Kumon vs Sullivan vs Other Programs

You need to decide what you relly want before joining any of them. I worked for Kumon - while it is cheaper, it is very longterm (even during the school year for years to come). However, Kumon is a moer comprhensive program where they start a child at a very comfortable point which to many parents is a surprise. In th elong run, if your child has any gaps, they get filled in really without you ever knowing the gap existed. As a high school math teacher, I would love having students in my class that grew up with Kumon. They are stronger! Sylvan is quite costly and pushes longterm success but in reality fixes the now which can be great if your cild is on level but does not really help your child excel. Huntington is a combination of the two and of course mid priced.

H.,

Keeping kids on tract during summer months is so very smart on your part. They loose so much of their past year's learning during the summer months. Summer enrichment is so vitally important in keeping a average learner on track, providing enrichment for a weak student, or gaining ground for an advanced student.

We have found traveling is an excellent way to learn with all your learning styles, skills, and abilities being used. Visiting centers, historical locations, parks, zoo's, children centers, community events, libaray reading programs, and other fun locations is a great way for mothers to ensure their children don't just vegitate in front of the TV or play mind numbing video games all summer long.

If you want a conbination of both the above and a tutor, might I suggest Mandi Montgomery. She is a former performer of the Walt Disney World Internship Program, where she was a "Face Character"-princess, a former intern member of the National CLIMB Theater Group of Minnissota (they go into the nation's schools with drama programs and one on one class room evaluation address and correct problems that teachers and school leader's have identified as blocks to learning for their students. (These issues may be self-esteem, drugs, social preassures, bullying, etc., in their schools). 2005 Miss Georgia Teenager, Miss Mill Creek 2004, the winner of 6 scholarships, has her own children's IPO, vounteers with Rock the Vote and The American Cancer Foundation for Breast Cancer Cure, is a member of The National Society of Colligent Scholars (invited only by GPA and professors recomendations) in which she is a nationl office holder, and more importantly for your situtation, provided enrichment for two families in Columbus GA, where she was attending school for the past two years. She will be attending UGA this year, (summer or fall), and is looking or work this summer. It is too long of a communte to continue with her two families in Columbus even thought the families has requested her for the summer. Gas is just too high to make is a viable solution for her or the families.

One of her families hired her to encourage not only accedemic readiness but also social development. She has a way that reached her young charges and encourages their growth in all areas of their development. She also held study sessions for adults at Columbus State University. She also held study sessions for adults while a student at CSU. She is attending UGA to be a middle school teacher in language arts. She is looking for a job to fit into her UGA schedule which she will be getting this week. She makes learning fun and interesting. She understands the different types of learners and plans a program around their specific way of learning.

I might suggest you give her a call if you think she can be of help to your child's development. She can be reached at ###-###-####.

Keep Mothering,
Ms C.

There is also Huntington Learning Centers. I think they do the same type of program as Sylvan, only cheaper. Plus, HLC has been in the business a lot longer than Sylvan.

I don't have any experience with Kumon, so I can't compare.

Hi H.-
I worked at Sylvan for about 5 years, and it is very similar to what the other moms are saying about Kumon. It's based on repition, and they present skills in a variety of ways to help the child learn. It's not a short term solution either, and it can be a bit pricy. They do offer some summer camps in reading, writing, etc., if you are truly looking for enrichment rather than to bring your child up to where he/she should be. Good luck!

I swear by Kumon. We now reside in Okinawa, Japan where Kumon originated and my daughter attends Kumon twice a week. The Kumon here teaches, Japanese, English and Math. She goes for Japanese tutoring because she attends a Japanese school and of course we do not speak Japanese. The way they teach through love and nurturing is awesome. So much so that she started Kumon at age 3 and her Kumon teacher recommended her for Japanese school so she now attends Japanese school.

I had a friend who worked at Sylvan and from what I heard and now see Kumon is better. However, be careful that the Kumon does not simply help the child complete his homework. I looked at a Kumon in Gwinnett and they just helped the child with homework after school. This is not how Kumon is supposed to be done. The Kumon should have its own curriculum. If you would like I can scan and PDF what my daughter's work looks like, just let me know via e-mail. Remember I am 13 hours ahead of you but I am available if you have more questions. Good Luck. SMILE!

I H., after researching both programs my husband and I decided upon Kumon. Kumon has been a so helpful and it is not too expensive. My son has been in the program for 3 years. When he first started it he was WAY behind. Now, he is slightly ahead in reading and math. To watch him multiple 3 digit numbers in his head is amazing. Kumon is based upon repetition until the student masters the concept. I may have not given you and pros and cons to either, but just based upon my experience Kumon is the way to go. Good luck. P.s. my son is a 4th grader.

Hi H.,

Like the others, I am a huge fan of Kumon. Both my kids (kindergarten and 4th grade) have been going for about 2+ years.
However, Kumon is not typically a short term solution (just for the summer). Children benefit from the long term, repetition of the Kumon method. I highly recommend enrolling in Kumon, but would continue well past the summer.

Good luck,
L.

I have been providing both Kumon worksheets and Beestar worksheets to my current enrichment program students over a year for practice purposes. My students do not enjoy the Kumon worksheets as much as they find the repetitiveness to be tedious. They do thoroughly enjoy the Beestar worksheets as it is different and keeps them entertained. The free online worksheets also helps out so I do not have to consistently purchase Kumon workbooks for the students. I highly recommend taking a look at the Beestar website!