Vancouver Learning Centre

What Vancouver Learning Centre does

Vancouver Learning Centre (VLC) is a privately held, founder-owned specialist learning centre founded in 1980 by Dr. Geraldine Schwartz, Ph.D., in Vancouver, British Columbia. The firm delivers one-to-one, team-based individualized programs grounded in neuroplasticity research, integrating two professional disciplines — education and psychology — under the supervision of a senior psychologist. It serves learners aged 3 to 19+ across 12 (per current website) to 17 (per internal documentation) distinct cohorts, including students with learning disabilities, gifted learners, gifted-with-learning-disabilities profiles, developmental disabilities, ADHD and anxiety, COVID-19 academic slide, language delay, executive function delay, traumatic brain injury, home-schooled students, BOOST full-service students, and adult retraining.

The core technology is a proprietary pedagogical framework, not a software product. VLC's methodology comprises the Three Pillar Strategy (Executive Function, Emotional Intelligence, Creative Thinking), VLC Signature Learning to Learn, Neurocognitive Training, and Academic Training, plus signature tools such as THINKERCISE, EduArt, Monart, and Tony Buzan Mind Mapping. Programs are built from psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment data analyzed through a neuropsychological lens and are delivered by faculty trained and supervised directly by Dr. Schwartz, with Principal Andrew Taylor leading teams on the floor. Programs are delivered onsite at the Vancouver office or online one-to-one. Adjacent distribution is enabled through partnerships with distance-education providers (Thompson Rivers University, VLN, EBUS) that allow students to earn credentials while receiving VLC one-to-one teaching.

VLC generates revenue from three streams: one-to-one teaching billed at $90/hour, professional services from Dr. Schwartz at $200/hour, and program design fees of $1,500-$1,800 per individualized program. The go-to-market is sales-led and referral-driven, anchored by the Principal who conducts initial telephone discussions and arranges complimentary in-person consultations with the Founder. The firm operates with approximately 12 employees, has served more than 1,000 students over nearly four decades, and reports no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no public M&A activity.

Name

Vancouver Learning Centre

Legal name

Vancouver Learning Centre

Website

https://vancouverlearningcentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Vancouver Learning Centre is a privately held specialist learning centre in Vancouver, BC, delivering one-to-one neuroplasticity-based individualized programs for learners aged 3 to 19+ with learning disabilities, giftedness, ADHD, brain injury, and academic underachievement. Faculty are trained and supervised by founder Dr. Geraldine Schwartz.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Tutoring Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Multisensory Learning Programs & Curriculum for Dyslexia/LD (EDAKAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education & Learning Differences Virtual Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAJ), Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH), Academic Support & Learning Assistance (Tutoring Centers) (EDALABAF)

Keywords

• Individualized learning programs
• Neuroplasticity-based education
• One-to-one teaching
• Learning disability support
• Executive function training

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Hourly Program Delivery: Core revenue stream from one-to-one teaching services delivered by trained faculty. Billed at $90/hour for program delivery.
2. Professional Services: Dr. G. Schwartz provides professional psychology services at $200/hour, including program design and oversight.
3. Program Design: Initial program design fee ranging from $1500 to $1800, creating individualized targeted teaching programs based on assessment data.
4. Complimentary Intake and Consultation: Complimentary in-depth interview and consultation to assess learner needs before enrollment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Vancouver Learning Centre is a Specialist Learning Centre (not a school) that delivers one-to-one teaching through a team-based process. Each individualized program is anchored in the science of neuroplasticity and integrates two professional disciplines—education and psychology—under the design and supervision of Dr. Geraldine Schwartz. Programs are built from psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment data, delivered onsite at the Vancouver office or online, and offered across 12 distinct learner cohorts serving children, youth, and young adults aged 3 to 19+ years.

