South County Mother To Open 2nd Sylvan Learning Center In Riverview

RIVERVIEW, FL — A former Air Force veteran is preparing to open her second Sylvan Learning Center in South County after personally experiencing the positive impact the program had on her own children during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Vanity Barr-Little and her husband, Kourtney Little, moved to the Riverview with their family after transitioning from the Air Force and Army, respectively.

Barr-Little opened her first Sylvan Learning in Apollo Beach in 2020, the same year the coronavirus pandemic was declared.

The Littles have three sons, two of which are school-age and experienced learning loss during the COVID-19 school closures. She promptly signed her sons up at her newly opened Apollo Beach Sylvan center where she saw their academic confidence grow.

When in-person school eventually resumed, her sons' newfound confidence also resulted in improved classroom grades as well.

Convinced of Sylvan's success in providing supplemental and enrichment education to students in grades kindergarten through 12, including one-on-one tutoring, Barr-Little is now preparing to open a second Sylvan Learning at 13444 Boyette Road, Riverview, in May, bringing the number of Sylvan franchises statewide to 35.

Little said Erin Messano, who was one of the 12 top-performing center directors selected to the 2023 Sylvan Learning CEO Advisory Council, will lead the new Riverview center.

"With a population growth of 35 percent in Riverview since 2020, this new center will help to accommodate the growth in the area north of the existing Apollo Beach center," Bar said.

For more than 40 years, Sylvan Learning has focused on building academic confidence, igniting intellectual curiosity and inspiring a love for learning with the help of Sylvan's mission-driven philosophy, educational technology, community-oriented approach, proven results and strong franchisee support.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bar said Sylvan Learning has worked to support parents, incorporating a virtual tutoring option and rolling out a mobile app in some markets that allows parents to book virtual lessons with Sylvan-approved tutors.

As a result of its flexible and innovative offerings during the pandemic when so many children experienced learning loss, Sylvan experienced a surge of growth in 2021, including 55 new franchise partners, 47 total centers awarded franchises and 29 new franchise openings, according to CEO John McAuliffe.

“Dr. Vanity Barr-Little will be able to make a difference in her community by bringing Sylvan Learning to other families of Riverview,” said McAuliffe.