Business owners Lisa Yeung-ng and Wing Ng have used Legos before when teaching students at the Sylvan Learning Center, but never to teach robotics.
“It’s a different flavor,” Ng said about the latest program at the Sylvan Learning Center located at 23 Main St. in Port Washington. “We’re getting the students to connect blocks to create things. No matter the program it’s always to teach students direction.”
The new robotics program launched on April 2 requires students on a weekly basis to use LEGO bricks to create machinery that makes life easier, such as helicopters and windmills. The purpose of the program is to allow kids to use their creativity and imagination while learning science and engineering concepts, Ng and Yeung-ng said.
Ng said this program with be similar to the previous robotics 101 and 102 courses offered by the center in that kids will still be using Legos but with a new twist.
“We ran through robotics 101 and 102, and a lot of families really enjoyed it,” said Ng, a co-owner of the Sylvan Learning in Port Washington. “So me and my wife put our thinking caps on and said we need to find something to continue this. We did a pilot of the robotic challenge program and it worked out really well. We already have students signed up.”
The partners said the program will allow children to enhance their math and science skills.
“We really harp on science, technology and math,” Ng said. “The kids are coming in here not just building Legos, but also learning as well.”
Sylvan Learning is a franchise that offers tutoring and other programs for children from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Yeung-ng and Ng opened their franchise in November 2015, which Ng said was a long process.
“It took 15 months to open. We had to go through the permit processes and issues with parking, working with contractors,” Ng said. “It’s tough because 15 months is a long time and more businesses fold in the first year. I don’t know how we were able to withstand that time.”
Ng said they decided to open a Sylvan Learning business after they had their son, Carter who’s now three, and were thinking of the best places for tutoring.
“Once our son went to day-care we were contemplating should we start our own business,” Ng said. “We sat down and thought about it and her family was all for entrepreneurs. It was a nice segue way to give this business a shot. We really enjoy the program and when we ask ourselves when it’s time or Carter to go to tutoring where would you take him and the answer was Sylvan Learning. In any business if you don’t believe in the motto it’s not going to work.”
Yeung-ng is a former speech language pathologist, and received her undergraduate degree from Queens College and her graduate degree at New York University.
“It was always her passion to be teaching and working with kids,” Ng said.
Ng who has a business background and a finance and accounting degree, said he deals more with operations and logistics.
Sylvan Learning offers tutoring for math, reading, writing and homework help. They also offer ACT and SAT prep.
“We have adults coming in here,” Ng said. “We really have a little bit of everything for everyone.”
The cost for the programs are $275 for six classes, once a week for an hour and a half; $225 for six classes, once a week for an hour; and $325 for six coding classes, once a week for an hour and a half.
