Answers to Common Questions

We currently serve children in Senior Kindergarten through Grade 3. Our programs are specifically designed for early literacy — the years when getting reading right matters most.

Common signs include difficulty sounding out words, frustration around reading, slow or laboured reading, avoidance of reading at home, or feedback from the classroom teacher. If you’re unsure, that’s exactly what the consultation is for — we’ll meet your child and give you an honest read on where they are.

Sessions are 30 minutes long, once per week. Programs run for structured cycles. The 30-minute format is intentional — it matches the attention span of young learners and lets us pack a high-intensity, focused session into a sustainable weekly commitment.

Each session has 2–3 students working with one tutor, all working on the same skill at the same time — not different subjects at the same table. Keeping groups small protects instructional intensity while keeping the program affordable.

Our standard rate is $42 per 30-minute session, billed monthly.

This price reflects the fact that you’re paying for a structured, teacher-led program with measurable progress reports — not just an hour of generic tutoring.

The consultation is a relaxed 30-minute meeting where we get to know your child and observe their reading. There are no high-stakes tests — we want children to leave feeling capable, not assessed. We’ll then talk with you about what we noticed and whether a Sequential Skill-Building program is the right fit.

Missed sessions can be rescheduled within the same Sequential Skill-Building Cycle, subject to availability. We understand that life happens with young children, and we want our policies to reflect that.

Our instructional team is led by educators and includes teacher candidates and university students with strong literacy backgrounds. Every tutor is trained in our structured approach before they work with students, and instructional quality is overseen directly by our Academic Director.

You’ll receive three formal touchpoints: a baseline assessment report at the start of the cycle, a mid-program check-in, and an exit progress report at the end. The reports use plain language and show measurable change — not just narrative observations.

With your written permission, yes. We’re happy to coordinate with classroom teachers when it’s helpful, so the work we’re doing aligns with what’s happening at school.

Some children are ready to graduate after one cycle. Others benefit from a second cycle to consolidate skills or move to the next stage. We’ll give you an honest recommendation based on the exit assessment — and the choice is always yours.

We serve families across the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph region. Specific session locations are confirmed at the time of enrolment. Reach out and we’ll let you know what’s available near you.

Foundational math is on our roadmap and will launch in the future. We’re starting with literacy because doing one thing exceptionally well matters more than doing many things adequately.

Book a consultation through our contact page — or call us at 226-243-0750. We’ll be in touch within two business days to set up a time.

Structured literacy is an explicit, systematic way of teaching reading that is backed by decades of research, often called the science of reading. Rather than hoping children pick reading up through exposure, it teaches phonics, sounds, and word patterns directly and in a careful sequence. It is especially effective for early and struggling readers, which is why every Learning Lighthouse program is built on it.

Yes. Structured literacy is the approach most often recommended for children with dyslexia and similar reading difficulties, because it builds skills explicitly, step by step. We are not a diagnostic service and do not assess or label, but our instruction is well-suited to these learners, and with your permission we are glad to coordinate with classroom teachers or other professionals already supporting your child.

General tutoring often means an hour of help with whatever came home that week. Our programs are different: each child follows a Sequential Skill-Building Cycle with a baseline assessment, a clear set of targeted skills, a mid-program check-in, and an exit report showing measurable progress. You are paying for a structured, teacher-led reading program, not ad-hoc homework help.

We focus on Senior Kindergarten through Grade 3, the window when reading foundations are built and early support makes the biggest difference. If your child is in SK and you are already noticing struggles, that is a great time to start; waiting rarely makes things easier. If you are unsure whether the timing is right, book a free consultation and we will give you an honest read.

These are the years when children shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Explicit instruction during this window builds the phonics and fluency that everything else depends on, and closing gaps early is far easier than catching up later. That is why we specialize in SK to Grade 3 rather than trying to serve every age.