Tutoring center helps students recover from pandemic setbacks

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sylvan Learning is seeing many families taking in their children for extra help following the educational whiplash from the shifts to remote, hybrid and in-person learning.

"We’re seeing students…they’re markedly behind this year because of COVID and the impact it’s had on their learning environment,” said Susan Fairbairn, the franchise owner of Sylvan Learning.

The center helps students with remediation, enrichment, STEM and now, catching up.

Fairbairn said students are two to three months behind on education because of the shift in learning environments.

"They could start losing the retention of that material, the knowledge, within 24 to 48 hours of learning. So if they don’t apply what they’ve learned on a regular and consistent basis, they’ll start losing that knowledge base,” she explained.

She said it could take two to three years to get back on track.

That’s why she’s advocating for parents to get help from tutoring centers or become more involved in their child’s learning.

It can be reading every day with your kids or creating flash cards for different subjects. She said summer learning is an opportunity to make strides as well.

"Do something. That’s the main message, and support your child,” she said.