The first step on your journey to literacy with Lit Up Literacy is to fill in our Student Intake form and then schedule a free parent/caregiver/mature student consultation. This free online consultation will give you an introduction to what we do here at Lit Up Literacy and help to familiarize you with our website, booking procedures, prices, and our general philosophies. You shouldn't hire ANY tutor or tutoring company without a good understanding of what you are getting into!

 

If you want to learn about our origins, here is a bit of history about owner/founder/tutor, Erica Klein:

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I have been drawn to education since I can remember. It started with babysitting throughout my school years and assuming I'd be a teacher.  In University, I was drawn to Sociology with thoughts of Social Work, but didn't think my heart could take it. 

 

After graduating, I decided to get my Early Childhood Educator certification and worked in preschools and daycares.  My partner's job moved us away and we started our family and my passion for their early education guided me to Montessori training and running a little home-based preschool/kindergarten for my own children and a couple others.  I continued to learn because I was obsessed with finding the "best" way to teach my children.

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With impending moves due to my partner's career, I somewhat stumbled into the world of online English tutoring to "make money" while having the flexibility to move.  I adored many aspects of being an English as an Additional Language tutor (perhaps not so much the 4am starts), but I fell in love all over again with the literacy instruction - watching children's eyes light up and confidence grow as they unlocked the code.

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Since I never stop learning (or challenging what I am taught), I wanted full control over what and how I taught, so I could adapt and change as I learned.  I decided to start my own business with a focus on evidence based reading instruction - this time, for the English speaking world.  More research and learning (and speaking to friends and neighbours) lead me to realize that there was a desperate need for evidence-based instruction, particularly for students with Learning Disabilities or those who had fallen through the cracks at school for a variety of reasons.

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I have devoted thousands of hours and even more thousands of dollars to training, learning, growing, and understanding how to be the best teacher I can be.  This curiosity and passion has lead me to continue to explore the Science of Reading and learn more about reading and language based disabilities. I started with the Barton Reading and Spelling Curriculum, but as I kept learning, I discovered Reading Simplified (and got certified) and then EBLI (Evidence Based Literacy instruction) (and also got certified).  Whether our clients have specific learning disabilities or they have just fallen through the cracks of an underfunded, overworked education system, we are here to help.

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Reading is not only a foundational skill for scholastic success, but it opens doors to new worlds, new ideas, and new possibilities for children. Reading should be a pleasure, a gift, a source of joy, not a source of fights, tears, and frustration. Maybe not every child will want to curl up in a corner for hours absorbed in their favourite books, but I believe every child should have that option! Reading can be a source of relaxation, escape, imagination, and pleasure - I want each child to have the skills required to get there.

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If you'd like to learn more about the tutors at Lit Up Literacy and how we can help you or your child learn to read, start by filling in our New Student form so we can book your free consultation.