Sylvan Learning has been helping families since 1979 and has two centres in Ottawa. It offers a broad menu, from reading and science to SAT preparation and STEM camps, taught by teachers it describes as Sylvan-certified. Hikmah will be narrower in subjects and will add a thinking and leadership program, projects and one mentor who knows your child. Here is how they compare, question by question.
Sylvan’s side comes from its public website and other sources, as of November 2026, listed at the end. Hikmah isn’t open yet, so its side describes what Hikmah will do, not results.
At a glance
| At a glance | Sylvan | Hikmah |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Math, reading, writing, science, foreign language, test prep | Math, reading and writing (and sciences in high school), plus thinking and leadership |
| Grades | Kindergarten to Grade 12 | Grades 1 to 12 |
| First step | The free Insight™ Assessment, one subject | A diagnostic assessment, free for founding families |
| How it teaches | “Certified teachers using adaptive technology,” in Sylvan’s words | A mentor, a written learning plan, mastery checks and projects |
| Who teaches | Teachers Sylvan describes as Sylvan-certified and trained in the Sylvan Method | Mentors to be chosen, checked and trained to a published standard |
| Progress for parents | Regular contact with the classroom teacher, with permission | A progress update every month, in plain words |
| Ontario curriculum | “Aligns with most school standards” | Learning plans will be mapped to it |
| In Ottawa | Two centres | First centre coming soon |
| Cost | Per session; varies by centre | Tuition published before we open |
Who each is for
Sylvan
Sylvan Learning serves Kindergarten to Grade 12, across many subjects and test preparation.7 It was founded in 1979 and has franchised since 1980.10 In Ottawa, its website lists two centres: East Ottawa and Nepean.7, 8
Hikmah
Hikmah is a learning centre coming soon to Ottawa for children in Grades 1 to 12, in English and French. It will serve families who want strong foundations in math, reading and writing, and the thinking, creating and leading that AI can’t replace, whether their child needs to catch up, keep up or move ahead.12
How each one teaches
Sylvan
Sylvan’s home page sets “Certified Teachers” over the line “not worksheets or AI instructors,” and describes “certified teachers using adaptive technology.”1 It cites “assessment and adaptive learning tools, refined over 45 years,” and each child follows a personal plan built from the first assessment.1
Hikmah
Hikmah’s method will have seven steps. A diagnostic assessment will find where your child is, and a written learning plan will be built around them. The same mentor will guide them, asking more than telling. A missed question will be traced to the skill underneath and fixed there. Short mastery checks, with return visits weeks later, will make skills stick. Projects will put the skills to work for a real audience, and a progress update each month will tell you what changed, why and what’s next.11
Subjects and grades
Sylvan
Sylvan covers math, reading, writing, science and foreign language, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, plus test prep (SAT, ACT, IB and others), study skills and STEM.7 Its STEM camps include robotics with LEGO and engineering for Grades 1 to 6, and Fit4Algebra for Grades 6 to 9.9
Hikmah
Hikmah will offer four programs. Elementary (Grades 1 to 6) will build math, reading and writing. Middle years (Grades 7 and 8) will add reasoning and the habits of leading a project. High school (Grades 9 to 12) will cover math and sciences, writing, test preparation and a portfolio. Thinking and leadership (Grades 1 to 12) will teach logic, rhetoric and debate, entrepreneurship and AI literacy, on its own or alongside another program.12
Hikmah
Sylvan
- Hikmah
- Elementary · Grade 1 to Grade 6Middle years · Grade 7 to Grade 8High school · Grade 9 to Grade 12Thinking and leadership · Grade 1 to Grade 12
- Sylvan
- Math, reading, writing, science, foreign language · Kindergarten to Grade 12STEM camps · Grade 1 to Grade 6Fit4Algebra · Grade 6 to Grade 9
Also Test prep (SAT, ACT, IB and others), study skills and STEM.
The first assessment
What a session looks like
Sylvan
In Sylvan’s words, “sessions typically run about an hour,” and “most students attend 2–4 hours per week,” with a teacher “at a low student-to-teacher ratio.” Many centres also offer live online sessions.3
Hikmah
A session will start with a short talk with your child’s mentor about school, then one clear goal for the day. Practice will come in short, focused blocks at your child’s pace, and a missed question will send the mentor one skill back. Through the term, sessions will also move a project forward, and at the end of a project your child will share it with an audience. Children who share a gap will be able to work together in a small group. Schedules and hours will be shared with founding families before we open.11, 12
Check-in with the mentor
A short talk about school, then one goal
Focused practiceNow
Short blocks; a missed question goes one skill back
Make
The next step of the project: Reaction rate lab report
Explain it
Out loud, in their own words
Illustrative screen. The Hikmah platform is in development.
As Sylvan describes it
From Sylvan’s public pages, November 2026. Details vary by centre.
Who teaches
Sylvan
Sylvan’s FAQ describes “Sylvan-certified teachers, trained in the Sylvan Method™,”3 and its East Ottawa page says “every teacher is trained and coached on the Sylvan method.”7
Hikmah
Hikmah’s mentors aren’t hired yet. Each will be chosen against a published standard: depth in their subjects, experience with young people, finding the root of a mistake and asking before telling, patience and reliability, and fluent English or French. Every candidate will pass six steps, including a teaching demonstration, a subject check, references and a police vulnerable sector check, then training and shadowing. Certification with the Ontario College of Teachers will be valued, and your child will keep the same mentor wherever we can.13
How parents hear about progress
Sylvan
Sylvan says, “With your permission, our tutors stay in regular contact with your child’s classroom teacher.”4 Families can book and track classes in the KidHub app.7 On its website in November 2026, we found no stated schedule for parent conferences.
