Franchisee Stories
As students across the country continue to struggle with COVID-induced learning loss, these teachers-turned-franchisees say Sylvan's personalized programs are key to getting them back on track.
Sylvan Learning, the supplemental and enrichment education franchise with more than 750 points of presence worldwide, is playing a vital role in helping schools across the country fill the education void caused by COVID-19. As a result, many of the brand’s incoming franchisees are former public school teachers who are increasingly recognizing the value of Sylvan Learning’s personalized education process. In fact, a whopping 19 educators have left public teaching behind over the past year to partner with Sylvan Learning amid the pandemic and its aftermath.
New York-based Sylvan Learning franchisee Sabrina Ghotra is one of those educators. After an eight year career as a full-time public teacher, Ghorta became a Sylvan Learning owner in November 2020 because she saw an opportunity to make a bigger difference in the lives of children in her community and their families.
“Sylvan Learning aligns exactly with what I believe in — that each child needs their own individual learning plan,” said Ghotra. “With COVID-19, families were really struggling. Parents have all these different responsibilities these days, and when schools shifted to hybrid models, it made things difficult. My husband and I opened during the pandemic because we wanted to provide that school support that was missing.”
A recent study estimates that COVID-related learning loss has put students behind anywhere from four to 12 months, depending on demographics. As opposed to the public school model in which teachers are required to teach the curriculum designed for their specific grade, Sylvan combats this COVID fall-out by offering an individualized learning method that can meet students exactly where they are. The brands’ proprietary software, SylvanSync™, allows Sylvan teachers to engage and motivate students with adaptive lessons and a personal learning plan for each child.
“Sylvian is a three-on-one model — three students to one teacher,” said Ghotra. “We focus on individual learning plans for kids falling behind. With the younger students, for example, we’re focusing on foundational skills, while we had a plethora of students in 11th grade who needed help with algebra and pre-calc work. We can tailor our curriculum to the individual needs of the child, which has never been more important.”
Ghotra says she is already seeing the difference Sylvan Learning has made in her community. “It’s great to see that we can actually help these kids get that confidence back,” she said. “Some of our students have been with us for months, and it’s incredible to see the impact we’ve made in their lives.”
The mother-daughter franchisee duo of Suzan and Katelyn O'Brien signed on to open a Sylvan Learning in Western Maryland in June of this year. Katelyn taught for 12 years, including three years teaching third grade in a rural public school. Due to lack of funding, the school closed and Katelyn was transferred to a local middle school in an eighth grade science position, where she taught for nine years. Suzan also taught her entire career, including all grades K-5, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. When the two were forced to teach virtually due to the pandemic, the O’Briens decided they needed more flexibility in their careers.
“We were lucky to have a great school system, but what frustrated me most about public teaching, especially virtually, was the lack of flexibility,” said Katelyn. “We work very hard all day and outside of the school day I'm a single mother. I have an eight-year-old daughter.”
For many public school educators like the O’Briens, COVID-19 only exacerbated the quality-of-life issues they’ve struggled with for years, including insignificant funding and a poor work-life balance. According to a recent report conducted by Horace Mann Educators Corporation, nearly 80% of educators are working more today than they were a year ago, 60% say they enjoy their jobs less, 59% do not feel secure with their district’s health and safety precautions and 27% say they are considering quitting, retiring or taking a leave of absence.
Suzan added, “I taught second grade, and the parents were so utterly frustrated that the best our small county had to offer in terms of tutoring were retired teachers. I said to Katylyn, ‘If you can come up with something better, I’ll do it with you.’ So she started doing her due diligence.”
When the O’Briens discovered Sylvan Learning, the proven results were undeniable. Independent research shows the Sylvan Method™, developed through academic research, teaching experience and technology, builds confidence, boosts skills and delivers better grades and results in up to three times more academic growth compared to students who don’t utilize Sylvan.
“There was a real need for Sylvan Learning in our community,” said Katelyn. “A lot of parents were asking for these services because kids were falling behind. Sylvan has a lot of options and can meet them where they are — we don’t have to teach a certain grade level; we’re teaching to their ability level. We do a diagnostic assessment, which shows a child’s strengths and deficits and provides a prescribed plan to the parents. My principal has already called me and said, ‘I want you to bring Sylvan to our school.’”
While former educators may be nervous about starting a business for the first time, Katilyn says Sylvan Learning works hard to guide incoming owners through the onboarding process and makes sure they have everything they need to provide this valuable service to the communities they serve.
Over the past 40 years, Sylvan Learning has perfected its business model, providing hands-on support to its franchisees to set them up for long-term success and help them achieve their individual growth goals. The corporate team, composed of industry executives, longtime Sylvan employees and former franchisees, have created streamlined systems and processes and a robust pool of resources to help franchisees run their businesses, from technology to operations to marketing.
Now, as demand for Sylvan Learning’s services continues to grow exponentially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO John McAuliffe says the brand is excited to leverage its proven business model and supportive infrastructure to give teachers more control over their destiny.
“We’re honored that so many teachers are choosing Sylvan as their next career path,” McAuliffe said. “Sylvan’s personalized teaching model allows them to continue their mission to change the lives of students in their communities as they bring them the gift of education.”
For more information on franchising with Sylvan Learning, visit: https://sylvanfranchise.com/.
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