WordPlay

WordPlay is an early reading intervention program for children in Kindergarten to Grade 2 who are struggling to learn to read and whose families face financial barriers to accessing additional reading support.

Children participate in a small group of up to 10 children, once a week for six weeks. The program provides focused, evidence-informed instruction in a welcoming environment where children can build skills without feeling singled out for struggling.

The early years are a critical window for learning to read. Children who have difficulty developing foundational reading skills can quickly fall behind their peers, and the gap can become harder to close as they move through school. For families who cannot afford tutoring or specialized intervention, there may be few options for getting additional help early.

WordPlay uses structured, explicit instruction aligned with the Science of Reading. Children receive targeted support in foundational skills such as phonological awareness, letter-sound knowledge, decoding, word reading, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

In the short term, we expect children to strengthen foundational reading skills, experience success with reading, and increase their confidence and willingness to participate in literacy activities. The small-group format also helps children discover that they are not alone in finding reading difficult.

In the longer term, early intervention can help prevent reading difficulties from becoming more entrenched. Stronger reading skills support learning across all school subjects and can contribute to greater confidence, engagement in school, and future educational success.

At its heart, WordPlay is about equity: a family’s financial circumstances should not determine whether a young child has access to timely, effective help with learning to read.

WordPlay will benefit children in Kindergarten to Grade 2 who are struggling to develop the foundational skills they need to become successful readers. The program is particularly intended for children whose families face financial barriers and cannot easily access additional reading intervention or tutoring.

The children we hope to reach may be having difficulty with skills such as recognizing sounds in words, connecting letters and sounds, decoding unfamiliar words, reading accurately and fluently, or understanding what they read. Some may already be falling behind their classmates or becoming discouraged and beginning to see themselves as “not good at reading.”

WordPlay is designed to reach children early, before reading difficulties become more significant. Kindergarten to Grade 2 is an important period because children are developing the foundational skills that will allow them to move from learning to read to reading to learn. Providing additional support during these early years can have an impact well beyond the six-week program.

The program will particularly benefit families for whom cost is a barrier. Many families recognize that their child needs extra help but cannot afford tutoring or specialized reading intervention. WordPlay provides an opportunity for their child to receive evidence-informed support at no cost.

The broader benefit extends to children’s experiences at school. When reading becomes easier, children are better able to participate in classroom learning, complete their work, and experience success across subjects. Just as importantly, early success can help protect a child’s confidence, curiosity, and willingness to keep trying.

Ultimately, WordPlay will benefit children who need a little more help, a little earlier, and whose access to that help should not depend on their family’s ability to pay.