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DC-Area Reading, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia Tutors
 

1:1 Online Structured Literacy and Orton-Gillingham Tutoring

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Is This Your Child?

  • Bright, but reading is hard

  • Memorizes or guesses at words; spelling doesn't stick

  • School support hasn't closed the gap

 

Kids Up Reading Tutors offers live, 1:1 online Structured Literacy tutoring for DC, Maryland and Virginia students in grades 1–12.

 

We identify the missing skills, build a personalized plan, and use the Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham instruction to help students develop the reading and spelling skills they need to thrive!

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If your schedule is tight, reach out before beginning-of-year test scores come home. That way, we can find the days and times that will work best for you.

"Now that our son is working with Daniela, we have decided to keep him at the neighborhood public school instead of a school for kids with learning difficulties. And I know that if he's not caught up by the beginning of the summer, he can continue the tutoring during the summer for an hour before or after his regular camps"

Third Grade, Washington, D.C.

Washington, DC high school student enjoying his tutoring session

Our Reading, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia Program

  • Grades1–12

  • Format 1:1 online evaluation and tutoring 

  • Approach:  Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham+

  • Focus: Decoding, spelling, fluency and comprehension

  • Schedule:  Before, during or after school; weekends

  • GoalSolidify the foundations of reading & spelling in months, not years

Why Families Choose Kids Up Reading Tutors

Team of Specialists

Your dedicated tutor is trained in the Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, and Orton-Gillingham. Our team includes certified teachers, reading specialists, Special Education teachers, speech-language pathologists, and linguists.

Focused on Literacy

Intensive decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) instruction. Students'  DIBELS, Acadience, MAP, i-Ready, STAR, FAST ELA, and other state reading assessments improve dramatically over the course of tutoring.

Parents Love

Convenient daytime, evening, and weekend scheduling. Weekly updates from your tutor.  Progress Charts, so you can follow along. No homework. Monthly billing. Parents are welcome to sit in on sessions.

Thrilling Results!

Students who do 3 or more sessions/week typically  graduate from our program in 4 to 9 months. Phonological skills, phonics, word reading, fluency, comprehension and spelling all improve, leading to better reading comprehension and writing.

Phonological Skills. Phonics. Spelling. Morphology. Fluency. Comprehension.

A Clear Literacy Plan for Reading, Spelling, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia

You know your child is bright. You also know reading and spelling should not be this hard.

 

Kids Up Reading Tutors helps DC, Maryland and Virginia students build the skills behind confident reading and spelling with a personalized literacy plan. Our online instruction makes it easy for busy DMV families to schedule frequent sessions without adding traffic or commute time to your schedule. 

Whether your child attends Washington International School, the Potomac School, APS, DCPS, FCPS, LCPS, MCPS, one of the area's other great public or private schools, or is homeschooled, our 1:1 online sessions give students who need a little extra support with reading and spelling - including students with dyslexia and dysgraphia - the tools they need to thrive.

What Parents Say About Kids Up Reading Tutors

Macie Barreda

2026-09-02

Kids up reading tutors has been amazing for my 4th grader. We started this summer & in only 4 weeks into school I’ve already received emails from her teacher about not only her growth in reading but also her confidence in reading & participating in class. Her tutor is supportive, flexible & encouraging. She takes the time to show interest in things my daughter enjoys & does a great job transitioning her into their lesson. I can’t say enough good things!! We are so grateful.

Trishan Grant

2026-08-28

Kids Up Reading teachers have been absolutely wonderful with my child. They are supportive, patient, and deeply dedicated to helping her learn and make meaningful progress. They keep me informed about her development and any concerns, and they take the time to understand the root causes of her reading challenges rather than simply addressing the symptoms. They have remained consistent in following a clear plan to improve her reading skills, and we are already seeing such a positive difference. My daughter is becoming more confident and is breaking down words more independently than before. The entire team is incredibly professional, caring, and committed. They are truly the most compassionate and dedicated teachers we have ever worked with. I highly recommend the Kids Up Reading teachers to any family looking for thoughtful, effective, and personalized reading support.

Elizabeth Dixon

2026-08-21

We have been working with Kids Up Reading Tutors since the beginning of the summer to help assess and address phonological and phonetic gaps in my daughter's reading and writing. Their online structure has suited us perfectly - great availability and flexibility to meet the needs of families in different locations (we are based in Maryland/DMV). Great administration, a very structured program to track progress, kind and fun tutors who know what they're doing.

