Anonymous
map-marker University Place, Washington

After spending alot of money and time, no improvement occurred at all

My niece was having serious math anxiety issues so I talked with Sylvan about helping her specifically with her math. She was getting an "F" in math but is otherwise an very bright student. After several months and a couple of thousand dollars she was still getting an F. What I found out was that because of her anxiety with math they decided to let her work on English or History. She got no help with her math at all. I was furious, how could they keep letting me write these check and not tell me what was going on. The whole teaching model sucks. All they do is help student with their home work. If the student doesn't ask for help they leave them alone. It's like paying thousands of dollars to send your kid to the library.
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Loss:
$1500
Anonymous
map-marker Calgary, Alberta

Don't ever go to Sylvan !!! It's a scam

I paid 1,500 for my son to enrolled in the writing programme for 36 hours at sylvan learning centre. And all he was taught was how to use commas, periods and slashes. The director of the centre said by the time your son finishes his 36th hour he would have done 6 essays. Which is 6 hours per essay. That wasn't true at all because he had only finished two, and the time spent on the essay is too short, he's only allowed 1 hour Maximum per day to work on his essay. Which means 6 days to Finish one essay. Which is defiantly not in the 36 hours I've purchased, that means they will sell you another 10 or 20 hours. I mean it's a scam. I don't recommend sending your child to Sylvan
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Loss:
$1500
10 comments
Guest

They sound like a bunch of ***, thanks for the write up :)

Guest

I think you have to have some caution to accepting posts like this on the internet. There are always two sides to a story and you have to be careful to make your own inquiries in life and not blindly rely on such posts.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-725370

Do ya know what you're talking about bud?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-902122

Lol... Get a life Anon

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-902122

Lol… Anon get a life

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-725370

Are you from sylvan?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-725370

Anon you sound like a homeless jew

Guest

Thank you guys! I was considering that tutoring for my daughter but have no money to lose.

Guest

That's the same exact thing that they've tried to pull on me

Guest

I've been through this ***

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Kiren Jxi
map-marker Salt Lake City, Utah

DO NOT PREPAY ANY AMOUNT TO SYLVAN!

I would like to inform parents of my experience with Sylva Learning center in Lehi Utah. My child had a large amount of hours setup for his program. I was given the option to pay at the start of the program and I would get a discount on the cost of each hour. At this time I asked if he didn’t need all the hours would we get the extra hours refunded, they insured me I would. I also informed them that we had a long vacation planned for the summer they told me that if I just let them know in advance that it would be fine. When my son finished his program he had 26 hours left and they told me that they would send me a refund and his gift card he had earned. Two months later I had not received it so I got in contact with the center and found out that she had forgotten about the gift card and would send it out, which she did. The refund she said had to go to the director and board for approval. A month later I got in contact with them and I was informed that they would not refund my prepaid hours because they were technically “used” but excused during the summer time we were gone and they would only transfer them to another child or person. My son is the youngest and I have no need for the hours. So the lady running the center said she would help me with finding someone to buy them and keep asking the board to get a refund. This has been about a year of trying to get my money and the last thing that was told to me when I went in about my refund is that the accountant was looking at it and I may get 16 hours now refunded. Now they won’t return my phone calls or when I go into talk to them she is busy and doesn’t call me back. This has been my experience with the Lehi Utah center and I would tell parents DO NOT PREPAY ANY AMOUNT TO SYLVAN!
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Loss:
$1000
Anonymous

Amazing Reading Help

The personal connection from the staff. The dedication that they have in helping children succeed is awesome! They are just the best and I am so glad that I found them. I know each location is different but I had a bad experience with a Sylvan in Florence, Alabama and as a parent of a child diagnosed with Austism Spectrum Disorder it is hard enough just trying to help your child succeed in school but this Sylvan center goes above and beyond and gives the attention that my son needs and for that I will be forever grateful. I wish all of the Sylvan centers could visit this one center and learn from them because it would make a huge difference in other places! Thank God for this Sylvan center!
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Anonymous
map-marker Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Sylvan is a Rip Off