Hikmah
Once a month, your child’s mentor will send you a progress update in plain words: the skills mastered, what comes next and one thing to try at home. You’ll be able to reply to the mentor or book a conversation, and you’ll meet the mentor before the first session.12, 13
From Grace’s mentor
Grace · Grade 10
Mastered
- Rearranging formulas with units
- A discussion tied to the data
Next
Transformations of functions
Try at home
Ask her to explain one result from her lab in two sentences: what happened, and how she knows.
Illustrative screen. The Hikmah platform is in development.
Technology and AI
Sylvan
Sylvan describes “certified teachers using adaptive technology,” under the line “not worksheets or AI instructors.”1 Its KidHub app is for booking and tracking classes.7
Hikmah
The Hikmah platform, in development, will keep a mastery map of every skill and the skills beneath it, and prepare short practice matched to the next skill. Mentors will decide: they will review every plan and will be able to override any suggestion. The tools will give hints and questions, not answers, and generated questions will be checked against the curriculum before your child sees them.14
Thinking, creating, leading and using AI well
Sylvan
Sylvan’s STEM page says its curriculum “encourages innovation, creativity and critical thinking,” and its camps include robotics and engineering;9 it also offers study skills.7 On its website in November 2026, we found no separate program for thinking or leadership.
Hikmah
Hikmah will teach six capacities that stay human as AI takes on routine work: thinking critically, creating, solving problems, deciding, communicating and leading. They’ll be taught through Socratic questions, logic, rhetoric and ethics, practised in projects for a real audience, and built on strong math, reading and writing. Children will learn to use AI as a tool once they can do the thinking themselves.11, 12
The Ontario curriculum
Sylvan
Sylvan says “our curriculum aligns with most school standards,”2 and that its tutors are “very familiar with local school curriculums.”5 The Ottawa centre pages we read don’t mention the Ontario curriculum by name, so ask your local centre how it lines up.
Hikmah
Hikmah’s learning plans and mastery map will be built around the Ontario curriculum expectations for each grade and subject, so work at Hikmah will line up with what your child is taught and assessed on at school.14
Cost and commitment
Sylvan
Sylvan’s typical rate is “$50+” per session, and prices vary by centre.6 As of November 2026, the East Ottawa centre posted $57 per session month to month, from $46 to $55 per session on six- or 12-month minimums depending on sessions per week, and a one-time $99 registration fee. That page also advertises a results promise, with terms set by each centre.7
Which is right for your child?
Sylvan may suit your child if
- your child needs science, a foreign language or a test such as the SAT or IB
- you want teachers Sylvan describes as Sylvan-certified and trained in the Sylvan Method
- you’d like the centre to stay in touch with your child’s classroom teacher
- you want a centre open in Ottawa now, with prices posted at East Ottawa
- your child would enjoy a STEM or robotics camp
Hikmah may suit your child if
- you want one mentor who knows your child, asks before telling and adjusts the plan
- you want math, reading and writing in one plan, with thinking and leadership alongside
- you’d like a written progress update every month, in plain words
- you want your child to make real things for a real audience
- you can wait for our first centre to open, as a founding family
Whichever you choose, start with the first assessment and read the plan that follows it. A good fit should explain your child to you in plain words, and tell you what comes next.
Questions
What parents ask.
Is Hikmah connected to Sylvan?
No. Hikmah Education is an independent learning centre coming soon to Ottawa. It isn’t affiliated with Sylvan Learning.
Will Hikmah’s mentors be certified teachers?
Some will be, and certification with the Ontario College of Teachers will be valued. Every mentor will pass the same six selection steps, including a teaching demonstration, a subject check and a police vulnerable sector check.
Will Hikmah offer test preparation?
Yes, it will be part of the High school program (Grades 9 to 12), alongside math and sciences, writing and a portfolio.
Will Hikmah use AI to teach my child?
Mentors will teach. The Hikmah platform, in development, will support them with a mastery map and practice. Mentors will review every plan and will be able to override any suggestion, and the tools will give hints, not answers.
How much will Hikmah cost?
We’ll publish tuition, and the terms of the founding tuition rate, before we open. Founding families will also get a free diagnostic assessment.
Sources
Pages read in November 2026. Centres are independently owned and their pages change, so check details with your local centre.
Sylvan Learning
- 1
Sylvan Learning (home page)Sylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 2
How Sylvan worksSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 3
Frequently asked questionsSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 4
Why SylvanSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 5
TutoringSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 6
PricingSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 7
Sylvan Learning of East OttawaSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 8
Sylvan Learning of NepeanSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 9
STEM courses and campsSylvan Learning · sylvanlearning.com
- 10
Top 400 (2025): Sylvan Learning CenterFranchise Times · franchisetimes.com
Hikmah Education
- 11
How it worksHikmah Education · hikmahedu.ca
- 12
ProgramsHikmah Education · hikmahedu.ca
- 13
Our mentorsHikmah Education · hikmahedu.ca
- 14
TechnologyHikmah Education · hikmahedu.ca
- 15
Join the founding familiesHikmah Education · hikmahedu.ca
Sylvan Learning, Sylvan Insight and the Sylvan Method are trademarks of their owner. Hikmah Education is not affiliated with Sylvan Learning. Based on Sylvan’s public website and other cited sources as of November 2026; details vary by location, so check with your local centre.