Jennifer - Bedford, Nova Scotia - 5 years old - Pre-Primary

"After trying for more than a year to prepare her 5 year old daughter, Jennifer, for primary school, Kim contacted the Sylvan Learning Centre in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Jennifer's mother knew that Sylvan could help Jennifer gain the confidence needed to make a smooth transition into primary school. Jennifer's older sister, Stephanie, attended Sylvan in Grade 1 and is a living testament to academic success.

"I began to worry when Jennifer became very reluctant to learn letters and numbers," says Kim. Jennifer's older siblings struggled in primary and her mother wanted to ensure Jennifer gained confidence early in her academic career. "If a child is confident in her abilities, she will try new educational challenges, and this instills the importance of reading and writing throughout one's life," adds her mother.

Jennifer began the Primary Prep program and within the first few weeks she showed tremendous progress. “Jennifer can count to 20, count backwards from ten and is learning to write her ABC’s,” says Brenda Burchell, director of education at Sylvan. “Jennifer has already grown into a confident student who loves to complete homework assignments.”

Jennifer’s mother has also seen a difference in her daughter. “Jennifer is like a different child since she began attending the Primary Prep program,” says Kim. Only a few months ago, Jennifer became nervous when playing school with her friends because she was too scared to attempt writing letters. Due to her new self-confidence, Jennifer now pretends to be a Sylvan teacher and helps her friends complete homework assignments.

“Sylvan helped my daughter to establish a love of learning and gain confidence is all areas of her life – not just academics,” says her mother. Jennifer currently attends dance, swimming, skating, and gymnastics lessons. She adds, “Jennifer’s Sylvan experience with benefit her for years to come.”"