8 Reasons to Keep Your Child LEARNING This Summer

With hybrid and remote learning schedules keeping students from really engaging in their learning, a summer program can help them catch up in the academic areas where they might have fallen behind this school year.

We get that all kids (and families!) need a break from this “school year like no other.” But taking a complete break from academics this summer won’t help the fall go any better, especially if you saw your child struggling with at-home or hybrid learning.

Here are 8 reasons why a summer at Sylvan will make all the difference in the fall! (Psst … we offer in-person and online tutoring options, so you can choose what’s best for your family!)

1. Help Your Child Make up for COVID Learning Loss.
   The “COVID slide” is the much-written-about phenomenon that sees children making slow or no progress in their education as school buildings remain closed. For many students, school closures, hybrid learning and online learning has led to an increase in skill gaps and stalled development.
   
   Plus, the COVID slide was compounded with the annual “summer slide” at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. And, because the pandemic and related school closures are still ongoing, we have yet to understand the true scope of how children have been affected by this disruption.
   
   Bottom line: If your child was struggling with school before COVID, then odds are they will have fared worse than the average student during COVID and the gaps in their education have only grown. Especially if your student was learning English or has special learning needs.*
   
   The time to worry has passed. Now it’s time to take action. Even if your child was doing well before COVID but struggled to keep up with distance learning, don’t count on school reopening to bring them back to speed.
   
   Research shows children are now three months behind schedule in school. While that may not seem like much given the long-term disruption COVID has brought, at the pace of regular schooling, it would take 2-3 years to make up that time. The longer this backwards slide remains unaddressed, the longer it will take students to catch up.
   
   “As time goes [schools are] getting better at remote learning, but we still don’t have all the resources we need,” Sylvan’s VP of Education Emily Levitt said. “We’re asking a lot of teachers — they are human, and it’s hard. It’s been a tough year for everyone, but we’re getting better about it. The more support services teachers have alongside them the better.”
   
   
2. Avoid Summer Brain Drain … And Head Into the Fall With Momentum.
   Academic skills are like other skills. You have to use them—or you lose them. In a normal school year, most kids can lose about 2+ months of learning over the summer. Combined with what has been lost this year, summer learning loss in 2021 will make back-to-school time really difficult this fall.
   
   And you know what that sounds like at home: More stress. More arguments. More unnecessary struggle.
   
   When you team up with Sylvan this summer, your child will keep up learning habits AND strengthen skills and confidence. It will be a MUCH smoother transition back into (hopefully) a more normal school year.
   
   
3. Fill In Skill Gaps While Moving at Your Child’s Pace.
   During the school year, teachers need to move quickly, whether your child fully understands a topic or not. Your child is constantly chasing a moving target.
   
   Over the summer, though, your child can move at his or her own pace. There’s no chasing other students. You don’t have to worry about the class getting way ahead.
   
   This summer your child can spend the time needed to fill in gaps in learning from the school year and build a strong foundation for the next grade level—or better yet, get ahead!
   
   
4. Head into Big Transition Years With Confidence.
   Throughout your child’s academic journey, there are certain grade transitions that represent BIG jumps in responsibility and independence.
   
   These big transitions include going from:
   
   -2nd grade into 3rd grade
   -Elementary to middle school
   -Middle school to high school
   -High school to college/university
   
   Why 2nd to 3rd grade, you wonder? 3rd grade is the year that the training wheels come off. Your child will go from learning to read, to starting to read to learn. If your child isn’t ready for that transition, he or she will have trouble making that jump with the rest of the class.
   
   We’ve seen that virtual or hybrid school hit young students the hardest, so getting your kindergartner, 1st or 2nd grader ready for the new challenges and harder concepts will be critical.
   
   For older kids, the transition to high school and college/university academics can be a shock, particularly the rigors of advanced-level reading and writing assignments.
   
   With a tutor, your son or daughter will be well prepared and eliminate the risk of stumbling.


