Contact Information
| Phone: | (956) 682-9800 |
| Fax: | (956) 682-9811 |
| Monday: | 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM |
| Tuesday: | 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM |
| Wednesday: | 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM |
| Thursday: | 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM |
| Friday: | 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM |
| Saturday: | 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
| Sunday: | Closed |
Sylvan In Home Tutoring
Now the most trusted name in learning can provide the help your child needs to catch up, keep up or get ahead in the convenience of your home. Our in home tutors provide the personal attention and encouragement needed to help your child become uniquely inspired and reach her full potential. Call today to schedule your Personalized Planning Session (sm).
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Meet the Tutors
The tutors of McAllen Sylvan Learning Center are all Sylvan trained and certified so that they can best address your child’s academic needs. Our tutors are dedicated to working closely with you and your child in order to help your child reach his or her goals. We start by pinpointing your child’s strengths and areas for improvement through the Sylvan Skills Assessment®. From there, our McAllen staff develops a personalized learning plan for your child and offers unique insights about what methods will work best with your child. Ultimately, our tutors will build a relationship with your child and provide a fun, engaging, and rewarding learning environment. The McAllen Sylvan Learning Center staff consists of highly experienced and established educational professionals who take great pride in their work with students who want to catch up, keep up, or get ahead.
Susan Valverde
Executive Director
Susan’s background ranges from banking to economic development and education. Susan has worked worldwide on various education initiatives. She taught university level courses and has been a featured speaker at the National Conference for the Public Education Network in Washington D.C. As Executive Director, she oversees the operations of the valley Sylvan Learning Centers and contract services with local schools. She is responsible for overseeing services to thousands of valley children, and she states “It is a great honor to me that our ability to partner with our local schools has allowed us to impact so many kids’ futures”.
Norma Rodriguez
Regional Director
Norma has a Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Education with a major in Spanish from the University of Texas at Brownsville, as well as a certification to teach early childhood through 4th grade and Spanish through 6th grade. She has worked at Sylvan since 2004, and is currently the Regional Director. Norma has had extensive experience teaching in the Brownsville Independent School District, and her favorite part of the educational process here at Sylvan is the opportunity to pinpoint each student’s propriety needs and to use that information to help them become successful students who are self-motivated. Norma is a strong leader who many look to for mentorship and guidance.
Yuko M Garcia
Director of Contract Services, Valleywide
Yuko holds a BA in International business and an MBA and has extensive work experience teaching and assisting in the CIS and Quantitative Method Department at UTPA for over two years. She has also tutored English to younger Japanese students for several years. Yuko has worked at Sylvan for eight years, working her way through being a math tutor, program manager, and now Director of Contract Services. Yuko’s favorite part of the educational process here at Sylvan is “that we are making remarkable partnerships with schools and communities, servicing many students in the Rio Grande Valley. I get so excited when administrators from schools tell me, 'Sylvan programs really help kids improve in confidence, grades, and tests!'"
Jessica Galloso
Product Manager
Meet Jessica Galloso, Product Manager for our McAllen and Brownsville centers.
Jessica earned a bachelors in rehabilitative services from the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA) and then earned her masters at UTPA in rehabilitation counseling.
Jessica came to work at Sylvan in July of 2011, and she has been busy ever since. She manages the areas of College Prep, In-Home Tutoring, Sutdy Skills and Academic Writing. Jessica has become our resident expert in all of these areas.
She is energetic and ready to help Sylvan students succeed!
Sandy Torres
Assistant Center Director, McAllen Center
Sandy has lived all over the US and Mexico and has worked in education for the past 16 years. Here at Sylvan, Sandy is responsible for a number of center duties related to instruction, testing, advising families about their programs, and overall operations. Sandy also conducts parent workshops at local schools. Sandy assists the other directors in making sure each and every one of our students' goals are met. Her love for children and her commitment to Sylvan make her a valuable team member.
Karen L Chappell
Lead Teacher, McAllen
Karen is a native of the Rio Grande Valley. She earned her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Early Childhood Education from The University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg. She started as a teacher at Sylvan and moved up to her current position of Lead Teacher. She supports the directors by managing the instructional process, environment and educational needs of the students. She has been employed with Sylvan Learning for six years. Previously she was an elementary teacher for five years and a teacher aide for seven years for the Edinburg CISD. Her favorite part of the educational process at Sylvan is helping a student who is struggling and seeing the excitement on that child's face when he/she comprehends the concept for the first time!
Krystal Chappell
Program Manager, McAllen Center
Krystal has a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and a minor in management and has worked for Sylvan for over four years. She also holds an alternative certification in Early Childhood through 4th grade and has experience in marketing research, both of which she counts as being very influential in how she approaches her job. Her favorite part of the educational process at Sylvan is seeing students become successful and confident individuals. She has worked with various Sylvan teams and is currently program manager. “It’s rewarding to see that students who were once struggling at school and had low confidence start one of our programs and be transformed into motivated, bright Sylvan students."
Alma Uribe
Contract Program Manager
Alma has a Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education, with a minor in English with EC-4 Certification from The University of Texas Pan American. Alma has worked for Sylvan for four years and has training and teaching experience in beginning reading, academic reading, SAT VERBAL, GED: reading, writing & social studies, Ace- It reading & math. Alma currently assists with contract management and operations for the RGV Sylvan centers, and her favorite part of the educational experience here at Sylvan is “the ability to extend knowledge and assistance to many students and to see how our students grow academically.” She really enjoys her role in “helping to pave the students' road towards future academic and life-long success!”
Trino Lyons
Teacher Aide, McAllen Center
Trino is a junior at UTPA and has worked for Sylvan for two years while attending college. Kids really look up to Trino like an older brother, and they look forward to seeing his cheerful face every day. Teachers and directors depend on his help greatly, as he’s an integral part of instruction time. Trino’s favorite part of Sylvan is working with his fellow staff members and the students during their sessions.
Ayzha Little
Teacher Aide, McAllen Center
Ayzha is attending South Texas College while working for Sylvan. Students and teachers love her for her warm personality and helpful demeanor. Ayzha really enjoys getting to interact with the students and getting to witness their educational growth!
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