Sylvan Learning of Sherman Oaks

I have not been on Unilocal for several years but feel that the situation here warrants a return with a review that is well deserved.
I do not want to throw my son (who is in Middle School) under the bus with details of WHY we sought Sylvan out but suffice it to say that when we first connected with Sylvan he was «in REAL need»!
I originally thought I could not afford it but the Center Director worked it all out and it has been an absolutely amazing experience that produced EXCELLENT results in a SHORT period of time. My son now is more or less an «All A» student. Now I know we could not afford NOT to do it.
Their program is thorough and effective. My son (as with any teenage kid) may not admit to «like» going but expresses that it is very helpful and productive use of his time.
The staff is conscientious and friendly and I would highly recommend checking them out for your childs supplemental educational needs.
They are very flexible in scheduling and will work with your individual needs to make sure the program works for your child. They will work closely with your childs regular school teachers to make sure all needs are met and progress is made in the right areas.
They are very proactive in keeping parents updated on what is going on and reporting progress and recommendations for program changes (if necessary).
I truly beleive that Sylvan will give any kid an edge in school that they will need in life. Aside from my son I see so many other students of all ages and grades who all lookengaged and happy there.
It turned my son around in his grades in school and attitude toward studies and we are very happy we have worked with Sylvan in Sherman Oaks.

Amazing program! We have been using sylvan for three weeks and have already started to see huge improvements with our daughters reading. Highly recommended!

This is a whole new Sylvan!
My son has been a long time student here, and has benefited greatly. He has a slight learning disability so we are always playing catch-​up with academics. The tutors have always been wonderful, and the program itself is very effective.
Flash forward to this year… Sylvan is now under new ownership, and better than ever. Shayla Taylor, the overall Director, put together a binder of his progress reports for my son’s most recent IEP so that I can show how he is performing in a small group environment, and even offered to come with me to the meeting!
The new executive staff is really taking the time to get to know each child, each family. I’ve noticed organizational improvements, and feel confident that my son is moving faster through the program and catching up.

Our son did well in the program. The staff were very helpful and we loved Lisa.
They ended up getting new staff and they just aren’t as good. My son had make up hours to complete and they have us the run-​around. I had a call a few times and I thought I finally had it settled until the day he had to go in. Some lady named Roxana (who was not very nice) told us that day that he actually didn’t have make-​up hours. This was after we drove 45 minutes to get to them.
It would have been considerate if they would have called or emailed us about it earlier.
We’re certainly not going back to that location again.

Few months into kindergarten, I could tell that my daughter had great difficulty acquiring reading skills. She had no letter-​sound recognition skills and was confusing her letters. I knew she needed extra help. When I got to Sylvan I had many questions regarding testing, as well as teaching strategies. Sylvan administrators were very patient and professional in addressing all of my concerns and working out a program that I felt would work for my child. The administrators were also very accommodating when it came to scheduling my child to work with the teacher that I felt she worked best with. They would also always allow us to make up classes that we missed. After few months of classes I noticed my daughter making rather significant progress. Now, 6 months later, she went from being the worst reader in class to being the best reader in her class. Because of that she is also so much more self-​confident and loves school.
Among the tools that Sylvan utilizes to teach reading, they use «Hooked on Phonics» program, which according to several elementary teachers that I spoke with, is still one of the best reading programs out there. I would highly recommend this program for anyone whose child has difficulty reading. THIS PROGRAM WORKS!

I had high hopes for Sylvan. My mother used to work for one (in Pennsylvania). So when my oldest son fell behind in Math this year, I turned to this location for help. They reassured me, told me they could help, and asked for my credit card!
In what world does, «Help my son catch up on these missing math assignments» equate to me spending almost $ 1,000 in the past 6 weeks for interviewing and testing and more testing? My son went the first 2 hour session, and completed TWO of his missing math worksheets. What. $ 120 for 2 worksheets?! Then he went another 2 hour session and completed another TWO. That weekend? I sent him to his uncle’s house, where he and my son powered through THIRTEEN missing math assignments in a matter of a few hours. FOR FREE. So I cancelled the following scheduled hours because… well…they were obviously unnecessary. However, I was convinced that because my son is so disorganized and misplaces homework assignments, leading him to fall behind… he could benefit from a study skills class. We tried that. My son came out each day and said, «Mom, I’m taking these ‘tests’ on an iPad. This is boring.» Ummmm. So, like, all the interviewing and testing I paid for has not resulted in ANY individualized instruction. Hmm. What the HELL am I paying for?
On top of the $$$ I feel I’ve beem scammed out of, I was almost forced to pay for hours I did not attend NOR did I even schedule. Someone put us on an automatic schedule, based on the homework sessions we attended (which was a temporary fix, not a permanent schedule). I got a snotty call wondering why my son was not there that day — news to me! I had to argue very hard to not pay for that too!!! Then, when we agreed on a schedule to try for ONE month only, they confirmed the tuition amount and said they were running my card that day. Except they didn’t. They ran it randomly, WEEKS later, on the last Sunday of the month. Who does that without even so much as a courtesy call?
Very unprofessional. They are definitely more interested in paying the rent on an expensive block of Ventura Blvd, than helping children succeed through their struggles.
P. S. — What sane, normal family can afford an estimated 170 hours (x $ 60/​hour) for tutoring??? Omg please google «tutoring». It does NOT cost $ 10,000. Do NOT fall to their pressure to prepay your hours in bulk. Puhleeeeease. The internet is filled with horror stories about the corporate offices refusing refunds.
P. P. S. — Read the fine print. On everything.
AVOID! AVOID!

I felt so ripped off. I wanted my daughter to get a head start in geometry before she takes it in September. I went to Sylvan and they gave her a test, which cost $ 150 but they said that they will put it tward her tutoring cost. After she was tested, they met with us and told us that she needed 84 hours of tutoring at $ 50 per hour. I said that I wanted to start off with a few hours and see how she likes it. They said that I can only buy a package for 16 hours minimun and the real kicker was when they said that I can only use the $ 150 credit after 36 hours. I now have nothing to show for my $ 150. They did not even give me a copy of her test results. Keep in mind that my daughter is only entering 9^th grade which most students are entering algebra and she alaready took it in 8^th grade so is already ahead. It is rediculous to say that she needs that many hours of tutoring.
Unless you have $ 20,000 to spend on tutoring don’t even bother to go there. It is a big scam.