Child and Youth Programs – Ages 6 to 18

About our Children and Youth Programs

You’re here because your child needs extra help in school or more academic challenges to keep them interested. We can help with recognized assessments and individualized learning programs in reading, writing, mathematics and study skills.

READ’s teachers sincerely care about your child’s success – and in hourly sessions with only one or two children, there’s time to get to know how your child learns best.

Our teachers are professionals. They identify learning gaps, use current educational resources and techniques, and inspire children to learn. Our teachers pursue professional development opportunities on an ongoing basis. For details, please see the teaching qualifications page

Our children and youth programs provide help with fundamental academic skills to reduce learning frustrations. Each lesson builds on skills learned, and we accept children at any time of the year.

As a non-profit we raise funds in the community to help low-income households pay for our specialized programs. If your household needs financial assistance, click here.

How do I get started?

• Tell us about your child by calling our program assistant .
  We will ask
• your child’s name, age and school
• the subject areas in which your child needs help or enrichment
• whether this is a recent or ongoing concern
• whether any testing has been done at school to determine the possible causes of their learning challenge
• whether you need financial assistance
• With this information, we will determine whether your child should have an assessment. Assessments in language arts (reading, writing, comprehension) or math are suggested when
• no testing has been done at school or the testing is over a year old
• your child’s learning challenge has been ongoing and identifying the learning gap would help teachers develop an individualized program
• our teachers want to gauge your child’s knowledge against others in the same age group
• If an assessment is required, it will
• be scheduled within two weeks
• take about 1½ to 2 hours
• include a consultation with the parent or guardian immediately following the testing
• be confidential – results will only be shared with other teachers or agencies at the parent’s or guardian's request.
• determine whether classes would be helpful
• If no assessment is recommended, or once the assessment is compete we will
• ask you to meet with a teacher to go over our policies and payment schedule
• require a three-month commitment to ensure the individualized program can be fully completed and your child has enough time to absorb the new techniques and information
• one-hour classes can be scheduled once or twice a week at the location of your choice (Quadra Street office, West Shore or Sidney)

How will I know if READ is really helping my child?

Teachers are always happy to discuss progress. At the end of each three-month period, you get a written progress report about what is needed next.

How much does all this cost?

Visit our Costs page for details, or if you think you might qualify for financial assistance, visit our Education Access page.