Kumon Math and Reading Center of San Francisco – West Portal

Checked out both Kumon and Sylvan.
My child entered kindergarten young. So, now entering 2^nd grade he is at below average. Went to both tutoring schools and was surprised at the differences. Basically it’s like this…
Sylvan is an actually tutor that works with your child. I think the ratio is 1 to 3 students. The child didn’t just arrive but rather is on an appointment schedule. The teachers really seem to care. I know that isn’t saying much but that’s how I feel.
Kumon is very different. There really isn’t the tutoring feel over here. Again, since I decided to not sign up I can only tell you from what I’ve experienced. The child appears and is given worksheets. These worksheets need to be completed and then brought back to the person in charge for grading. At that time, I suppose the students would receive coaching if necessary. My question is, what if the student doesn’t want to do the worksheet. Or, if the student is distracted and doesn’t complete the work sheet, what happens? I think that too much responsibility is placed on the student. Which I understand is not a bad thing. Remember not all students can handle that responsibility. Which is probably the reason why they need after school tutoring.
In my opinion, I want more responsibility put on the teacher. After all, this isn’t a public school. I am paying a lot of money for this.
I’m sure that Kumon will work for many. But it’s not for me.
(After two months of Sylvan, my son was rated at or above 2^nd grade reading)

I started my 3 year old daughter at West Portal Kumon about 5 months ago with a purpose to learn English to get her ready for Kindergarden. I can say that thanks to Kumon her vocab increased tremendously and she is getting better and better at understanding and practicing English.
We chose this Kumon location over the one on Ocean Ave or the Judah location for several reasons:
1) Much easier to find parking (especially if you come after 6pm, meters are free)
2) Teacher to child ratio for kids my daughters age is 1:2 (often times 1:1)
3) You can see your child directly from the waiting area. No walls/​doors separating the two rooms. Huge plus for parents whose child is young and won’t stay in class without you there.
4) Tony, the owner, asks you to commit to a specific time block to ensure that there’s always a teacher to work with your child and you never have to wait for a spot to open up. Great!

I have taken my cousins here on numerous occasions for class.
The center director, Tony, is extremely understanding and helpful, which means a lot to the students. The rest of the staff seem to know what they are doing and are extremely patient with the students.
Definitely a place that will further the learning capabilities of the students.

This kumon location has an excellent learning environment for kids to focus. My daughter didn’t want to do all the worksheets every day at first, but she soon realized it helps her in school. Now I don’t have to remind her, it is part of her daily routine. I highly recommend this place. Tony is very knowledgeable and his staffs are all very patience. He gave me lots of great suggestions to motivate my daughter to work harder.