Sylvan Learning Partners With Tynker To Offer After-School Coding Classes And Camps Through Sylvan Locations Nationwide

BALTIMORE and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sylvan Learning, Inc., the leading North American provider of personal learning for students, and Tynker, a leading Silicon Valley ed-tech startup, today announced a partnership to roll out after-school coding classes and camps for kids at over 600 Sylvan locations. These new Sylvan EDGE Coding classes will enable children to create video games, animations, apps and projects using Tynker's engaging and robust programming tools and tutorials. Over the next year, the number of locations is anticipated to steadily increase across the U.S. and Canada.

Computer programming empowers children to develop the technical and creative skill set that connects existing ideas with new solutions, approaches and concepts, enhancing their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) skills in the process. Tynker's fun and engaging approach has introduced more than 23 million kids to computer programming, giving them 21st Century skills that they can carry into adulthood and enabling them to thrive in an ever-growing digital world.

"We selected Tynker for our Sylvan EDGE Coding classes and Camps because it directly fits with the needs of our customers who are tomorrow's problem solvers and leaders," said Jeffrey Cohen, president and CEO of Sylvan Learning. "Tynker's easy-to-learn visual programming language, comprehensive curriculum, and flexible, self-paced modules require minimal teacher development and training time, allowing our teachers and counselors to easily tailor each program to meet every student's needs in a way that's fun, engaging and highly motivating."

During a pilot at several Sylvan Learning Centers, center directors observed that it was easy to add students and manage classes using Tynker's time-saving tools, and the learning experience kept kids engaged. Assistant Center Director Jason Balli notes, "Kids easily learned how to use Tynker and enjoyed an exciting sense of accomplishment as they created games that reflected their imagination. The energy and eagerness of the kids increased each day they attended."

"Our partnership with Sylvan means that more students will master the programming skills needed to successfully navigate a technology-filled world and become tomorrow's 'makers', which is at the core of our mission," said Krishna Vedati, Tynker's co-Founder and CEO. "Sylvan's teachers and camp directors across the country are now able to roll out Coding after-school programs and camps in a turnkey way, enabling their students in grades 3-8 to learn video game design, app development and more in as little as 6 weeks."

With their deep experience in education and strong relationships with schools and educators throughout the US, this partnership extends both Tynker's and Sylvan's commitment to improving access to affordable and effective STEM programs to kids across the nation.

Sylvan EDGE Coding Classes for Kids, Powered by Tynker

Sylvan EDGE Coding classes and camps utilize Tynker's platform to offer innovative courses featuring video game design and computer programming for kids in grades 3-8. These fun classes—such as Game Design 101 and 102—are perfect for kids who have great imaginations, like figuring out how things work, or for kids who simply love technology.

In Sylvan EDGE Coding, children have a blast creating video games and animated stories, while developing fundamental STEM skills along the way: basic coding and programming, problem solving, logic, physics and more.

During each Sylvan EDGE Coding session, a student builds a range of skills, including:

• Learning how to create characters, animations, sounds and special effects using kid-friendly Tynker™ technology;
• Developing mini-stories and building the skills to design a final video game that he or she can play with friends;
• Experimenting and troubleshooting on his or her programming project, developing important problem solving, logic and computational skills;
• Collaborating with other kids to challenge and learn from each other — making friends along the way.
• At the end of each coding class, each child enjoys a wrap-up activity to reinforce the skills he or she learned in class. Plus, parents get a link to their child's weekly programming project, so a parent can see and share in his or her amazing work.

Sylvan EDGE Coding is available in many Sylvan locations. Contact your local center to find out whether one is available in your area.

About Sylvan Learning, Inc. With more than 35 years of experience and more than 750 locations throughout North America, 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. For more information, visit www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog.

About Tynker. Tynker's creative computing platform helps children develop computational thinking and programming skills in a fun, intuitive and imaginative way. Tynker is used by more than 20,000 schools and 23 million students. Tynker was founded by a seasoned team of technology entrepreneurs who share the passion for giving children the critical life skills needed to become leaders in the technologies of tomorrow. www.tynker.com

SOURCE Sylvan Learning, Inc.

RELATED LINKS

• http://www.SylvanLearning.com
• http://www.tynker.com