New Sylvan Center Opening in Bedminster

He already has one in Martinsville, and now Woodbridge resident Upul Gunasekera is opening another franchise of the Sylvan Learning Center in Bedminster.

“I bought the center five years ago, and one of the reasons I wanted to invest in it was because it was education oriented,” he said.

Gunasekera, who himself has a masters degree in banking and finance from New York University, said his three children were taught at Sylvan Learning Center, and the franchise was available at the time he wanted to purchase it.

“I chose the Bedminster location for many factors, including the territory as it is large and now I can cover all of Somerset County,” he said. “There is a large student population here, and it is 10 miles away from the town center so it’s convenient for families.”

The Sylvan Learning Center has been open for more than 30 years and has more than 800 centers throughout the world, providing in-center and online tutoring to students of all ages and grade levels.

After seeing his children thrive at the center, Gunasekera said, he became passionate about the program itself because he could tell it worked. He said he enrolled his children in the Sylvan Learning Center when he first moved to the United States from Sri Lanka in 2001 because they didn’t know English.

“They are now in honors English classes and I saw the great work Sylvan does,” he said. “I wanted to be part of that.”

The first location opened in Martinsville a little after he moved to the United States, and the second in Bedminster opened in January.

Gunasekera said he believes students benefit from the supplemental tutoring they receive at the center.

“We have many tools and resources to identify the core of the problem and gear the curriculum to find a solution,” he said.

For those looking to send their children to the center, Gunasekera said, parents can inquire by phone or head to the school for a tour.

“We consolidate time for them to talk to the center director and then their child comes in and sits for an assessment where we can find out what areas they’re having difficulties in,” he said. “We then focus on those weaknesses and tailor an educational plan.”

At the Sylvan Learning Center, Gunasekera said, students are placed in programs that coincide with what they are learning with the school teacher, and they see what skills they can cultivate to improve and be A students.

“We coordinate all our learning with the child’s teacher and, based on their school curriculum, we supplement and enrich those skills,” he said.

For more information, visit the website at sylvanfranchise.com.