Product overview

The Vancouver Learning Centre is a Specialist Learning Centre (not a school) that delivers one-to-one teaching through a team-based process. Each individualized program is anchored in the science of neuroplasticity and combines two professional disciplines—education and psychology—integrated by a strategic, targeted approach designed by Dr. Geraldine Schwartz. The core offering consists of VLC Signature Programs including Learning to Learn (executive function and metacognition), Neurocognitive Training (brain function improvement), and Academic Training (reading, writing, math, language skills), all delivered through the Three Pillar Strategy framework of Executive Function, Emotional Intelligence, and Creative Thinking. Additional specialized programs include the BOOST intensive full-service program, University Readiness, COVID-19 Academic Slide recovery, Home School Support, Brain Injury Rehabilitation, and Adult Retraining. Programs are delivered onsite or online to learners aged 3 to 19+ years across 17 distinct learner cohorts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-to-One Teaching Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 students served over nearly 4 decades, with transformative outcomes documented in student stories (e.g., student who couldn't read at 8 graduated top 5% of class and entered UBC honors program)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments16 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thompson Rivers University (TRU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLC integrates TRU correspondence courses into its BOOST program and adult retraining services, allowing students to earn post-secondary level credentials while receiving VLC's one-to-one teaching support.
• Vancouver Learning Network (VLN) / Correspondence Learning NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLN provides K-12 correspondence courses (including EBUS, Self-Learner) used within VLC's BOOST program and home-schooled student services, enabling credential earning for students at all levels.
• British Columbia Psychological Association (BCPA)minorOthersBCPA is referenced as a referral source for parents seeking psychologists with experience in assessing young children for psychoeducational assessments.
• Tony BuzancoreTechnology or IntegrationVLC uses Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping method as a universal learning tool for all students. Mind Mapping is integrated across all programs as a brain-friendly memory and creative thinking tool.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes: Lindamood-Bell is a closely comparable direct peer: it delivers one-to-one, multisensory, brain-based instruction for students with learning disabilities (including dyslexia), grounded in proprietary sensory-cognitive programs. Both VLC and Lindamood-Bell operate specialized learning centers (not schools) using neuroscience-informed methodologies for students who have not succeeded in conventional classrooms.
• Arrowsmith Program: Arrowsmith offers cognitive training programs targeting specific learning capacities (memory, attention, processing) for students with learning disabilities, using neuroplasticity principles similar to VLC's Neurocognitive Training. Both organizations address root cognitive causes rather than academic symptoms and target similar LD/dyslexia populations.
• Brain Balance Centers: Brain Balance is a direct peer offering brain-based, individualized programs for children with learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and processing difficulties. Both organizations position their work around neuroplasticity and address overlapping learner cohorts including ADHD, LD, and developmental disabilities.
• Oxford Learning: Oxford Learning is a Canadian-headquartered supplemental education company operating learning centers that provide individualized programs for students with learning difficulties and gifted learners. It is highly comparable to VLC in geography (Canada), customer segment (LD, gifted, ADHD), and one-to-one delivery model, though it operates as a chain rather than a single specialist center.
• Eaton Arrowsmith School: Eaton Arrowsmith School operates specialized K-12 schools applying the Arrowsmith cognitive training methodology to students with learning disabilities. It is comparable to VLC through its neuroplasticity-based, cognitive-training approach for LD students, though it operates as a full school rather than a supplementary specialist center.

Broad incumbents

• Sylvan Learning: Sylvan Learning is a broad incumbent tutoring chain offering personalized instruction including programs for students with learning difficulties. While it serves overlapping customers (LD, ADHD, struggling students), it operates as a mass-market franchise model across many subjects rather than specializing in neuroplasticity-based LD intervention like VLC.
• Huntington Learning Center: Huntington Learning Center is a broad incumbent tutoring chain providing diagnostic assessments and individualized instruction for students with learning difficulties, including those with LD and ADHD. It overlaps with VLC on LD-focused diagnostic-driven tutoring but operates at much larger scale as a multi-subject franchise.
• Kumon: Kumon is a broad incumbent supplemental education franchise offering individualized math and reading programs through daily worksheets. While it serves similar age groups and emphasizes individualized progression, its methodology is practice-based rather than neuroplasticity/sensory-cognitive, making VLC a more specialized comparable for LD populations.

Emerging players

• Tutor Doctor: Tutor Doctor is an in-home and online one-to-one tutoring franchise serving students across subjects including those with learning differences. While overlapping in one-to-one model and LD-adjacent market, it lacks VLC's neuroplasticity-based specialization and psychologist-supervised program design.
• Lexercise: Lexercise is an online platform delivering structured, evidence-based literacy intervention for students with dyslexia and learning disabilities. It is comparable to VLC as a digital alternative for the same LD/dyslexia customer segment, representing an emerging tech-enabled competitor in VLC's online delivery channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vancouver Learning Centre