Elk Grove Sylvan Gets New Ownership

Longtime Sylvan employees Monica Wolf and Shannon Arnold team up to purchase
Elk Grove center

ELK GROVE, CALIF. and BALTIMORE – April 01, 2008 – Sylvan Learning, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of private tutoring for students in grades pre-K through 12, today announced the sale of its corporate-owned Elk Grove, Calif., center to local entrepreneurs Monica Wolf and Shannon Arnold.

After beginning their Sylvan careers in Elk Grove and having worked for both corporate and franchise centers, both Wolf and Arnold are familiar with the Sylvan system and the Elk Grove community.

“When we first worked at Elk Grove, we both really enjoyed working with the families and kids that came to the center,” said Wolf. “Our goal is to let the community know that we are here to help the kids.”

The Sylvan Learning Center in Elk Grove offers a full range of in-center and online tutoring for children in grades pre-K through 12, including beginning reading skills, advanced math and SAT/ACT preparation. The center also offers the “Book Adventure” program to encourage kids to read.

“Working for Sylvan as the Director of Education in the Elk Grove and Jackson centers was extremely rewarding,” said Arnold. “Monica and I plan to re-establish our relationships with the local schools and teachers and work with the community as a whole to help them understand the benefits of supplemental education.”

Nationwide, consumer spending on tutoring is growing, with annual increases of 7 to 10 percent over the past three years, and projected annual increases of 12 to 15 percent, according to Eduventures, Inc.

The sale of the Elk Grove center, located at 9174-Franklin Boulevard, represents a move by Sylvan Learning to focus on franchising to local entrepreneurs and business operators. Wolf is a California native who grew up right outside Elk Grove and Arnold has spent the last three years living and working in the town.

“We’ve learned that local ownership is key to meeting the supplemental education needs of families and schools in the community,” said Peter Cohen, president and CEO of Sylvan Learning, Inc. “We are pleased to sell the Elk Grove center to Monica and Shannon, who are both familiar with the center and passionate about helping kids in the community.”

As a result of Sylvan’s new franchising strategy, Sylvan is making existing centers available across the country, with 6 centers available for franchising in the Sacramento metropolitan area.

Entrepreneurs interested in exploring opportunities in supplemental education franchising may contact Greg Helwig, Sylvan Learning’s vice president for franchise development at (410) 843-8729.

About Sylvan Learning

Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at home to students of all ages, grades and skill levels. With approximately 30 years of experience and more than 900 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan's proven process and personalized methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of learning. Sylvan's trained and Sylvan-certified personal instructors provide individual instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan helps transform unique kids into uniquely inspired learners with the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else. For more information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com.