My son has been attending Sylvan for the last 2 years to fix the deficit in his reading ability created by the combination of school shut down during COVID and ASD's disregard in addressing the learning gaps that created when children returned to school. I pushed for access to resources with the schools, asked for help/direction from teachers, searched for ASD provided resources and for years was dismissed and told, "he's not the only one..." and "there are other kids in the same boat"- the only resources offered were online/virtual tutoring- an option I knew would not help my son who did not need a virtual teacher. There was no offer of classroom or school supports. I finally accepted that ASD did not care about my son (or any other child in the 'same boat') or if he succeeded and were willfully passing him along to the next grade despite all his testing scores showing he was well below average (FOR YEARS) and denied my personal request to hold him back. I went to Sylvan and am glad I did. My son at the time was in 4th grade and (unsurprisingly) the assessment revealed he was reading at a level equivalent to a beginning 1st grader. In the time he has been attending Sylvan his reading and comprehension skills have progressed to 4th grade, (along with his confidence and self esteem). He attends 3- 1 hour sessions per week and is better equipped to complete his classwork in school now that he can actually understand what he should be doing. The staff at Sylvan are friendly, kind, accommodating and actually care. I am updated monthly on the progress my son is making and the skills he has mastered, what he is currently working on and and will be doing next. This is very helpful information as it allows me to focus our attention at home on supporting activities that complement what he doing in tutoring. My son has never complained about 'not liking' any of the instructors or having issues with any of them. The ratio for the small groups is about 3-4 students per instructor. Financially, this type of tutoring can be quite an undertaking, especially for lower income families whose kids may disproportionally be affected by the same issues. Sylvan offers a good deal during PFD time- to purchase tutoring hours and offered a summer promotional this year as well. For anyone considering Sylvan as an option- that may be the most cost effective route to begin with. In my son's case, it is more a marathon than a sprint to the finish line. I have never had an issue rescheduling sessions when my son is sick. The staff is available by phone call or text, which makes it easy to communicate. I've always been pleasantly surprised with how flexible the staff is on this issue. For kids who do attend, tokens are given as an incentive at the end of each lesson for skills mastered, report cards, birthdays and other fun opportunities throughout the year (dress up on halloween!). The kids are able to redeem these for fun prizes. The instruction any child receives is only as good as the teacher and how much they care, in any area of life. If anyone has a child who is struggling and is holding out hope that someday your kid will get a teacher (at ASD) who is going to work a miracle- I'd strongly advise you stop waiting and try out Sylvan. You won't be disappointed and you'll be surprised at the progress you see and how capable your child really is, when they have adequate support, instruction and a great environment.