Why You Should Enroll Your Children in Supplemental Learning This Summer

Since the start of the pandemic, Sylvan Learning has been a pillar of support for both parents and students who have been struggling as they’ve been shuffled between virtual and hybrid learning throughout the school year.

Now, as the challenging school year draws to an end, the leading supplemental and enrichment education brand with more than 750 points of presence across the country is preparing to welcome students to its in-person and virtual classrooms this summer to help them catch up in the academic areas where they have fallen behind. 

“This year never looked normal,” said Emily Levitt, vice president of education with Sylvan Learning. “We’ve had to make lemonade out of lemons. The back and forth of remote and hybrid learning has made it difficult for teachers to get a grasp on what their students know, and students have really suffered because of it.” 

During the past year, Sylvan’s adapted its model and services to follow local health and safety guidelines to reach students either virtually, or safely in the Sylvan classroom or satellite center with its School Support program, to ensure students are getting the help and attention they need to stay on track after such a hectic year.

“We’ll continue to follow local and health and safety guidelines, so both virtual and in-person tutoring options will remain available,” Levitt. “Ideally it will be in person — that’s where kids will learn best. Either way, they’ll receive personalized attention, and they won’t have to worry about getting lost in the Zoom gallery.”

The value of in-person education isn’t the only thing students have struggled with as they are logged into learning — the socialization element of school is lacking as well. 

“Virtual classrooms try to build in a little bit of fun and discussion that isn’t quite as structured. Students have that communication with each other, but it’s not the same. They miss each other,” she said. “Plus, they’ve been out of their routine for so long, having other students and teachers in the same space will be a good warm-up for the fall.”

As a mother of two boys, Levitt has experienced the challenges of the 2020-21 school year firsthand. A true advocate for the brand, Levitt has not only been sending her sons for virtual in-person learning during the regular school year, she will also be sending them to her local Sylvan center this summer.

“It’s bananas,” she said. “Many parents trying to get their children through remote learning as well as do their own full-time jobs — it’s incredibly stressful. I put my sons in Sylvan during the day for School Support,” Levitt said. “There’s a teacher there that makes sure they’re on task, and one of the side benefits is that there’s structure. I know that they’re safe and that they’re with a certified teacher. That’s been worth its weight in gold for me.”

In order to determine just how much extra attention each individual student will need once they’re enrolled for the summer, they will be given a placement test to first determine where they stand and where they’re struggling. Levitt says that younger students are having a harder time making connections and retaining knowledge than older students, but with prolonged opportunities to engage with teachers in the classroom this summer, there’s an increased sense of preparedness and hope for what the coming school year will look like.

“As time goes by we’re getting better at remote learning, but we still don't have all the resources we need,” Levitt said. “We’re asking a lot of teachers — they are human, and it's hard. It’s been a tough year for everyone, but we’re getting better about it. The more support services teachers have alongside them the better.”

Levitt notes that parents shouldn’t rely on their school districts to help make up for lost time, and even if some districts are able to provide summer options, they won’t have the same focus, personalized attention and resources that Sylvan can offer to students who are struggling to stay on track.

“There might be some school districts that will opt to make up for COVID loss, but there’s no guarantee that they will or security of what that will even look like,” said Levitt. “Students won't have the same resources available to them other than at places like Sylvan. It’s important to catch up with us — there isn’t another good alternative available.”