Sylvan Learning is opening at 23 Main St. and owners Lisa Yeung-Ng and Wing Ng couldn’t be more excited. The Ngs chose Port Washington as the home of their new business with care. “We love the diversity here,” said Yeung-Ng. “Everyone is making us feel like this is home.”
Yeung-Ng relayed the story of a man riding by the business on a bike who stopped to help her carry in tables. “It was so nice that he stopped to help,” said Yeung-Ng. “We chose this location because it is so close to the schools and other activities such as Bach to Rock, iSchool of Music, Dance Arts and World Taekwondo Academy. Children can come here easily. And parents can drop off their child here and go get coffee here on Main Street.”
Ng said, “It feels like a close-knit community and people help each other here.”
Sylvan Learning is a franchise business that offers tutoring and other programs for children from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Yeung-Ng said, “We offer three different programs: Sylvan Tutoring, Sylvan Prep and Sylvan Edge. Sylvan Tutoring focuses on the core subjects of math, English and writing. Sylvan Prep is for SAT, ACT and state test prep. Sylvan Edge is a STEM program that offers robotics, coding and engineering.”
In the Sylvan Edge program, students will build robots, learn about programming video games and animated stories using visual code blocks, invent, design and build machines, among other projects.
Sylvan has an innovative instructional program, with interactive lessons on iPads. “Students can go home and access what they were working on and continue at home,” said Yeung-Ng. “We incorporate technology in the learning and stay current with the technology.”
There will be a 3-to-1 student to teacher ratio in tutoring classes at Sylvan, according to Yeung-Ng. “All of our teachers are state certified.”
Yeung-Ng continued, “We create an assessment for each child. Every child will have an individualized learning plan,” said Yeung-Ng. “No two children have the same learning issues and needs.”
The facility is spacious, with a large instructional floor, a testing room and an SAT room. The lobby is painted apple green and has bright orange chairs, Sylvan’s signature colors.
The Ngs are already getting involved in the community. They attended Party in the Park and showed off some robotics offerings. “We already feel like a part of the Port Washington community,” said Ng. “We would love to find a house in Port Washington.” The Ngs currently live in Douglaston. Yeung-Ng has a Master of Arts from NYU and a Bachelor of Arts from Queens College. She’s also done post-master’s work at Columbia University. Ng has a Master of Business Administration from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University.
Sylvan will also offer robotics and Lego birthday parties. “Sylvan has a partnership with Lego,” said Yeung-Ng.
Classes will be offered after school and on weekends. Financing options are available for families. “We hope to be a one-stop shop for families in Port Washington for tutoring, homework help and enrichment,” said Yeung-Ng.
Sylvan Learning is located at 23 Main St. For more information, email sylvan.portwashington@sylvanlearning.com.