Even if they do a good job at tutoring your student, their assessment is garbage and they take longer than expected to get him/her to the level they quote you at. We paid $75 for the assessment test and were quoted 65-70 hours with a half-price scholarship. I'm thinking - "Cool! Thats ONLY $28 / hr!" Not so nice. That would have been a total cost of $1960. We are now at $4100 because 'they move at the speed of the student' which means they move at a snail's pace. When I'm there watching, my son can rock through 2 lessons a day. When I'm not there, he gets one lesson done every two sessions. The 'Sylvan Way' is to ***.
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Loss:
$4100
2 comments
Guest

Wow, you received a scholarship and that's how you show your gratitude! They should have given that scholarship to someone who understands how education and tutoring works.

You can only do what a child is willing to do!

Guest

I am not sure as to why your son is only doing one lesson per hour as the Sylvan pace is to teach four to six lessons per hour. This should have been explained to you when you signed up as it was explained to myself and other parents that have gone to Sylvan.

My child is doing better in school. I am in constant communication not only with his teacher but the director of Sylvan and if he is not doing minimum of four lessons then I have a talk with him. As explained to me, each lesson takes only 10 minutes to do as it is only 5-10 problems that they should be completing.

Maybe you should be talking to the center director to see how many lessons should be taught and why the instructor is not timing your child correctly.

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Anonymous
map-marker Silver Springs, Florida

Sylvan Cares!

The people at Sylvan really seem to have taken a personal interest in my child. This is something that is necessary to every child who is having trouble with learning so that their self esteem is high. That said, I know that the instructors at Sylvan take the road of making EVERY person that comes there feel like the most important person who walked through the door. That is what makes them successful, and that is exactly why I would recommend Sylvan to everyone. I know that their treatment of my son is NOT something especially for him, it is their normal. Sylvan has changed my child's future outlook towards school, and I couldn't be more thankful.
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3 comments
Guest

All they care about is making money... The staff is very defensive and leads you to believe in their program which they don't correspond on a regular basis with your childrens' school! Also The new computer system is not user friendly for the parents.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-735539

They are quite a good service. Now maybe you should go try again.

Guest

I agree! Sylvan helped all three of my children have confidence as well as great reading and math skills. My oldest is in Honors classes and knows how to study thanks to Sylvan.

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Anonymous
map-marker Bozeman, Montana

Not worth it

My grandson was enrolled at Sylvan in Mobile, AL. Had to pay up front. He missed some days in which my son called and told them that he would not be there that day and he was told my grandson could make them up. Never allowed to make up. Evaluation lasted about 30 seconds and he is now reading worse than when he started there AND they sent a bill for an additional $650.00. Not going to pay. This is a ripoff, a scam. I would definitely stay away from this company. He is now being privately tutored. Stay away.
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Loss:
$2000
4 comments
Guest

If your sons evaluation only took 30 seconds then he obviously didn't put any effort into it and how can you expect to see results!

Guest

I would say Sylvan especially the one I had experience with is a total rip off. Not recommended at all to families and kids. They are not competent especially at the managerial positions.

Guest

Also they insist that my grandson read at home to practice and that s why his reading is not improving. I told them to go *** themselves that the reason I gave them money was so he did nt have to read at home. Home is time for him to watch TV.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-735372

So basically you don't think parents should put any efforts into their sons or daughters education? It's all up to the schools and private companies like Sylvan?

You just want to pay money and expect a magic fix! Home is not time for TV.

That's probably the problem! Wow!

