still give them what they need.’”

Reflecting on the partnership, Tjeerdsma says parents, students and other members of the community are all incredibly grateful for Sylvan’s partnership and the growth it has facilitated.

“We’re all having a role in helping every child succeed, and everyone on the team has the passion and belief that all children can learn and learn at high levels.”

Start-up costs range from $85,525–$186,930. Learn more at www.sylvanfranchise.com.