Franchise Leaders in Supplemental Education:
A Tale of Two Different Tutors
by Patricia Schaefer
Americans are now spending over $4 billion yearly on tutoring for their children, and this amount is only expected to grow in the coming years as parents are increasingly spending their money for educational enrichment and remediation.
The two U.S. leaders in the supplemental education franchise industry are Kumon Math & Reading Centers and Sylvan Learning Centers. Kumon presently has 1238 centers in the U.S., with a worldwide total of 26,138. Sylvan has over 1075 centers in the U.S. and 75 in Canada. Although both have experienced years of established success, they are each uniquely different in many aspects of their business practices and operations.
The Kumon franchise and method of learning began in 1958 in Japan when high school math teacher Toru Kumon's son was having trouble with second grade math. Kumon created a series of math worksheets for his son to work on after school. With daily practice, Kumon's son gradually improved and later excelled in his math skills. Today, Kumon franchisees apply this method of daily practice and self-paced improvement to children's math and reading skills. Kumon representative Deven Klein says, "The entire Kumon organization was founded upon a father's love and concern for his son."
The Sylvan Learning Centers franchise was founded in 1979 by W. Berry Fowler, a junior high school teacher in Anaheim, California. Fowler himself had been a struggling student whose life was changed for the better when a college professor diagnosed and helped him with his reading difficulties. Fowler's goal was to provide extra help and individualized attention to the many students falling behind in school; to individually test students and prescribe specific tutoring programs tailored to their particular needs. "Sylvan's tutors are trained and certified and love to teach" says Sylvan company representative Greg Helwig.
Helwig claims, "Sylvan's strong, positive track record for over 25 years distinctly sets this tutoring company apart from any competitors. The long-standing expertise is coupled with almost 100% brand awareness and high customer satisfaction. Innovative new programs like Sylvan online, with live tutoring delivered over the internet, and Sylvan's new pre-k reading program also differentiates Sylvan from other tutoring providers."
Unlike the strong national and regional marketing that has helped bring about Sylvan's "almost 100% brand awareness," Kumon has relied primarily through the last half-decade on "word-of-mouth" to promote and grow their business. Representative Jenny Cherrytree of Kumon says that it is this word-of-mouth publicity that has been the driving force behind their expansion, and it is not uncommon to have parents come back through the years to enroll additional siblings in their programs.
Whereas Sylvan's educational methods more closely resemble traditional tutoring in a classroom style, Kumon Math & Reading Centers employ a more independent learning program. The curriculum consists of hundreds of short assignments. A student must fully master each concept before learning a new one. Every assignment is timed and graded. Students must achieve close to 100 percent accuracy within a set time period before progressing to the next level. Through this repeated independent practice, student's master each skill before moving on to the next.
Students go to a Kumon Center once or twice a week for approximately 30 minutes per subject and at home complete short daily assignments (10-30 minutes per subject) on the other days of the week. The instructor evaluates each child's progress weekly to ensure growth and that academic goals are being met. Not a quick fix, it is a long-term program and can take up to a year for a child to catch up to grade level.
Both franchises cited the advantages parents would glean from having their child avail themselves of their services.
Helwig of Sylvan stated, "When parents bring their child to Sylvan, they're getting the support of the entire Sylvan system. Sylvan's diagnostic and perspective approach to in-center tutoring drives an individualized program that goes beyond homework support and drilling to ensure that each child achieves skill mastery. Interaction with other students that are also receiving individualized tutoring creates a positive peer/group dynamic that adds to the positive desired outcome. All of this is backed by a guarantee."
Klein of Kuman had this to say: "Besides the unique educational method and philosophy mentioned, I believe that Kumon really fosters a strong and positive parent-child relationship. We do not hesitate to tell parents that they need to be very involved in the process and, if they cannot, they should not enroll their child. Kumon is an everyday program for about 20 to 30 minutes per day. So, on non-center days, the student completes the daily lesson at home, based on their individual study plan. In encouraging and supporting the child to do the daily lesson, the parent is really able to be involved in the child's progress through the Kumon worksheets. Many parents even enjoy the option of home grading so they can immediately check if their child needs to correct their mistakes or explain a concept. This daily routine creates a strong bond in the parent-child relationship."
Kumon's usual tuition per month ranges from about $80 to $110 per subject, and there is a one-time registration fee of $30 to $50. Subjects covered are Math and Reading. A usual Sylvan hourly instruction cost may range from about $48 to $58 per hour. Their skills assessment test is about $175, and there is a $50 enrollment fee per program. Their curriculum includes: Reading, Writing, Math, Study Skills, SAT/ACT Prep, Advanced Youth Scholars Program, and courses for high school credit. Prices may vary from center to center within each franchise.
For prospective franchisees looking for a low-investment tutoring franchise, Klein says that the low-investment costs of Kumon franchise sets it apart from other supplemental education franchises: "Our initial investment (defined as three months from opening of the Center) we estimate to be in a range of $10,038 to $30,353. This is a relatively low initial investment for U.S. franchise systems. In fact, we have been consistently ranked in the annual Franchise 500 by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top low investment franchises. We placed 8th in this category in the 2006 ranking."
The franchise fee for Sylvan Learning Centers is $40 to 48 thousand, with a total expected investment of about $180 to $300 thousand. Helwig states, "Sylvan franchisees are supported by 25 years of expertise, proven processes and systems, nearly 100% brand awareness, strong national and regional marketing, and an expert field staff that consult with franchisees to ensure they are employing the best practices to build a strong and successful business."
And what do these two franchises most pride themselves on?
"Sylvan helps children to develop the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else," said Helwig. "The fact that the impact of Sylvan lasts a lifetime and can truly change a child's life is the most important part of what Sylvan delivers."
Klein shared this about Kumon Math & Reading Centers: "Kumon prides itself most on seeing our students gain a love for learning and developing life skills to help society. Those skills include focus, perseverance, patience, and compassion. Our students develop not only good minds but good hearts. To our franchisees and employees, it is much more than just seeing our students master math and reading skills. We take great pride that our educational method involves the student taking part in their own goal setting because learning is so much enjoyable this way -- we know this from watching our students. We also pride ourselves in the fact that all of our actions and decisions are made in the best interest of the child."
Copyright 2006, Attard Communications, Inc.
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