KUMON IN AMERICA
All Japanese are familiar with "cram schools" (juku) - the tutoring services that young Japanese students use to prepare for the very difficult college entrance exams. It is very common for the Japanese to attend these schools to give themselves a better chance to enter the best universities in Japan.
Most Americans don't understand why the Japanese need to attend these "cram schools" since the educational system in Japan is considered to be excellent, and much better than American schools.
These after school tutoring services are not very common in America, but the number of these services is increasing. There is, however, a very different reason why these schools are increasing in America. These are not to help students prepare for college entrance exams. Instead, it is to help students improve their ability in basic English and math.
Students who are having trouble in their basic classes in school are starting to attend tutoring services to help them succeed in school.
To serve this market, Kumon schools are appearing everywhere in California and across America. In fact, Kumon is one of the fastest growing businesses in America. According to a recent magazine article, Kumon is also one of the best business opportunities in America.
According to this article, there are now 25,686 Kumon franchises in America. (A franchise is a business that is owned by an individual, but is common business like a McDonalds or a 7-11. Most McDonalds restaurants are owned by individuals, but they all look alike since they must follow strict rules about how they manage the franchise.)
Located in nearly every corner of the world and with an enrollment of more than 2.9 million children, Kumon Math and Reading Centers offer the premier, after-school supplemental education program.
Each owner must pay a franchise fee in order to run a Kumon. The fee is very cheap compared to other businesses. It is between $6,000 - $30,000. A McDonalds sometimes costs $1,000,000 to start.
Kumon is one of the oldest and largest franchise businesses in the world. In North America, nearly 130,000 students are enrolled in the Kumon Program.
According to the Kumon website (www.kumon.com), the " Kumon Method of learning was developed over 40 years ago in Japan by Toru Kumon, a high school math teacher whose son was struggling with second grade arithmetic.
Kumon Centers are independently owned and operated by the Instructors. After an extensive training period, Instructors become certified to teach the Kumon Method of learning. The first Kumon Center in North America was opened in New York in 1974. "
Courses are in math and reading (and sometimes, Japanese language.)
So Kumon can be considered a successful export of a Japanese service to America. And, it is offering a good business opportunity for American businessmen and women, as well as helping the children improve their knowledge and skills. This is what we call a win-win situation - everyone is the winner - the parent and child, the businessperson, and both Japan and the US are helping each other.