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Anonymous

Sylvan is a Rip Off

Update - Sylvan is a sponsor on this site. Go figure - they see all the bad and want to try and clean up their reputation by posting a banner. And because of the 100 word minumum... Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off. Sylvan will rip you off.
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Loss:
$4100
Anonymous
map-marker Tampa, Florida

Unprofessional bussiness practices, Pasco/Hillsborough county Floirda

the sylvan that my child attended in pasco county florida is owned and operated by a group of the most unprofessional women (maybe even mentally unstable) that i have ever encountered. the director at the zephyrhills, florida office romps around and actually acts like she has a mental problem.

when speaking to the owner about her misconduct, that her employee dispays in front of the students/staff, instead of taking corrective action the owner actually in her words enables such conduct.

any normal establishment with any integrity would not want employees to act unprofessional, but apparently this particular owner did not see the value of retaining her students or staff. we now take our children to the KUMON learning center and it by far exceeds our expectations and it is much more cost effective and the professional end of it is unwaivered.

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5 comments
Guest

My children and I have had the worst experience at the Kumon center here in Steeplechase, Houston. In my opinion the woman who owns and runs this Kumon learning center needs a serious mental checkup because her behavior surely must qualify her for the "Wackadoodle Hall of Fame." The Kumon learning center is noisy and out of control.

There are more students than there are people to teach or help them. Every so often the staff vanish and one can see new staff.

No one can stand the owner. Totally unprofessional.

Guest

I for one voted this complaint as not helpful because the writer offered no detail or supporting documentation. Probably is a disgruntled employee.

Guest

We used to take our children to Kumon here in Houston. The program is by far worse than I could imagine.

The owner surely has issues with her brain all my children saw were manic mood swings. The last thing we would want for our children is to be subject to abuse at the hands of their Kumon tutor.

We provided the one month notice and had our children out of the center. In our opinion, Kumon learning center here is the worst tutoring center you can find.

Guest

My name is Dr. Judy Johnson, and I am the owner of the Zephyrhills Sylvan Learning Center.

I am confused by this complaint as no one has spoken to me about their concern. I welcome any insight into what this issue is about and when and what happened. The center has operated in Zephyrhills for 13 years and thas an excellent reputation. I want to ensure that we maintain the highest standard of professional service to the community.

Please contact me personally through the center so that I may address your concerns.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-689676

Dear Dr. Johnson,

I am a parent that lives in the Westchase area of town who is reporting your Westchase center to the Comsumer Protection Agency.

I am a separate parent from the one who posted the original complaint about you on this site.

I had a very interesting conversation this evening with yet another Mother who went through a horrible experience recently with your center. Your Executive Director in the Westchase Center is destroying your business’s reputation.

Just like the previous review, I have learned from the parent I spoke to this evening that you support this Executive Director’s unprofessional and unethical behavior. She wrote a letter to your “board” (you) to have her unused money refunded to her as a result of being very unhappy with your program, and you refused to refund it.

In my personal situation, I will not waste my time with writing to your Board. I will instead use every effort that I have to make sure your business is reported to the proper authorities to stop the unethical business practices.

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Anonymous
map-marker Hendersonville, North Carolina

Online learning

the local center advised we needed Window 8 operating system to perform the online tutoring. We paid to up grade the window and then was instructed to contact the online support team, to get started. They then informed us we needed Windows 7, which now we are paying to reload. the person who provide the misdirection is a director and has not returned our email or v mail for 6 days. this group has IT challenges that need reviewed and improved. all this time we have missed the daily instruction our child needs to catch up in school and no reply.....sad
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Loss:
$200
Lexton Bgi
map-marker Vernon Hills, Illinois

Do not believe in the Sylvan Way

My son has always had expressive communication issues so we decided to get him some help in language arts He attended 3 times a week for 18 months while he was in elementary school. His grades actually went down the whole time i was being told he would improve using the "Sylvan Way" In the end the director of the center told me"there is nothing we can do for him and offered me a gift card as a consolation My child and I were devastated we had dutifully done all the work and I had made sure he was always there and ready to work. It felt like a complete waste of effort and so much time was "lost" in his academic preparation. The money was the least of it. There is no correlation between their assessments and what grades my child had in school
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Loss:
$9000
2 comments
Guest

I worked at the Slyvan Kissimmee local for 3 mos/ gave kids xtra help/ came in early off the clock/ left late had several weeks pay discrepancy & what happens I get fired due to econ. downsizing...no matter Sylvan Kissimmee kept my money & got away with it AND I Could NOT get a letter of ref.

