CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the new school year approaches, many parents may be worried about the impact the pandemic has had on their child's learning after a year of schooling from home. However, there are resources to help make sure students are up to speed and ready for the 2021-22 academic year.
Charlotte's Sylvan Learning centers tutor an average of 75 kids a month at five locations around the Charlotte area. Wendy Schuster, Sylvan Learning's Regional Director, said most of their students range from 1st grade through 3rd grade.
“The majority of the kids we work with are behind at least a grade level or two," she said.
This summer, the learning center saw record attendance.
“It was really unbelievable how many kids attended summer school," she said.
Dozens of parents signed their kids up ahead of the upcoming school year so that their kids could be better prepared after more than a year of virtual learning. However, Schuster said a learning curve should still be expected.
“Some of these kids may be a lot further behind when they actually sit down in a school setting again," she said.
Schuster said at the pace of regular schooling, it can still take several months to help make up for learning loss caused by the coronavirus. That’s why Sylvan Learning is offering advice to help parents keep their children engaged as the summer closes out and better prepared for the start of a new year.
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First and foremost, get a morning routine together and stick to it.
“Get the schedule in place, get the organization of the house in place, it goes all the way down to lunches and who is going to get up first," Schuster said.
After school, Schuster suggests prioritizing daily reading for at least 20 minutes. Additionally, make learning harder subjects like math and science fun with flashcards or games.
Another option is to consider a personalized tutoring model at home.
Lastly, Shuster urges parents to take it easy on kids during the first couple of weeks and then hit hard once they're a bit more accustomed to being back in person for the first time.
“They need to understand none of this happened because of them they’re behind but there are ways to get caught up so prepare them for that to try to ease some of that anxiety," Schuster said.
Contact Ruby Durham at rdurham@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.