Franchise owner Scott Lindsey just opened the first Sylvan Learning Center location in Stafford on Clement Drive and is planning to bring more than 20 jobs and an innovative STEM program to the area. Lindsey has been with Sylvan for more than ten years and currently owns centers all across Northern Virginia, but as a Fredericksburg resident he felt that there was a need for Sylvan in the community. “I live in Fredericksburg…I see that we needed Sylvan here in the area,” said Lindsey. 

The Center is looking to hire 20 to 25 employees, including a Center Director and teachers to carry out the instruction.

In addition to opening the new location, Lindsey is also launching Sylvan’s Edge STEM program, which will give Stafford students the opportunity to work on robotics, coding and accelerated math.

“We’re able to really have fun while learning. They’re skills that are going to be necessary for [the student’s] careers later in life,” Lindsey commented.

The center will still offer the standard study skills, math, reading, writing and college prep instruction.

The STEM courses include six sessions and range from $199 to $299 a course.

The coding program involves interactive game design.

“Each session a student goes through, they will design a game, using coding on the computer. And they’ll be able to take that game home with them each time and share it with their friends,” said Lindsey. And in the robotics program, students will learn how to build a series of robots made with Legos. “There’s a different robot built each session, and they can program it to do different things,” Lindsay stated. 

According to Lindsey, it is crucial that parents to invest in their child’s exposure to STEM programs.

“[The STEM program] is definitely something that most kids are interested in. There’s a big push for careers in the future with STEM, and this is taught in a way that’s very fun and it’s innovative,” Lindsey said.