At all times I adhered to policy IN FACT WITH 30 yrs Educ.

Exper. you would think I would be appreciated...HAHA.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-662477

You did 30 years at Sylvan? If not, why can't you get a reference from your prior employer?

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Amberlynn Eea
map-marker Las Vegas, Nevada

Cheated out of my hours and money!

I enrolled my daughter at Sylvan. They told us she needed 200 hours almost $10,000 dollars in she fails her SAT and is worst than before. She has done 53 hours and they only want to refund $2424.00 WOW. I have a meeting with the administrator will keep you posted. This company is a rip off for sure. When we went in my daughter was 16 and I was hoping they could turn things around. The only thing they turned around was my purse upside down. I have a lot of friend and I will tell everyone I meet about the scam Sylvan pulled on me.
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Loss:
$10000
Tajia Eoh
map-marker Vancouver, British Columbia

No service

SLyvan learning Center did not teach my son anything he did not know, in fact there was no teaching whatsoever, it is mainly getting my son to answer math questions that he already know and find it easy. Slyvan learning previously tested my son for 2 hours cost $240 to know what he needs to learn. but obviously it did not give them any clue, I did not bring my son to the center to waste my time and money by my son learning something he already know, in addition there was no explanation involved. I am requesting full refund to all the charges by slyvan
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Loss:
$440
Anonymous
map-marker Washington, District Of Columbia

Sylvan is Sham

See email exchanges for yourself!Very pissed!

ticket# 64357.

Lisa,The payments are made to the financing company to pay for the program that Kyana has already completed.  You are not paying for current services but for services past.  Sometimes, payments continue on past instruction so that your program could be offered at lower monthly payments.  We cannot ask the financing company to discontinue payments on a program that is already completed.  Any disruption of payment could result in additional fines or harm to your credit which is something we do not want.  It is unfortunate that you wish to decline the free hours to benefit Kyana but there is no refund available for services rendered.  We apologize for any dissatisfaction or inconvenience this has caused. Thank you. 

On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 5:25 PM, Lisa Jones  wrote:No worries about the delay but we are honestly are not interested in the extra hours provided by Sylvan. The only progress shown was on Sylvan's test. This is a problem Tonya. 

You reached out to Kyana's teachers several weeks after you asking if you could. I honestly do not want to go back and forth on this. We would like to stop payments as well as receive a refund ASAP. 

Please provide me with the necessary paperwork ASAP or the contact info of whom I should be speaking with.

Lisa

Lisa JonesFounderArt by the Glazz, llcwww.artbytheglazz.com703.401.8710

On Jun 13, 2012, at 4:23 PM, Sylvan Sterling wrote:

