Nation’s Leading Provider of Supplemental, Enrichment Education Resells Territories in Doctor Phillips, Kissimmee and Ocoee
Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of supplemental and enrichment education for K–12 students with more than 710 locations worldwide, transferred ownership of the Doctor Phillips, Kissimmee and Ocoee, Florida territories to Kent Kolbow and co-owner Sarah Miller.
Prior to his franchising journey with Sylvan, Kolbow obtained multiple degrees and fully intended to work for NASA. While working as a substitute teacher with Sylvan in 1991, his career goals shifted after witnessing the direct impact he was having on students’ academic journeys.
“I remember receiving a letter from a student one day saying that he passed his first math test…ever,” Kolbow explained. “At that moment I thought, ‘This is what I want to do. This is how I want to feel for the rest of my life.’”
Kolbow began franchising with Sylvan in 1998 with two centers in South Bend and Elkhart, Indiana. After Sarah Miller joined as a director in 2010, they teamed up as co-franchise owners to grow the brand to 11 centers in the state and one in Florida.
“It’s been such a rewarding experience to serve so many students across our centers, and now we get to replicate that influence across Florida,” said Kolbow. “Over the years, Sarah and I have created well-oiled systems and processes that, in conjunction with Sylvan’s support, have made it possible to scale our operations at this current pace. Our goal is to have success with every student, and there is no shortage of demand in this educational climate.”
Miller came to Sylvan from the nonprofit sector where she focused on serving at-risk youth. To her, Sylvan was a way to continue working toward this overarching mission in a slightly different way.
“We have the rare opportunity to reach a wide variety of students across Indiana and Florida — from elementary students who are new to the English language all the way up to high school students about to graduate who need extra support for college applications,” said Miller. “These three territories in Florida have laid the foundation for us to be a strong partner for the local school districts and families seeking additional support for their school-age children.”
Sylvan Learning has been producing proven results for over four decades. Now, it serves as a key resource for students nationwide as they work to recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
For more information on franchising with Sylvan Learning, visit: SylvanFranchise.com.
ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING:
With more than 40 years of experience and more than 710 points of presence, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE — STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep — college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. Sylvan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franchise Group, Inc. For more information, visit: SylvanFranchise.com.