Tralee is a wonderful tutor. She has been helping my daughter with her High School math class,…read moregiving her a better understanding of the concepts and more confidence in her skills. She enjoys working with Tralee and feels that Tralee provides her with a depth of understanding she wouldn't have otherwise.

Tralee did a great job helping my daughter get through her online Math credit recovery course…read more ADHD made it very hard for my daughter to stay focused and keep up in the classroom. Her first tutor basically gave up and recommended anxiety therapy. Tralee's tutoring skills, good humor and encouragement helped my daughter make it through the class without tears, fears or drama. She will need to take another course next year, and we will certainly go to Tralee again if the going gets rough.

I called Piedmont Tutoring looking for help in Chemistry. My course at Berkeley was not unusually…read moredifficult but after a month in I had a high C, no not the drink. The regional manager was very knowledgeable and took some background info in order to assign someone for me. The tutor ended up working out really well. Alex was able to meet me at the school library around once a week (sometimes more for tests and quizzes). He actually graduated from Berkeley and had taken the same course before. Sometimes scheduling didn't work but he made sure I was taken care of at least once a week. Never hired a tutor before so the experience overall was enjoyable. I believe they do offer to change tutors if you aren't happy but I didn't have to deal with that. Will call again but hopefully won't have to!

My daughter Angie wasn't doing well in her calculus course during her first year of college. We…read moreweren't sure if we should drop or continue. I reached out to Piedmont Tutoring for a tutor that can help us out. Andrew was our "first responder" and helped us right away. Our assigned tutor worked well with Angie and has improved her confidence and her grades over the last few months. He has been flexible and easy to communicate with. We kept a consistent schedule throughout the year which was best for both parties. Would recommend to others looking for tutoring in the area.

My son worked with Alex on his post-graduate schools and doctoral program applications, and working…read morewith Alex made huge difference. He was extremely knowledgeable about the process and easy to access at any time. My son accepted to a fully funded program.I highly recommend Alex if anyone looking for a coach to help with their writing . Thank you Alex!! I m grateful for your dedication and availability

Dr. Blum worked with my son on his college personal statement. Coached him over 5 sessions on how…read moreto organize, edit, transition and finish his statement. What we really appreciated was Dr. Blum did not write or direct the paper. He helped my son through the writing process. Strategies my son will use long past college. Highly recommend his services.

My son returned to Sylan after taking a break for a few years. I liked Sylvan before, and I am…read moreparticularly impressed by the current staff there. When I told my son we were going to re-start sessions at Sylvan for his writing, he entered the building crying. Anthony the Center Director was very patient, developed a good rapport with him that calmed him down, and spoke to him in a way that put him at ease. He seemed to sincerely care about understanding what was going on, to be sure my son was seen, and make that connection. I feel that conversation started my son on the right foot. He believes the staff really cares about his success and about him as a person. My son now really likes (!) going to Sylvan because he sees it as a positive place where people are looking out for him. He has told me a few times that Sylvan exactly prepared him for the work he was doing in class. He had a private tutor before this, but he feels Sylvan's methodology and staff are much more effective for him. His writing is much improved, and the results in his report card show it! The other aspects of what I appreciate about Sylvan compared to a private tutor is that there are several teachers, so there is no missed lesson if schedules don't align with one person ... there is always someone who can give a lesson. Some of the staff are / were school teachers so they are very skilled. Also, you can easily ramp up or down with more or less sessions as you need, and sometimes they can easily identify when other aspects (e.g. grammar) get in the way of the skill you're trying to improve (e.g. writing). I really like that flexibility and those resources with a great staff. During Covid, Sylvan was quick to seamlessly move to online tutoring so students did not need to miss any education. I think Sylvan Piedmont is very well run, with a talented and caring team. I highly recommend it!

We enrolled at Sylvan to assist our daughter with her transition to 6th grade and the increase in…read moreschoolwork that came with it. They have really helped her with the fundamentals of the math and writing that she was struggling with upon arriving to Middle School. The teachers are nice, friendly and give her the motivation that she needed to power through. Thanks Sylvan!

Emily and her staff have helped our family through both high school homework help, organizational…read moreskills, and college SAT prep in uniquely professional and thorough ways. The process for understanding who your child is, who your family is, what is at the core of the need, and adjusting and checking in along the way are beyond compare. I am an educator, and worked with many tutors and tutoring services over many years, and these folks, with Emily at the mast, really find a unique and effective balance. They have a no nonsense approach, are goal oriented, target with professional skills, and have a human approach. They know how to meet families and kids where they are, wont shy from giving advice, and they really know the landscape of all the different schools in the area, even down to the curriculum expectations; they know students they serve well. This experience of local schools alone is a huge experiential leg up. I am an elementary educator, but they helped me with my two very different high school kids journeys. I am VERY confident they can do it all, K-12! This place is the BEST!

Study Smarter was terrific in helping our daughter (and her parents!) through the college…read moreapplication process. Everyone we worked with -- Ariel, Joel, Mel -- was professional, thoughtful, and connected well with our daughter. They built trust with our teenager, coached her throughout the process (school selection, test prep and essay writing), listened to her and evolved their recommendations as they got to know her. The bottom line: Reduced stress in the process and (we firmly believe) better results in admissions and financial aid offers than our daughter would have achieved without their help.

I recently started volunteering with Reading Partners, and it's a great organization. They pretty…read moremuch say that if you're an adult and you can read, then you're qualified to volunteer. They have impressive results and their program really helps kids! I read to my student twice a week and help improve his reading fluency and comprehension. Most students start the program reading below grade level, and after about 30 hours of the program they read at or above grade level! Too many kids come from low-income areas and live with only one parent, or their parents have to work many hours and can't spend time reading to their children or buying them books. That's where Reading Partners comes in. It is so helpful for students, and you can really make a difference! If you can spare 45 minutes once or twice a week, you will help.

Reading Partners is one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences I've had in the Bay Area…read more Reading Partners matches a student who is behind their grade level in reading proficiency with a tutor for one-on-one reading sessions (about an hour). I didn't have prior teaching experience to speak of, but they provided the training. I only tutor once a week, since I need to sneak out from work around lunchtime, but they can accomodate different schedules. Reading Partners have simple lesson plans ready for each week, and it only takes 10 minutes of prep time when I get there to quickly scan the lesson and be ready for the session. Mostly I think the one-on-one time is helpful for the students. Teachers just don't have the time to give special attention to each and every student while managing an entire class. As I mentioned earlier this is one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities around in the Bay Area (another good one is Refugee Transitions). Because you usually work with the same student, you can really see the progress as their reading improves. By the way, Reading Partners has programs in several schools around the Bay Area. I tutor at one of the San Jose schools, not the Oakland address listed here.

I am not very good with math. She helped me make it through my class so I could move on. Thanks…read moreNicole you're great.

Nicole is very good at adjusting her style to match the student's ability and understanding. She is…read morepersonable and works well with a variety of ages and abilities.

I had an amazing experience working with Gourdy. He helped raise my ACT score a ton and was super…read morehelpful with all my college essays, from private schools to UCs. He really knows what he's doing and made the whole process way less stressful. He was also a big reason I got into UC Berkeley, which I'm super grateful for. On top of that, he's really knowledgeable but also funny, so sessions never felt boring. Definitely recommend if you want someone who actually makes a difference.

Gordy is an exceptional college counselor! He kept my son on tack and met all the deadlines even…read morewhen we had limited time. He was encouraging and used virtual services effectively. I also liked how he created google folders and made the whole process of essays and tasks easy and even fun! I would highly recommend Gordy!