“ I knew my son struggled with reading and just attributed it to his age, reassuring myself that he would get there, he just needed time. As time went on and things weren’t changing for him, I was at a loss as to what to do. I was serendipitously referred to Reading Futures through a series of miraculous events and this was a pivotal changing point in my son’s life as well as for our whole family, more broadly. My son worked with a tutor for a total of 45 hours the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. His tutor was very kind and patient with him. She (Ms. Emily) took the time to learn how my son learns, how his brain works and what kind of person he is. Her attentiveness to him really helped support him through the hard work they were doing together. Their work helped him to finally build the foundation for reading that he hadn’t yet built in school. I didn’t realize that he needed a totally different approach to learning how to read and decode words than he had been getting. His school had also not realized this, leaving him very behind. I was concerned that we were at a pivotal point with his reading, one where he would be left behind in school and that it would start to affect his confidence and interest in school. My son is a very bright child, and I was concerned he would start a personal narrative that because he struggled with literacy, he must not be smart or “good at school.” Thankfully, it was at this point that we connected with Reading Futures and he finally got the help he needed. This changed things for him in a profound way. He returned to school for 4th grade, able to read independently and at a reasonable pace to keep up with his class. He stated to me that he felt more confidence with reading and more confidence in school in general because of his new found knowledge and ability. It feels cliche to say, but it is the truth, this program really changed my son’s life and illuminated things about his brain that I didn’t know before and I hadn’t been able to support him with alone. Reading Futures really changed our lives and I am deeply grateful. We needed this support and thankfully we got it. When I see my son sitting on the couch and reading to himself my whole heart smiles, I am full of gratitude for this program”

-Anna, Parent of 4th grade student