5. Get a Jump on Higher-Level Math Skills
   If you know your child is going to be digging into higher-level math skills in the new school year (such as fractions, pre-algebra or algebra), use a summer tutor to get a jump on these subjects.
   
   Algebra, in particular, offers a whole new way of thinking for kids.
   
   If your child isn’t used to the critical thinking skills that are used for this type of math, it can take longer to get on the algebra train.
   
   A tutor will introduce your child to higher-level math concepts and to thinking in new ways. When the new school year arrives, your child will be comfortably on the math train at the start of the school year, not left behind at the station.
   
   
6. Learn How to Tackle Ever-Growing Workloads
   If you know your child is going to be digging into higher-level math skills in the new school year (such as fractions, pre-algebra or algebra), use a summer tutor to get a jump on these subjects.
   
   Over the summer, a Sylvan tutor can help your child develop and master skills to become a more efficient and effective student, including:
   
   -Time management and organization
   -Study skills
   -Test-taking strategies
   -Research skills
   -Effective presentation skills
   -Note taking
   
   Imagine heading into the fall knowing that your child will take ownership of schoolwork (yes!), feel more in control and resilient, even with all the challenges of a tougher school year. Imagine a school year without last minute scrambles and nagging over schoolwork.
   
   Summer is the perfect time to build these skills for school—and for life!
   
   
7. Raise ACT® or SAT® Scores With Summer Help
   Yes, we are still encouraging students to take the SAT or ACT, and summer is the most popular time to get a tutor for SAT or ACT preparation!
   
   While many schools are at least temporarily test optional, it’s important to note that test optional does not mean test blind.
   
   Test optional means students can decide if they want to send SAT/ACT scores or not, while test blind means the school won’t consider the tests at all.
   
   Most test-optional schools will utilize the scores in their decision-making process if they are sent, or they’ll provide an alternative option if a student is not sending scores. It’s important to have a clear understanding of what the alternative is before deciding whether to include test scores. If your teen’s score can help set him or her apart—send it!
   
   There are good reasons to prep for the test this summer!
   
   -Over the summer, your teen can focus on test-taking strategies and fine-tuning skills without all the stresses and distractions of school.
   
   -If you have a soon-to-be senior, your teen has likely taken the exam already. Your tutor will be able to look at the results and know exactly where focus to help your teen improve results on the next exam.
   
   -One of the subjects that we see teens struggle with on the ACT and SAT is algebra. Why? Their skills get rusty. (Use it or lose it, right?) Your tutor can make sure your teen gets an awesome refresher before the big test in the late summer or early fall.
   
   
8. Avoid Paying Extra Fees for Remedial Courses in College/University
   When your teen transitions from high school to college/university, you may get a surprise.
   
   Approximately 30% to 40% of incoming freshmen aren’t performing up to standards in basic English and math.
   
   Often times, these students have to take remedial courses in college. You’re paying tuition money, but your son or daughter isn’t getting any credit for these courses. Your son or daughter is simply getting caught up.
   
   Investing in a summer tutor can help your child get on track with college/university standards, so you don’t have to pay unnecessary fees later.
   
   

No Schoolwork This Summer? No Problem!

At Sylvan, our certified tutors have a variety of tools available to make your child’s summer learning as effective as possible.

For example, let’s say you want to focus on math skills.

Your tutor can give your child our unique Sylvan Insight™ assessment to get deep insights into your child’s math strengths and skill gaps. Then, your tutor can use our proprietary curriculum—SylvanSync™—to tailor interactive lessons and learning to your child’s exact needs.

• If your child is on pace with school, he or she will get awesome skill practice to make sure skills stay sharp over the summer.
• If your child is ahead, he or she will get enrichment activities, so he or she can move further and faster in the upcoming grade level.
• If your child is behind, your child will get the instruction and practice to get up-to-speed.

No schoolwork needed!

And it’s even easier to schedule our tutors over the summer (many of them are teachers who are off from school), so you can easily work around your summer plans.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if your child headed back to school with the same enthusiasm he or she had for the start of summer?