Sylvan Learning of Walnut Creek

Expensive and loud

My 6 year old son wasn’t too sure about coming here for tutoring. Today will be his 3^rd session & he absolutely loves it! Every time I pick him up he asks when he can come back. Thank you for making learning fun for him!

While customers reach out to Sylvan for help, they are still a business. With regards to my encounter, the business side won out. My nephew has a learning disability and I purchased an assessment and 4-​hours of education through a special deal. I called Sylvan and asked if they would honor a second deal to get my nephew as much help as possible, they said yes. So, I reached out to his grandparents who purchased the second deal. However, when my nephew tried to redeem them we were met with attitude and a refusal to accept them. After several phone calls and messages I finally spoke with Dan Alipaz (Director) who said he would honor them. On our very next visit, the manager said she would not accept the deal despite me telling her that I spoke with Dan. I again spoke with Dan who provided many excuses for all the problems, none of which helped my nephew. My nephew ended up with 4 hours of tutoring/​education, but I spent more than 4 hours trying to get Sylvan to honor their agreements. I feel in our case that the focus was on the program length and money rather the educational needs of my nephew.

We enrolled our kindergarten-​age special needs daughter on a trial basis half-​expecting it to be a total disaster. However, in a matter of 4 weeks, a child who could barely attend to a task for 15 minutes was sitting through 1-​on-​1 sessions, fully engaged, for an entire hour! More so, she wanted to keep coming back! SLC-​WC staff painstakingly took their time getting to understand our daughter’s learning style and our educational goals for her. Their offer to regularly meet her teachers and be part of her Individualized Educational Program team is a testament to their belief that anyone can learn with an understanding of an individual’s learning style. Little did we know that a private tutoring center could champion special education so well with the individualized programs they offer — SLC-​WC is attending to educational needs that many parents WISH their kids’ schools could but just can’t or won’t. The program staff is approachable and the teachers are passionate about learning. It’s been a magical experience.

I can’t say enough good things about the staff at Sylvan. My son is always excited to go to his lesson and has a smile on his face when he leaves. He’s made great progress and there are no more tears when it’s time to do homework. The boost to his self-​confidence alone is worth every penny. I highly recommend Sylvan.

My Daughter was in tears over the idea of tutoring. It took only two days for her to feel not only relaxed but excited about doing her Math in this supportive and fun environment. Nina, Dan and Ted clearly love children and greet them with genuine enthusiasm daily. My daughter has been at Sylvan for almost a year and is PROUD of it. The confidence that she has gained from her great progress has carried over into her general well being. Ted has been communicating with her teacher and together they are fine tuning her program. I honestly did not expect that level of service! My daughter has made her laptop screen saver the Sylvan logo (I kid you not).

We have never used a tutor before sending my High School Freshman to Sylvan in Walnut Creek. My only problem is that we did not do this earlier. My son has engaged in the «organizational skills» program in a way I never thought possible. He WANTS to be a better student, unlike previously, just wanting to get by. Sylvans ability to communicate with his teachers is key. Sylvan has eliminated my job of policing him at home. My sons reading skills have improved in one short month. The plan mapped out is not long term, but rather just get a jump start on the year. It’s served our family quite well, thank you!