Pear Tree in the Vancouver Sun

Pear Tree is the subject of Janet Steffenhagen’s article on Supplementary Education in Vancouver (June 6th, 2012)

Pear Tree’s method of education appeals to parents “who want to give their offspring an edge in a highly competitive world” writes Steffenhagen.

The Vancouver Sun article takes a pragmatic view about the need for supplementary education in Vancouver.
It recognizes that this is something the whole world has been doing for a long time. And, now, Vancouver parents are realizing the need for this if they want to give their kids the best start in life.
 
Additionally, it highlights the very positive feelings from the parents that send their kids to Pear Tree. “[Nicholas] loves it,” says Mary-Anne. “He gets hands-on learning — he gets to do stuff rather than just watch.”

Other providers of supplementary education suggest that the need for their services is a “cultural” thing, i.e. they believe that it’s Asian parents that are looking for after-school education.
However, Pear Tree has a totally different view on this.
Having worked in Spain and Germany, Pear Tree’s directors, Paul and Alexis, have seen that other countries seek after-school education – if only for improving their kids’ English abilities.
 
Additionally, Pear Tree has customers that still / once did live in the United States, suggesting that even Americans believe in the necessity for after-school ‘enrichment’.
 
Furthermore, Pear Tree does have many Asian customers, some of whom come from as far away as White Rock!
This demonstrates that these parents are looking for modern forms of education, including Pear Tree’s 21st century learning approach, its field trips, and its specialized workshops.
 
You can read the article online at [updated link]: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=bf72cc11-085e-4e3f-a052-7e863432966c
Or, you can download it from our website: https://www.pear-tree.ca/press/Vancouver_Sun_Article_(optimised).pdf.