an academic journey
Story by Susan O'Connor, Photo by Dero Sanford

Though an educator at heart, Ashley Hill has moved into the realm of business ownership, orchestrating the ongoing success of Jonesboro’s Sylvan Learning Center.

The mother of a young son, Hill knows all too well the juggling act that is inherent in running both a business and a home.

“My biggest challenge is finding a balance,” she said. “It’s not just a job. At the end of the day it doesn’t end. I want to be a mom. I need to be a wife.”

But Hill has found that delicate balance. Her business — an established tutoring franchise with a 30-year history — has grown steadily since she purchased the center in June 2009. Student count has increased by 33 percent.

“It has grown a lot,” she said enthusiastically. “We served 1,100 students last year.”

A 1998 graduate of Jonesboro High School, Hill earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Hendrix College in 2001 and spent her first year post graduation teaching first grade in the Little Rock school system. She missed Jonesboro and her family, however, and made the decision to move back. A part-time job at Sylvan was available.

After four months, Hill was promoted to progress manager. A can-do attitude led to her quick rise. “I would just ask, ‘What can I do to help? You look like you are going to be here until midnight.’”

Four months later, she was named director of education, a position she held for five years. During that time, she was offered the top post, director of the center.
“I passed over two offers to be center manager because of my lack of experience in marketing, sales and management. I am a teacher at heart.”

In December 2007 Hill gave birth to her son, Nate. Being a mother, she explained, truly helped her gain crucial confidence in her ability to lead and manage. When she learned that the Jonesboro franchise was for sale, her family encouraged her to consider ownership.

Hill said a conversation with her in-laws, Dennis and Sharon Hill, was the impetus. Her parents, David and Mindy Worlow, added their support and her stepbrother, Brett Worlow, an attorney, helped with legal matters, along with family friend Donn Mixon.

“It was a three-family effort to make sure Sylvan in Jonesboro didn’t close,” Hill said. “I could keep living my dream. This is my dream job. I could have gone back to the classroom and I would have loved it, but this is where I want to be.”
As a former classroom educator, Hill understands the strong role that tutoring can play in educational success.

“The magic lies in individual attention — that is the magic bullet,” she said. “I was there, in the classroom, and I know how hard it is to reach 17 or 18 students. Since the instruction at Sylvan is one-on-one, we move at the student’s rate. It is totally student driven.”

Hill explained using the following example: a mother is concerned that her eighth-grader is reading below grade level. The student is tested using the Sylvan Skills Assessment, which identifies the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and a personalized program is developed. The testing also pinpoints how long it will take to reach the parents’ goals, so a cost estimate is available. The student is also tested in the middle and at the end of the program.

“The time is condensed because we are not waiting on the entire class to be ready to move on, we are waiting on the child. We also work with teachers to put together a team plan.”

In addition to tutoring in specific subject areas, Sylvan teaches study and organizational skills, writing enhancement, ACT preparation and more. New this year is an online site for help with math homework, sylvanmathprep.com.
To assist families in budgeting for the unexpected expense of tutoring, Hill has implemented a payment plan since acquiring the business.

“The saddest thing is to have a family come in and need for their child to get caught up and they do not have the means to do it. Now they have that option.”

Sylvan also tutors in area school systems, Hill noted, through federal funding made available through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.

“The vast majority of schools embrace what we do,” she said. “We’ve been blessed in this town because the schools are so great. If we could change more children’s lives — that is my goal.”