Franchisor Stories
Sylvan Learning has been helping families provide great education for children for decades, and now the brand’s offerings are more relevant than ever.
Sylvan Learning, the supplemental and enrichment education franchise with 750 points of presence across North America, has been helping children realize their educational potential for 40 years, but as the pandemic keeps children out of classrooms, the brand’s offerings have only become more relevant.
Just ask Courtney Wells, Kristie Kalinowski and Maureen Eichholz of Sylvan Learning’s franchise development team, who spoke to 1851 Publisher Nick Powills as part of Sylvan’s online franchise summit.
“The supplemental education industry is needed more right now than it ever has been,” said Wells. “Parents are struggling at home trying to manage their full-time jobs, and teachers are trying to figure out this virtual learning process. We know that this industry is really, really strong and the demand for supplemental education has only increased. That’s what we’re here to do — make people feel confident and comfortable and let them know this industry is really ramping up and that we’re ready to help them.”
Even before the pandemic, Sylvan Learning had developed a proven system of identifying and solving children’s educational needs, but when COVID-19 caused widespread shifts to remote learning, the brand leveraged its longstanding investment in technology to keep franchisees in business and keep students learning. While the pandemic has changed our daily lives, Kalinowski says it hasn’t changed the fundamental forces that make Sylvan a great investment.
“At the start of the pandemic, there was so much uncertainty. Then in the summer, we really saw franchises ramping up, they wanted to get open as soon as possible because the school year ahead looked so uncertain they wanted to be the new solution to online learning,” said Kalinowski.
In 2020, the brand opened up 16 new units, largely because its tech platform allowed franchisees to get up and running without even opening a brick-and-mortar location.
“That’s how we adapted,” said Kalinowski. “Opening virtually wasn’t a thing pre-2020. Now franchisees are able to get ramped up even faster and deliver services faster. The conversation is still embedded in the fact that these people want to help. They want to be entrepreneurs, and they know the education industry is needed now more than ever.”
Entrepreneurs who are passionate about helping mold the next generation of children have found Sylvan remarkably supportive and easy to work with. The brand’s obsession with student and franchisee success has become a point of pride for the franchise development team.
“The support from Sylvan operationally is unmatched,” said Eichholz. “Even before the pandemic, it was something that the team and I always talked about. Sylvan truly feels that we’re partners in business with our franchisees. CEO John McAuliffe says you’ll never find a franchisor who is more committed to their franchisees than Sylvan. All the franchisees we have are people with a ‘head and a heart combination’: a head for business and a heart for making a difference in the lives of children. If they focus on the children, the revenue in this business will come. That’s a mantra that’s consistent with everyone on our operations team, and that’s why we’ve been so successful.”
Between Sylvan launching its virtual platform and in-person services like School Support, the brand has delivered all the right solutions to families.
“Sylvan has adapted so incredibly well in comparison to so many tutoring brands, not just by offering virtual learning, but also with its other services,” said Wells. “School support has been a saving grace for a lot of our families. We’re still offering the learning in person, and we have protocols in place that allow parents to choose options of virtual or in-person learning. The assessment we offer is so different than what any other tutoring provider can offer. ”
Overall, the education sector is in demand, and Sylvan has an astounding 93% brand name recognition in the space. According to Eichholz, the pandemic has alerted the country to the massive gaps left behind in student’s learning, and no brand is better positioned to address this need.
“Sylvan offers a fantastic opportunity to not just increase the wealth in your family, but to start something that’s going to provide a lot of support to other families,” said Eichholz. “Sylvan does a great job, and we’ve all learned how comfortable and confident franchisees feel with the support they receive, about our team and about the brand.”
To learn more about Sylvan franchise opportunities, visit www.sylvanfranchise.com.
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ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING LLC
With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, 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 http://www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog.
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