Welcome
Dyslexia is estimated to affect some 20% of our population - more than 2 million school-age children in the United States.
Although these children typically have average or above-average intelligence, their dyslexia can create difficulties not only with reading, writing and spelling but also with listening, thinking, talking and arithmetic. These academic problems can lead to emotional and self-esteem problems throughout their entire lives.
With early diagnosis and appropriate instruction, these children can learn - and can enjoy learning - at their own age level.
In creating the 32 Degree Masonic Learning Centers for Children, Inc., it has been our mission to provide professional treatment - free of charge to children with dyslexia.
Services are made available to children on a first-come, first served basis. We also provide free tutor training to qualified adults using the Orton-Gillingham curriculum model. We're also committed to increasing public awareness of dyslexia as well as improving the standards of care through research and education.
In the years that the Children's Learning Centers have been actively engaged in helping children overcome the obstacles of dyslexia, thousands of dyslexic children have received free one-on-one multisensory reading and written language tutoring, and hundreds of school teachers and other individuals interested in becoming certified tutors have received training at no cost. Additionally, the Children's Learning Centers continue to support clinical research programs that focus on dyslexia.
History and Methodology
The Masons are the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world, with a rich history in the U.S. that dates back to colonial times-George Washington was among the first Masons in the then newly formed United States. A cornerstone of Scottish Rite Masonry is a wholehearted commitment to volunteerism. Masons do their charitable work at a level where real differences can be made in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Following the philanthropic precedent of many other Masonic charities, notably the Shriners Hospitals, the Children's Learning Centers Program represents a substantial charitable commitment. This commitment totaled $8 million in 2005 and we anticipate that the program will grow to even greater capacity in coming years.
In 1994, the Scottish Rite Masons joined forces with the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital to launch a major endeavor to help ease the life-long burdens of dyslexia. Until the Children's Learning Centers were launched in the 15 states of this organization's Northern Jurisdiction, no other national charity had adopted this critical need as a major concern. Although studies revealed the existence of remarkably effective programs for treating dyslexia, no one was addressing the issue and its cost to individuals and society in a systematic way.
The initial goal was to open 55 Learning Centers in 15 states. At that time, the Masons made the following philanthropic pledges:
• To help children with dyslexia learn to read and to reach their full potential;
• To help their families end the frustration, guilt, and disruption caused by dyslexia;
• To help communities by building Learning Centers to help youngsters succeed in and out of school; and
• To fully fund this endeavor.
The Children's Learning Centers, now in 15 states, provide tutoring at no charge to children from kindergarten through high school who have been diagnosed as dyslexic. Children are eligible regardless of economic status, race, religion, or Masonic affiliation. The positive impact of early intervention on the lives of these children and their families is enormous, and inspires our commitment to this program.
Additionally the Scottish Rite Masons Southern Jurisdiction runs 165 RiteCare clinics, centers and special programs for children with speech, language, hearing, and learning disorders.
The curriculum used as the basis for tutoring and tutor training at all Children's Learning Centers integrates principles of two of the leading Orton-Gillingham approaches. The Orton-Gillingham approach, developed in the 1920's, uses a sequential, multisensory phonetic approach. Thus, a variety of sensory data is used to help children understand the written word.
School teachers receive training and continuing education credits to become certified Children's Learning Center tutors. Children are tutored one-on-one twice a week after regular school hours. This allows for the curriculum to be tailored to each individual child as necessary, and progress is made in small, readily quantifiable steps. Services provided by the Learning Centers equip children with the skills and the confidence they need to approach learning with eagerness and without fear.