Valerie Schneider

2026-08-09

We live in DC and have loved Kids Up Reading Tutors. I was worried about the online format, but it has worked well for my daughter with ADHD and dyslexia. They're great at making each session engaging so that the lessons stick. My daughter has made significant progress in spelling and fluency and enjoys her time with her tutor. The program is very organized and data-driven with frequent assessments.

Shelby Gleadow

2026-07-15

We are so grateful for Kids Up Reading Tutoring! As a family living overseas, we were looking for a program that could work with our time zone and make online tutoring easy—and Kids Up has been incredible. Our son has dyslexia, and after six months of working with his tutor, we have seen a huge improvement in his reading skills. His MAP reading scores have increased significantly, but even more importantly, his confidence has grown tremendously. Seeing him become more willing to read and believe in himself has been such a gift. The tutors are patient, encouraging, and truly understand how to support children who learn differently. They do an amazing job keeping him engaged through games, books, and activities connected to his interests. The online format has worked beautifully for us, and we appreciate how flexible and supportive the team has been across time zones. We highly recommend Kids Up to any family looking for compassionate, effective reading support. They have made a meaningful difference for our son!

Dana L

2026-07-02

Daniela and the team at Kids Up Reading Tutors are top-notch! My 2nd grade daughter made great progress and we are thankful to the Kids Up team.

Jamie Diaz Robinson

2026-06-28

We couldn’t be happier with Kids Up. They came highly recommended, and making the switch has been one of the best decisions we’ve made for our daughter. Our second grader has severe dyslexia and a visual processing disorder. Despite support from North Arlington schools and private tutors, reading had become a daily struggle that often ended in frustration and tears. We were skeptical that virtual sessions could make such a difference, but they’ve been nothing short of remarkable. Not only is she reading now, she’s beginning to understand and enjoy what she reads. The moment that brought tears to my eyes was when she asked to read to me at bedtime—something she hadn’t wanted to do in over a year. Daniela has been incredible from the start. She took the time to understand our daughter’s needs, matched us with the right instructor, and found a way to fit us into the schedule mid-year. If you’re in the Arlington area and looking for reading support, especially for a child with dyslexia, I can’t recommend Kids Up highly enough.

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Steps in Our Process

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1. Free 30-Min Call

Find out more about our program, see a demo and get answers to all of your questions on a friendly call. No hard sales pitch.

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2. Evaluation & Plan

We'll check your student's phonological, phonics and spelling skills, talk about the results of the evaluation, and choose the right tutor for your child.

Middle school girl smiling in front of laptop while being tutored in reading comprehension

3. Tutoring Sessions

 

 

 

Systematic, explicit instruction targeted to the skills your student needs to learn.  Stay in the room and listen in, if you'd like. 

Progress Chart with phonics patterns that student crossed off as she learned them

4. Follow Along

 

 

See what skills your student has learned by checking their Progress Chart and reading the weekly updates from your tutor.​

Elementary school student gives his father a high-five to celebrate his reading success.

5. Celebrate!

 

 

 

 

See your child or teen's confidence grow as reading and spelling become easy!

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Online Tutoring That Works

Sessions are live, 1:1 over Zoom and designed to keep students engaged.

Flexible scheduling and no commute means families can schedule more frequent sessions, which helps kids make faster progress. 

Our private reading tutors incorporate fun activities like:

  • Phonological word games to strengthen sound skills

  • Decoding nonsense words on an Orton-Gillingham blending board

  • Fluency practice with engaging series like Diary of a Pug, Cat Kid, Drama and Bad Monkey

"I just want to put in a HUGE POSITIVE plug for Kids Up Reading Tutors. Daniela was AMAZING with our child who had a new dyslexia diagnosis this year (in 6th grade)... Our child is reading better, spelling better, and has just SO MUCH MORE confidence. "

Sixth Grade, Hyattsville, MD

Kids Up is a Good Fit if You're Looking for

  • Specialized reading or dyslexia tutoring

  • 1:1 instruction

  • High-dosage tutoring for quick progress

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Kids Up is Not a Good Fit if You're Looking for

  • Homework help

  • Once-a-week tutoring

  • The lowest-cost option

Not sure how much commitment is right for you? A free call can help you find the pace that fits your family, no pressure to sign up for more.

"Thanks to Kids Up Reading Tutors, our son is now more meaningfully engaged with words and by extension, with reading. His reading comprehension and confidence are high again, and his coaches have put our bright and curious son on a good path. "

Tenth Grade, Arlington, VA

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Frequently Asked Questions

Let's Talk About Your Child.

Book Your Free Call Here.

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