Kumon Turns 60!

Kumon celebrates its 60th birthday while North America commemorates 35 years of welcoming the programme to its shores.

Kumon is the world’s largest afterschool maths and literacy programme. It was first set up 60 years ago when Toru Kumon, a Japanese maths teacher, wanted to create helpful material for his son.

This year marks the programme’s 60th birthday. It has gone on to become a global franchise bringing inspiring and practical opportunities to children around the world. Known as the Kumon Method, it is operated from centres that are run by trained professionals.

As the brand commemorates is 60th year, North America is celebrating 35 years of helping children improve their maths and literacy using the programme. The first premise was established in 1974 in New York, and the country later established a headquarters in New Jersey off the back of its success. The headquarters are now based in Teaneck, just outside New York City.

Kumon has since grown across the continent, with over 500 employees managing the programme at its headquarters. There are now regional branches across the US, Canada and Mexico.

Mino Tanabe, president of Kumon North America, said of the milestone, “Toru Kumon had a vision of nurturing confident, independent life-long learners that would make an impact on global society. 60 years later, we remain dedicated to bringing the benefits of the Kumon Method to as many children as possible”.

This visionary outlook is what enables the Kumon programme to keep growing on a global scale. The US alone has 1,520 Kumon centres, with 280,000 subject enrolments. Across all three countries, there are more than 400,000 subject enrolments, proving the popularity of the scheme.

The Kumon programme is different to others in its customisable structure. The lessons and learning methods are adjustable to each child’s way of learning and needs. It aims to equip children with a thorough understanding of maths and literacy to help them through primary and secondary education, and into the higher education and future career paths. Children from pre-school to high school can follow the programme.