Lisa,I apologize for the delay in response.  I do completely understand your frustration.  A struggling child in school can be very upsetting and overwhelming.  We were beginning to see nice progress with Kyana's reading program especially in such a short amount of time.  (48 hours out of 162 recommend hours)  I have reattached Kyana's reading scores with us and recopied the email I sent to you a few weeks ago regarding her progress.  I did reach out to Kyana's teacher recently to receive some advice for summer in hopes that you would take advantage of the hours we are providing to you and Kyana.  Those hours are still there for you to use.  Also attached is our summer schedule so that you can determine the best time to use those hours.  Upon reviewing your account, Kyana attended all 48 hours that you purchased which means that there is not a cash refund available when services were received.  However, you still have the 10 hours we offered you still to use so that we can continue the work we have started and implement her teacher's recommendations.  Please let me know what additional concerns you may have or what works best for scheduling the free hours. Thank you.   Previous email sent to you: I have attached Kyana's Reading scores.  We saw very nice improvement.  She is still testing below grade level overall but headed in the right direction.  Knowing words independently with vocabulary still seems to be a weakness.  However, reading passages and comprehension has really improved.  Building confidence is key!  She still wants to second guess herself and unsure of her answers.  I asked that she read passages aloud so that I could listen to her.  I would like for us to continue with speed and encourage her to read more aloud even if it's just to herself.  This seems to help keep her focused on passages that may seem overwhelming. I understand your frustration in school but I do hope that you continue on this path with us.  Progress does not always show up quickly in school especially since they are working well above grade level and move on whether Kyana is ready or not.  I think Kyana lacks in descriptive vocabulary which is why when describing Sylvan to you she just says "its fun."  Although, we try to make the experience and learning fun, please note that we have goals and intensive instruction is geared to reach those goals. Your next 10 hours are on us and we have Kyana still on the schedule for today. Let me know what additional questions you may have.  I'm always happy to help! On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 9:54 AM, Lisa Jones  wrote:

Lisa JonesFounderArt by the Glazz, llcwww.artbytheglazz.com703.401.8710

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lisa Jones Date: June 12, 2012 11:59:47 AM EDTTo: "sylvansterling@***.com" Subject: Re: Kyana Cutting  

Good Morning Tonya,

I'm just going to get straight to the point. We would like a refund. We both know that Kyana did not excel in any area during her time with Sylvan. In fact she regressed. I actually had concerns with Sylvan prior to Kyana receiving her report card resulting in me visiting you.

I was truly hoping to receive a response from you allowing us to stop payments. Please send me the necessary paperwork to start the refund process or provide me with the contact info of the person I need to speak with who can.

Lisa

Lisa Jones

On Jun 9, 2012, Jennifer Staples >> Sylvan Sterling 06/08/12 6:02 PM >>>Dear Mrs. Staples, 

One of your students, Kyana Cutting, is enrolled in our Sylvan Academic Programs. One of our major goals is to make each student's program as relevant to classroom needs as possible. Sylvan works closely with schools so that we can supplement, reinforce, and support each student's curriculum. Working with Kyana on a daily basis, you are in a unique position to provide insight and observe changes in performance.

 

We would appreciate it if you could answer the following question and reply to this e-mail at your earliest convenience: If you had an extra hour a week to teach Kyana, what would you recommend? If you would like to contact us regarding Kyana, to learn more about Sylvan, or to visit the Center please feel free to call at (703) 404-****, or e-mail us at sylvansterling@***.com.

 

Thank you for your valuable professional insight!

 

Have a Great Summer!

 

Tonya DruenCenter Director

Sylvan Learning Centersylvansterling@***.com21165 Whitfield Pl, Suite 103Sterling,VA 20165ph.703.404.8804  fx.703.880.7045 Summer Learning Loss Stops HERE!

--  Tonya DruenCenter Director

Sylvan Learning Centersylvansterling@***.com21165 Whitfield Pl, Suite 103Sterling,VA 20165ph.703.404.8804  fx.703.880.7045 Summer Learning Loss Stops HERE!

--  Tonya DruenCenter Director

Begin forwarded message:

From: Sylvan Support - Operations Date: June 20, 2012 8:56:00 PM EDTTo: abtg@***.comSubject: ACTION NEEDED FOR CENTER 12135 ISSUE=64357 PROJ=2Reply-To: slcinformationdesk@***.com

When replying, type your text above this line.Notification of Ticket Change

Thank you for contacting Sylvan Support Operations. We have received your request. For future reference, please refer to ticket# 64357.

Description:Entered on 06/20/2012 at 20:56:40 EDT (GMT-0400) by Karen H:Dear Lisa, 

Thank you for contacting us about your concerns.  We have reviewed your information and will redirect to the appropriate parties.  Please allow 2 to 3 business days for a response. 

