My daughter’s first day of kindergarten looms and I am worried. Kindergarten readiness is determined by common core standards and my child is behind. While I have no doubt that when she is ready she will be a voracious reader, the standards say she should be ready now. At kindergarten screening, she could only recognize about half the upper and lowercase letters. (Want to know more about the kindergarten screening process? Check out this awesome piece by Molly). For the school district, this put her in the lowest percentage of children. While I know that this is not a reflection of her true readiness I am terribly concerned that this label and the frustration that accompanies it will cause her to hate school and doubt her own brilliance.
Enter Sylvan
I initially approached Sylvan Learning of Portsmouth about my daughter’s kindergarten readiness with very little information. Honestly, this was the part that was really bothering me. I had no idea where to start because I had no idea where the gaps were or why. The fantastic staff at Sylvan quickly set to work putting both of us at ease.
Assessment
The first step was the Sylvan Insight Assessment. Now on principle, I hate the idea of an assessment dictating my child’s education, but the Sylvan method put me at ease by focusing on more than book knowledge. The assessment looked at things like ease of separating from parents, the ability to follow directions, and things like knowledge of letters and numbers. I loved that they assessed those foundational pieces to kindergarten readiness.
Want more information on the Sylvan Insight? Here’s a more in-depth description.
Plan
The Sylvan staff took this knowledge of my girl’s strengths and weaknesses and developed a comprehensive plan. They showed me what skill set they would begin with and a projection of how many hours it would take to get her at or above grade level. Then, they asked for my input about my daughter and what would work best for our family. They used that information to further develop the plan. This wasn’t a stock kindergarten readiness program: they tailored this plan specifically to my daughter.
Engagement
I admit I worried my daughter wouldn’t like working with the instructors at Sylvan. What if the program bored her and as a result, she misbehaved? What I didn’t count on was the staff’s understanding of what motivates kids. There was a system of positive reinforcement in place from the moment we arrived. The staff was upbeat and the work kept her engaged.
Wondering what to expect? Check out what a typical tutoring session is like.
Beyond Personalized Instruction
Personalized instruction is one of the most important pieces of the Sylvan philosophy. Every student does work designed specifically for him. The classroom is set up so that each teacher works with a small group of students who are working at his or her own level. The benefits of this are twofold. My daughter works on those skills that make her kindergarten ready and as a bonus, she is around other, more experienced children learning to be a student by watching and interacting with them.
Tech Practice
My daughter was so excited that she got to “use the internet” as part of her program. According to their website Sylvan uses, SylvanSync for “interactive exercises (that) adapt to your child’s pace and speed, so learning is rewarding, never frustrating.” Video games and “screen time” get a bad rap but at Sylvan, the students are learning to use technology responsibly and efficiently.
Want to learn more about how Sylvan uses technology? Look no further!
Success
According to Sylvan, their average student shows 198% growth in reading and 151% growth in math. In fact, they are so sure of the success of their programs Sylvan guarantees it. Beyond kindergarten readiness, the Sylvan programs align with college and career readiness standards. This means that even as a kindergartener my daughter is gaining the confidence and motivation that will make her not just kindergarten ready but ready for whatever comes her way.
Thank you, Sylvan Learning of Portsmouth for helping my daughter (and me!) get ready for kindergarten!
Sylvan Learning Center of Portsmouth
800 Islington St Unit 10-B
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
603.433.5898
sylvan.portsmouth@unlockedlearning.info
Facebook.com/SylvanLearningofPortsmouth
