Rebecca Johnson | Sylvan Learning Centers | Coventry and Cumberland
The pitch: Sylvan Learning Centers, as a company, has operated for 40 years providing supplemental education for students in grades K-12 and college.
Years in business: 20; became new owner April 1
Employees: 15
Cost to obtain franchise: $24,000 franchise fee; $70,980-$159,885 initial approximate investment.
Before opening franchise: Johnson, after graduating from Rhode Island College in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in education, began working for Sylvan under the previous franchise owner, Gail Tuominen.
Reason for opening: After working her way up with Sylvan – becoming director of education and center director, among other positions – Johnson purchased two locations from Tuominen, who planned to retire. Johnson felt buying the locations was “the next logical step.”
“The best part is … helping the students find success and being able to do that with each and every student. I spend my days and afternoons meeting with families, talking about where the students have been and where they’re going, how much progress has been made. It’s extremely rewarding to get a student who was a [grade of] 30 and now is an 80 in just a month or two in school. I know I’m doing a great service to these kids and making a difference.”
“My goal is to be even more convenient. We have a satellite [location] in East Providence and we hope to get more satellites to make it more convenient for families. Programming-wise, we hope to get out into the community letting people know that we’re here and a free resource … and there’s a lot of resources that we can give [students].”
“What we do is personalize every student’s learning plan, whether it’s reading, math or writing. We tailor and create very individualized programs for each student, with the goal to supplement master skills and create a more solid foundation in order to find success in the classroom.”
Franchise owners interested in being included in an upcoming Franchisee feature can contact PBN Researcher James Bessette at (401) 680-4838 or Research@PBN.com.