Private Tutor or Mathnasium/Kumon/Sylvan?

Should you get a private tutor for your child or take them to the local Mathnasium, Kumon, or Sylvan? That depends on a number of factors:

What grade is your child in?

If your son or daughter is in 6th or 7th grade or lower I will often recommend this route to parents. These centers really give students the fundamentals they need to be successful at math as they progress to the higher grades. Students become comfortable with all their multiplication tables, fractions, decimals, develop an overall good number-sense, and more.

Are general math skills needed or help with what your child is working on in their class today?

Often these math learning centers have their own math curriculum that a student progresses through step by step at their own pace. But, if what your child needs at the moment is help with what is happening yesterday, today, and tomorrow in their class then private tutoring is often a better option.

Group sessions or individual one-to-one attention?

If your child is easily distracted or very much confused or challenged currently in their class then 1 on 1 tutoring could be more effective.

All of these are worth considering when deciding which is the best fit for your child and they both have their good points.