Dr. Judy Johnson brought Sylvan Learning to the Tampa Bay area more than three decades ago, when she opened her first Sylvan Learning Center in Carrollwood in 1985.
Her students from 30 years ago now bring their children โ or those who brought their kids now bring grandchildren โ telling Dr. Johnson they remember how much it helped them, and how much they enjoyed their time at the center.
Over the years, the success of the program has led to expansion locally, and Dr. Johnson opened her fifth Bay-area center this past October. The newest location is here in Wesley Chapel, in the Summergate Professional Center in Seven Oaks, off of S.R. 56, behind Samโs Club.
Her Bay-area locations, which also include Carrollwood, Westchase, Temple Terrace and Zephyrhills, are among the more than 750 Sylvan Learning Centers worldwide.
Dr. Johnson is a lifelong educator who holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Special Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa, which she received in 1995. Previously, she completed a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Counseling from Ball State University in Muncie, IN, in 1977 and a Master of Education (M.E.) degree in Biology from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1971.
Since the Wesley Chapel center opened last fall, Kristi Chatham has served as its director. She has been with Sylvan for three years, and previously was at the Zephyrhills location and prior to that, worked as an instructor at a Sylvan Learning Center in Alabama.
โI like it because I know it works,โ Kristi says. โIโve seen it.โ
As of May 1, Kristi took a step back to be the assistant director of the center, allowing her to spend more time with her family. Lara Riordan is now the new director. Lara has been the director of the Temple Terrace center since 2005. She started with Sylvan as an instructor in New York in 2000.
A Proven Model
The Sylvan model means students have a maximum ratio of three students to one teacher, so theyโre never in large groups where they can be overlooked. Students come to Sylvan to get ahead, for extra practice, for test preparation or whatever they need.
โWeโre not tutors fixing one skill for one test,โ explains Lara. We are a solution for all (of your childโs) academic needs.โ
โWeโre not just for remediation,โ adds Dr. Johnson, โWe work with accelerated kids โ kids who want to go to Harvard.โ
Sylvan Learning Centers are staffed by certified teachers who receive additional training in the Sylvan program. They then teach students lessons, which vary based on the child and are flexible for each individual student. The Wesley Chapel location currently has about 10 teachers on staff, including the director, assistant director and director of education Caitlyn Hussey.
โI still teach,โ Dr. Johnson says. โItโs a good way to see whatโs going on and meet with families.โ
Sylvanโs program starts with a diagnostic assessment, then the teacher creates a โprescriptionโ for the student, to ensure lessons are properly tailored to each individualโs needs.
โAll of us have a knowledge base,โ explains Dr. Johnson. โWhen we go to school, we have to sit through things we already know.โ Sylvan is different, she adds. โWe find out what a child knows. We figure out where theyโre strong and weak.โ
Then, she explains the child is taught โon the edges of where they need to be,โ so the lesson is neither boring nor too hard.
โThe programs are as individualized as they need to be,โ explains Caitlin. โMy challenge is to ensure that each program is sufficiently challenging to meet each studentโs needs.โ
As an endorsement of Sylvan Learning Center, Dr. Johnson shares that recently, an investor traveled from China to the U.S. to evaluate all of the different learning center companies, doing an extensive investigation before making his investment in education in China.ย The result of his research? โHe bought 200 Sylvan Learning Center franchises,โ Dr. Johnson says.
Here in Wesley Chapel, Nicole Buzard has been bringing her son, Carter, to Sylvan twice a week for the last couple of months and says, โItโs been all positives so far.โ
Carter is a gifted student who is at the top of his class, so Nicole says his teacher recommended advanced skills.
โI tried working with him at home,โ she says, โbut I didnโt feel structured enough.โ She says once Carter mastered one skill, she didnโt immediately know the next skill he should work on.
โI was looking for enrichment and it led me to Sylvan,โ says Nicole. โHe enjoys the extra math work. Heโs excited, and I never have to force it.โ
Nicole says her sonโs enthusiasm for attending Sylvan is rubbing off on her 10-year-old daughter, Ava, too.
โSheโs not one who would want to do extra schoolwork, so I didnโt really explore it as an option for her,โ Nicole explains. โBut, she has seen how excited my son is, and now she wants to go.โ
Nicole says the office staff is easy to work with and flexible to meet her needs and schedule. She says the Wesley Chapel Sylvan Learning Center is a quality program.
โThey know what theyโre doing and โ even with my son already being good at math โโ Iโve seen improvements.โ
While many people believe these learning center programs are expensive, the Sylvan staff says they are happy to work with families to make it affordable. โWe offer different programs at different price points, with budget-friendly programs,โ explains Dr. Johnson
โItโs a really good option for an extracurricular activity,โ she adds. โKids enjoy intellectual stimulation and learning things they donโt usually learn in a typical education setting.โ
Sylvan Learning Center will offer STEM camps this summer, including robotics, engineering, coding, LEGO, writing, MATH and ACT/SAT prep. Most camps run Monday through Thursday in the morning or afternoon.
The Sylvan Learning Center at Seven Oaks is located at 27724 Cashford Cir., #102. Business hours for the center are Mon.โThurs., 10 a.m.โ6:30 p.m., Fri. by appointment only and Saturday, 9 a.m.โnoon. Teaching hours vary based on the day and will be different in the summer. For details, call (800) EDU-CATE, visit Educate.com, or see the ad on page 36.