Sylvan Learning of Seattle Ballard

This applies to all Sylvans. You need to know they are all franchisees that Sylvan doesn't actually take responsibilty for. If you are banking on a big company with a solid reputation to back you, then you are in for a shock.\r \r My daughter actually got a good education there, I think. \r \r However, Sylvan doesn't keep their promises and don't trust them.\r \r My daughter took Algebra 1 for credit, and it was approved by her school to do. At almost the end of her course in Longmont, CO she was informed that the center would be closing and she would be moved to Boulder to finish. She went to Boulder and finished, and had the same teacher that mnoved there, too, and the director there said he would get the transcript to the school. \r \r At that time, the Boulder center was closing down, too, and all the people there were upset at losing their jobs.\r \r My daughter went on to school and they allowed her to take Algebra 2 the following year. It wasn't until now that she is a senior that they informed us that Sylvan never gave them the paperwork.\r \r We contacted their head office in Baltimore because the franchisee of this area completely closed down. The head office said they only recieved the progress reports as far as Longmont, but none of the Boulder paperwork. Last week, they agreed to send the transcript with a lower grade taking into account the part of math they didn't have credit for. So basically, they were averaging the 0% into the 100%s.\r \r We didn'tn like that, but if she doesn't get some type of credit, she doesn't graduate.\r \r Today, they contacted us to tell us they changed their mind and couldn't in good consciousness give her a transcript based on something they didn't have, even though the director of this frachise area gave them a call and told them what happened.\r \r So....basically I paid over $8,000 for a product I didn't recieve and my daughter gets to pay for the mistake by not graduating with her friends and being embarassed. She is devastated and she worked the hardest of all on this. Three days a week for two hours at a time for almost a whole year.\r \r The main office blames the franchisee, and the franchisee won't speak to us. It is the main offices' issue, though, in my opinion. It was their name we trusted...and no longer trust. They want to sell their franchises, but they don't want to be responsible for them. If your franchisee screws you over...tough luck. \r \r Even getting my money back for a product I did't recieve won't take the pain away from my daughter not being able to graduate. \r \r She is sweet and kind to everyone and sort of shy, and she works so hard at everything, even things she finds hard. I've been blessed to have such an usual child who didn't take me through the teenage trauma of most girls.....and I am more angry than I can ever convey.\r \r They could care less, and have let us know that, and just passed us off to their legal department.\r \r Don't buy the lie that they care about you or their students. You are just money to them, and if you aren't paying at the moment, you don't mattter.\r \r I am posting this everywhere I can because I think people should be warned. You are putting your child soley in the hands of a franchisee that you know absolutely NOTHING about. Most franchisees don't even run their own centers. more

I approached Sylvan Learning with some skepticism, doubtful that I could have the effects claimed by their advertising. However, I am no longer skeptical! \r \r My daughter had struggled with reading for years. Hours with private tutors showed little overall improvement during her elementary school years. The improvement in less than a year of Sylvan has been dramatic, with her reading comprehension increasing five grade levels. Her success at Sylvan has increased her confidence and she now takes school much more seriously, wanting to do as well as possible. \r \r Sylvan's structured approach; ongoing feedback, reward systems and carefully planned curriculum have all worked for her. After years and thousands of dollars for tutoring that did not work, this has been a gift in our lives! more

I chose Sylvan because of its ability to specify my child's needs. My son's reading deficiencies were specifically identified and corrected point-by-point in less time than anticipated. My son's imporved perforamnce in the classroom was noted by his teacher and his new found confidence has been the best part of all. \r Pros: read my comments more

My son has been happy at Sylvan, learned a lot of reading and math and has bonded with the teachers at Sylvan. His experience has lifted a burden off his and my shoulders. I had tried to help him myself and he just wasn't receptive. I tired other approaches that proved ineffective. Now I am getting positive feedback from his classroom teachers about his performance in at school. We go to Whiman middle school. Thank you Sylvan.\r Pros: Amazing focus teacher targeteed areas of need, great at motivating my son more

Overall we're happy with the progress our daughter made and even happier to see her using the skills she learned in her high school classes now. She's very confident in her writing now. It definitely helped her boost her SAT scores and that was important for all of us. \r \r Pros: Did what they said they would do, professional and courteous staff Cons: They have lessons on weekdays and Saturdays, but not on Sundays more

I chose Sylvan because of its ability to specify my child?s needs. My son?s reading deficiencies were specifically identified and corrected point-by-point in less time than anticipated. I was also very impressed with the flexibility in scheduling my son- it was always easy to do and always got done. Pros: Individual lessons, Scheduling availability more

We were happy with the overall progress our daughter made and even happier to see her using the skills she learned in her high school classes She?s very confident in her writing now! A good track record, good people, as well as a convenient location were really important in our choice of using the Ballard Sylvan. Pros: Teachers/staff, location Cons: Pricey, but worth it more

Our daughter passed the WASL in reading and writing thanks to help from Sylvan. We weren?t expecting her to pass and we were very pleased Pros: WASL Prep more

No other program has helped so much. I would definitely recommend Sylvan. My daughter is much more focused on her studies and more responsible in completing her own work. more

My daughter is really excited right now about what she is doing at Sylvan. She is doing the same thing at Sylvan as she is doing in her math class. She feels like Sylvan is really helping her out and is really applicable to what she is doing at school. She feels like she is competent and doing well in class! Pros: personalized instruction, contact with our daughter's classroom teacher more

My son was very happy at Sylvan. He learned a lot and bonded with the teachers. His experience lifted a burden off his and my shoulders. more

Good teaching process, friendly and intelligent staff, and good communication of our daughter's progress. We would not have passed the WASL without their help I would definitely recommend Sylvan! more

Sylvan Learning Center is the biggest mistake I have ever made. They have outrageous rates. This would be acceptable if also your child gets the right amount of help and attention for this money. For a $80 dolars an hour (they usually recommend 4 hours a week), the child gets about 5-10 minutes per hour. The only directions they get is the words are spelled incorectly, or general things like ""write more creative"". They do not have any materials, and hide everithing - they do not show you anything. I had a terrible experience with them, and definatelly private tutoring one-on-one lessons will do a much better jobs. There is also Kumon that at least seems to be afordable, and have excelent materials they give away.\r Finally, their attitude is unbelievable: they are extremely friendly initially until get your money. After that they do not show up for appointments, ignore you, etc. more

I was looking for support for my daughter in math. I wish it had been explained more fully that even if she just had a brief evaluation for math skills, that the fee would be as if she had a full battery of tests. The time spent obstensibly to go over the test also included a great deal of time selling the product and explaining payment plans ( which at $40 + an hour x 3 days a week) is well beyond what we had budgeted for tutoring. I feel that this service is too expensive for most families and it is difficult to get real information about what is offered until you sign up. more