Comments:Below is some of the emails exchanges between myself and the director of your sterling center.

I'm beyond disappointed with how unprofrofessional this situation is being handled. I have asked Tonya a considerable amount of times to speak to someone other than her.

I also complained weeks prior of my dissatisfaction of what I felt was being handled more like a daycare and I especially took offense to the late reach out to my daughters teacher after my third complaint..

We would like a refund. Very disappointed.

Please see email exchanges below.

Lisa Jones

1st of two part email.

Tonya,

Again, nothing personal but we would like to speak with the next person in charge. We have proceeded to get written statements from all of Kyana's teachers to include her principle and counselor.

Please provide me with contact info for the person next in charge which I've now asked for twice. 

Thank you

Date submitted: 06/20/2012 02:57:54 PM

Please respond to this individual as soon as possible.

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5 comments
Guest

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't

Sylvan advertise one year's/one grade level's

growth in 36 hours, guaranteed? I agree that to catch up one grade level in 36 hours or 48 for that matter is unrealistic BUT that's what is advertised!

So what is a parent to expect? As a retired educator and former Sylvan tutor, I feel qualified to say don't waste your time or money at Sylvan!

Guest

Hi, I have dealt with the Sylvan Center mentioned above and I find the unprofessional too. My girls went in for an evaluation in the Summer (around July) and I never heard back from them...

Tonya was supposed to call me to discuss the results... it never happened... I called her last week and she said would email the results of the evaluation and then we would talk about the results... Never got the email...

I am not too impressed with them so I have decided to look for a personal tutor myself... Hope everything worked out for the OP...

Guest

It seems if they were recommending 162 hours, you were far below the recommended amount of time (and your child was WAY below grade level) and 48 hours of instruction will still leave her behind. I don't know what grade your child is in, but to be THAT far behind, 48 hours is not enough time to catch up.

I wouldn't expect her to be at grade level in that amount of time.

Not sure what you are pissed about other than not getting money back for services you received. Nothing about this exchange seems unprofessional to me other than you.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-508599

I would ask for a face-to-face conference.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-508599

Not following expert recommendations and asking for money back for services already rendered----

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Anonymous
map-marker Chantilly, Virginia

Sylvan/Kanata - Business first, Education second

The program at a high level is ok, although coping with any learning challenge seems to be an issue. On one hand, we were told by the director at the center that she is not allowed to recommend any learning disability assessment, she did so anyways. When these are done and the results presented, the director was unwilling and/or unable to detail any of the learning strategies of how they intend to address this. When asked, there is an immediate defensiveness, and an unwillingness to explain how a child who is falling behind in their program is to make up the gap, and what strategies she intends to implement to bridge the gap, especially in light of any diagnosis of a learning disability. All statements are interrupted, and a consistent condescending tone is standard from the outset of the conversation. Instead of being able to articulate the strategies to help a child who is falling behind in their program and has a learning disability, there was nothing but defensiveness, with all blame laid on the child. The expectation was that the parents pay up to continue the same patterns that are resulting in the child falling further behind, with zero ability of the centre to explain how they would modify their strategies. I know that there are good teachers at Sylvan. However, the director at the Kanata location is terrible. Advice: If you child had mild needs and simply needs to put in time, the director is your friend as long as you keep your mouth shut. If, on the other hand, your child, hard worker or otherwise, has a significant learning disability, expect him/her to fall behind and to be blamed for it. Look elsewhere.
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1 comment
Guest

I went to Sylvan first and thought I paid an arm and a leg. Went to home tutoring from Tutor Doctor and found that yes, tutor doctor is cheaper and one on one but we had to go through 3 different tutors and they did not want to refund my money in the end.

So went back to Sylvan.

I know there are probably more professional home tutoring agencies out there but Tutor Doctor was not one of them. I will stay with them until I find a reputable home tutoring agency in Kanata.