Sylvan Learning Franchisees Respond to Unprecedented Need from COVID Disruptions, Federal Funds Help Boost Tutoring Industry

Educational impacts of COVID-19-related disruptions have been felt for an extended time now. According to a Brookings study, there have been sizable decreases in students’ test scores when comparing 2021 reports to same-grade peers’ results in 2019. For students in high-poverty schools, the impacts are even more grave.

“As we continue working to reconcile existing learning loss, we must realize that, though elementary schoolers are rebounding more quickly than older students, their gains are still small. Middle and high schoolers are rebounding more slowly, and many may never fully catch up before graduation. The need is still incredibly strong,” explained Emily Levitt, VP of Education at Sylvan Learning. “At a time of unprecedented needs within our education systems, Sylvan is committed to stepping in and supporting our students and larger communities in any way possible.”

The pandemic and its longer-lasting impacts continue to affect students across the country. Staffing shortages are increasing the student to teacher ratio and further complicating educators’ ability to give the social, emotional and academic support necessary for each individual child.

EdWeek describes pandemic recovery as “a marathon rather than a sprint.” Though educators understand that the learning loss suffered as a result of the pandemic cannot be remedied overnight, it is becoming clear that the need for support may very well persist beyond the availability of the federal and state funds meant to support these efforts.

Children are beginning to progress at rates closer to those of their pre-pandemic growth, but many are still achieving up to 10% less than they would in a typical pre-pandemic year.

Amidst all this, Sylvan Learning franchisees have continued to step up to the challenge, supporting their students, schools and larger communities with the help of federal tutoring funding.

Federal Funding Has Made Tutoring Support Accessible
“There is a ton of money that came from three different bills passed in Congress at the federal level, including the last one for almost $130 billion” explained Tabatha Sweeney, Sylvan Learning’s Senior Director. “That money is available for schools, and part of it has been earmarked to be used for tutoring.”

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allotted substantial funding for keeping students safe and addressing learning loss.

“We’re seeing many tutoring opportunities, including high dosage tutoring, which involves a low student to teacher ratio with intensive instruction, which is a perfect fit for our programs,” Sweeney explained.

Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are funneled from the federal level through the state and district to reach schools. From here, individual schools can use these funds for institutional partnerships with Sylvan.

“We used to deliver our programs almost entirely after school, and we are now seeing more schools adding us to the school day. We are also heavily involved with intensive summer school programs,” Sweeney said.

For established franchisees ready to further expand their business and impact, the institutional opportunities between Sylvan Learning and local schools are leading to incredible growth.

When franchisees first purchase a Sylvan, they commit to facilitating a retail model. In cases like these, parents identify Sylvan as a preferred learning support resource and bring their children into the center. Center directors can establish strong relationships here, sometimes even gaining permission to discuss with the students’ school teachers to maximize progress.

“After franchisees establish themselves through non-institutional work, they have developed strong relationships with parents, teachers and administrators that are helpful as they look to add the institutional side to their business,” Sweeney explained. “These centers have already established their credibility and a level of trust, and that helps as they start to move into the institutional business.”

In 2021, the average revenue for Sylvan centers that did institutional business was 89% higher than those that did not.

Though Support Has Increased, Demand Will Persist
Some professionals have estimated that, as of the beginning of 2022, a third-grade child who has had one year of interrupted learning during the pandemic could ultimately lose up to three years’ of learning over the course of their education.

These challenges are expected to take years to remedy, and educational enrichment programs will continue to experience high demand. A 2020 report found that for every one child enrolled in an enriching after-school program, three were waiting to be accepted.

Sweeney explained that, though trends vary by geography, many school systems are experiencing an influx of parents voicing concerns and advocating for continued, increased support for their students. As schools step up to meet these demands, Sylvan’s flexibility of programs creates an environment where institutions and families can come together to ensure each student receives the right combination of support services for their unique needs.

“Because Sylvan does not offer after-school programs exclusively, we will be able to continue serving our after-school and summer populations through retail models while taking advantage of institutional partnerships and federal funding to provide the additional support these students so desperately need,” Levitt added.