The supplemental education franchise is continuing its established growth momentum.
Sylvan Learning, the supplemental education franchise with 750 points of presence across the world, is looking to continue its ongoing growth throughout 2021 with an average of two units per month set to open.
In 2019, the brand opened 22 new Sylvan centers. In 2020, even the pandemic couldn’t stop Sylvan Learning’s growth, with 16 new sites opening. With four new territories recently being signed, six resale units agreed through mid-March, and five to seven new territory signings planned for May, the brand is expecting another developmental year.
“We’ve continued to invest and innovate using technology, adding different products at different times to help students with their education while also providing franchisees with additional streams of revenue,” said John McAuliffe, CEO. “Our ability to deliver lessons in the center, at satellite locations, in-home, and virtually has been made possible because of our investments in technology.”
Its growth is also thanks Sylvan’s treatment of its existing franchisees; when business took a hit due to the pandemic, the brand waived $1.5m in royalty payments to help keep its network afloat.
“Our job is to continue to protect our franchisees throughout this period of time,” said McAuliffe. “We took a big hit at the beginning of COVID-19, and I think we’d be up significantly if there weren’t any capacity restraints. Once restrictions are lifted, we’ll be in even better shape.”
Last year, Sylvan Learning launched its School Support program to allow even more parents to help their children benefit from the franchise’s educational programs. This included new ways for parents to drop their children off at a Sylvan center for support with distance learning throughout the day.
“The pandemic brought a lot of stress into the lives of families everywhere but it brought an even bigger stress on students with virtual learning,” said Kathleen Eversole, who purchased a Sylvan Learning in February in Narcoosee, Florida, with her husband Blake Stine.
“We saw the students in our area struggling with virtual learning and immediately wanted to help but weren’t sure how. When we found Sylvan it really felt like the right choice. Sylvan is a well-known name within communities across the country and they have an amazing educational program that encourages confidence in the classroom and positivity toward learning for children.”
