Dear Mathnasium Families,
We hope you're enjoying a wonderful summer filled with vacations, camps, family time, and new adventures!
As many of our families are traveling this summer, we'd like to share an important reminder about something educators call the summer slide.
Summer slide is the natural loss of academic skills that can happen when students go several weeks without practicing what they've learned. Math is especially vulnerable because each new concept builds on previous skills. Without regular practice, students often forget foundational concepts, making it harder to pick up where they left off.
The good news is that keeping math skills sharp doesn't require hours of work. We encourage every family to have their child spend a little time practicing math while away.
What We See When Students Return
Each student's learning plan at Mathnasium is personalized and carefully designed to build one concept upon another.
When students take extended breaks from math, they often return needing to review material before they are ready to learn something new. In some cases, students have forgotten enough that we need to reassess their current skill level and adjust their learning plan. We have even seen students return performing below the level where they first enrolled at Mathnasium.
This isn't because they aren't capable. It's simply how learning works when math skills go unused for an extended period of time.
Our goal is always to help students continue moving forward—not spend valuable instructional time rebuilding concepts they had already mastered.
Why Consistency Matters
One of the greatest strengths of the Mathnasium Method is consistency.
Every personalized learning plan is built around students attending two sessions each week (8–10 sessions per month). Our curriculum, instructional pacing, and mastery checks are designed with this schedule in mind.
Consistent attendance allows us to:
When students attend less frequently or take repeated or extended breaks, their progress naturally slows because more instructional time must be devoted to reviewing previously learned material instead of introducing new concepts.
Our Attendance Expectation
To receive the full benefit of the Mathnasium Method, students are expected to maintain two recurring sessions each week (8–10 sessions per month).
While we understand that vacations, illnesses, and family commitments occasionally arise, attending fewer than eight sessions per month on an ongoing basis does not provide the consistency our learning plans are designed around.
If your child's membership is currently on hold, please remember that returning after an extended break may require time for reassessment and review before they can resume progressing through their personalized learning plan.
Looking Ahead to the Fall
As you prepare for the new school year, we encourage you to book your child's recurring sessions now. We expect the center to become very busy beginning the last week of August as many of our summer families are reserving their recurring schedules for the fall.
Please remember:
Thank you for partnering with us and for trusting us with your child's mathematical journey. Together, through consistent attendance and practice, we can help every student build strong foundations, lasting confidence, and a love of learning math.
We can't wait to welcome everyone back and continue celebrating your child's progress this fall!
Warmly,
The Mathnasium of Center City Team
(215) 358-6284
(215) 358-6284
