Sylvan partners with IDOE for free tutoring for select families

Dec. 17—ELKHART — Sylvan Learning Centers is teaming up with the Indiana Department of Education to offer free tutoring sessions to students and families in need of additional support.

Indiana Learns, a state-funded program, offers financial support to qualifying fourth and fifth graders to attend learning partner tutoring programs such as Sylvan Learning Centers.

Sylvan Learning Executive Director and Owner Sarah Miller explained that assessments indicate that student testing scores have decreased nationwide as indicated by the national report card.

"They talked about the largest decrease ever seen in math and the reading having dropped to levels not seen since the early 90s," she said. "We saw the struggles pre-COVID and we continue to see the greater struggles. I think the reality of that is the trickle-down. Students are struggling more than ever due to the impacts of COVID and those that were already having struggles or approached learning a different way prior to COVID now that effect, that impact, is trending even more intensely for them. We're even further behind now."

Indiana Learns offers qualifying students financial assistance of at least $500 toward tutoring. In addition to that, Sylvan itself will provide another $250 toward tutoring, and school corporations are also provided the opportunity to partner and offer up to $250. School districts who partner will garner their children a matching grant of another $250, for a total of up to $1,250 in financial support for children who need educational support if all school districts choose to fund. If the district doesn't provide the $250 and therefore the student doesn't get the matching grant, families would receive $750 toward tutoring services.

"We get to come alongside the schools and the community resources that are out there, and the state that's providing this additional support and we get to provide additional tutoring support at no cost to the parent for a section of time," Miller said. "It's exciting for us to be able to help out these families."

The funding equates to 12 to 25 sessions toward Sylvan tutoring services depending on the match. Typically, hour-long sessions are $54/hour, but for the initiative, Sylvan has discounted the cost in order to provide additional support.

Each student gets an individualized skills assessment in math and English and receives an individualized program with a 3:1 tutoring program.

"It's highly interactive," Miller said. "The teacher's going to be working with them, asking them to show it and repeat it back to the teacher to prove that they know it. We make sure it's not just a piece of paper and a pencil."

For more information, visit https://www.in.gov/doe/students/indiana-learns.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.