Children's Dyslexia Center - Southern Illinois

What Children's Dyslexia Center - Southern Illinois does

Children's Dyslexia Center - Southern Illinois is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization operating as part of the Children's Dyslexia Centers network, a credentialed multisite dyslexia intervention program founded in 1994 in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital and supported by Scottish Rite Freemasonry. The Southern Illinois center, based in Collinsville, was established in 2002 and is one of six Illinois locations within the broader 40+ center, 13-state network. The organization provides free, one-on-one tutoring to children in grades 1-12 with dyslexia, using a Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) approach grounded in the Orton-Gillingham methodology. The network has helped more than 16,000 children and trained more than 4,200 educators across its operational history.

The business model is donor-funded: services are provided at no cost or reduced cost to families, with operating expenses covered through charitable contributions — primarily from Scottish Rite Freemasonry, supplemented by individual donors and planned-giving programs. The network's Tutor Directory, spanning 21 states, extends the organization's referral reach beyond the physical center footprint, while a Continuing Education program supports ongoing professional development of credentialed tutors. Tutor training courses are accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC), validating the methodological rigor of the network's intervention approach and creating a credentialing pipeline for the broader dyslexia tutoring profession.

Strategic positioning centers on outcomes-based impact (documented in the 2025 Impact Report), geographic accessibility through satellite and hub-and-spoke expansion (exemplified by the Connecticut model), and diversification of donor base via Builders Council and Planned Giving initiatives. The organization operates with no disclosed AI/ML capability, relying on human-delivered structured pedagogy as its core service differentiator, with technology limited to a centralized student outcomes database and the Tutor Directory web platform.

Name

Children's Dyslexia Center - Southern Illinois

Legal name

Children's Dyslexia Centers, Inc.

Website

https://readwithdyslexia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nonprofit dyslexia intervention network providing free one-on-one Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring to children in grades 1-12 across 40+ centers in 13 states, with IMSLEC-accredited tutor training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Tutoring / Dyslexia Intervention Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dyslexia & Structured Literacy (Orton-Gillingham) Tutoring (EDANAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multisensory Learning Programs & Curriculum for Dyslexia/LD (EDAKAJAL), Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKADAA), Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD), Parent & Caregiver Training for LD/Dyslexia Support (EDAKAJAJ)

Keywords

• Dyslexia tutoring services
• Structured literacy instruction
• Multisensory reading intervention
• Orton-Gillingham education
• Special education tutoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Collinsville, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Sponsorships: The organization operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) and relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and the Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Sponsorship programs allow donors to sponsor individual children ($5,000 per child per year).
2. Tutor Training Course Fees: Graduate-level courses accredited by IMSLEC are offered to school teachers and qualified individuals. While minimal or no-cost tutoring is provided to children, the training courses generate some revenue for educator certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Children's Dyslexia Center - Southern Illinois provides free or low-cost, one-on-one dyslexia tutoring for children in grades 1-12 using the Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) approach based on Orton-Gillingham/Structured Literacy principles and the science of reading. Tutoring is delivered twice weekly in 55-minute sessions at the Collinsville, Illinois center, supported by IMSLEC-accredited educator training and certification courses. Services are funded primarily through charitable donations and the Scottish Rite Freemasonry network, with tutoring provided regardless of a family's economic status.

Product overview

The Children's Dyslexia Centers operate a network of tutoring centers providing one-on-one dyslexia intervention for children in grades 1-12. The core offering is the Dyslexia Tutoring Program using Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) based on Orton-Gillingham principles. The Southern Illinois center in Collinsville is one of 40+ locations across 13 states. Supporting offerings include an Educator Training & Certification program (IMSLEC-accredited graduate-level courses), a Tutor Directory, Continuing Education for certified practitioners, and charitable giving programs (Sponsor A Child, Builders Council, Planned Giving). The organization is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation affiliated with Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Southern Illinois Children's Dyslexia Center
• Dyslexia Tutoring Program
• Educator Training & Certification
• Tutor Directory
• Continuing Education Program
• Sponsor A Child Program
• Builders Council
• Planned Giving

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of students succeed and gain one to two reading levels each year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Scottish Rite Freemasonry of the Northern Masonic JurisdictioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994Scottish Rite Freemasons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction partnered with Massachusetts General Hospital's Language Disorders Unit in 1994 to launch the dyslexia intervention program. Scottish Rite provides philanthropic funding, facilities (Masonic temples), and organizational infrastructure. This is the founding partnership that established the Children's Dyslexia Centers network.
• Massachusetts General Hospital Language Disorders UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994Massachusetts General Hospital's Language Disorders Unit collaborated with Scottish Rite Freemasonry in 1994 to develop the initial program methodology and clinical approach. This partnership provided the scientific foundation for the MSLE/Orton-Gillingham based intervention.
• International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC)coreTechnology or IntegrationIMSLEC provides accreditation for the organization's graduate-level training courses at Teaching, Instructor of Teaching, Therapy, and Instructor of Therapy levels. This accreditation ensures quality standards and professional recognition for graduates.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lexercise: Lexercise delivers online, one-on-one dyslexia therapy and Structured Literacy tutoring via teletherapy, representing a digital alternative to the Children's Dyslexia Centers' in-person center model.
• Dyslexia Training Institute: DTI trains tutors and teachers in Structured Literacy / Orton-Gillingham methods and provides direct services, overlapping with the Children's Dyslexia Centers' educator-training and tutoring offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Landmark School: Landmark is a private boarding and day school for students with language-based learning disabilities including dyslexia, offering a longer-duration educational program that overlaps with the Children's Dyslexia Centers' target population but serves it through full-time schooling.

Direct peers

• Barton Reading & Spelling System: Barton provides a structured, Orton-Gillingham-based reading and spelling tutoring program delivered one-on-one, often by trained parents or tutors, competing for the same dyslexic student and tutor-training audience.
• Wilson Language Training: Wilson Language Training sells Fundations, Wilson Reading System, and Just Words — Structured Literacy / Orton-Gillingham-aligned programs used in schools and clinics, and offers educator training comparable to the Children's Dyslexia Centers' IMSLEC-accredited courses.
• Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE): IMSE trains educators in the Orton-Gillingham approach through graduate-level courses and practicums, directly competing with the Children's Dyslexia Centers' IMSLEC-accredited teacher certification offering.
• Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers: Lindamood-Bell operates Learning Centers nationally providing one-on-one literacy and language instruction for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, using proprietary sensory-cognitive programs that directly compete with the Children's Dyslexia Centers' MSLE approach for the same parent-funded market.

Others

• International Dyslexia Association (IDA): IDA is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to dyslexia, providing accreditation, professional standards, and resources that shape the ecosystem in which the Children's Dyslexia Centers operates.
• Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity: Yale's center is a research, advocacy, and resource hub advancing the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy; it is thematically aligned with the Children's Dyslexia Centers' methodology and is even linked from the parent resources page.

Regional players

• Berg Instructional Services: Berg Instructional Services provides Structured Literacy / Orton-Gillingham-based reading intervention and educator training in the Midwest, overlapping with several Illinois centers in the Children's Dyslexia Centers network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/childrens-dyslexia-centers-soil

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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