“Kathleen has been a godsend for our child. He struggled with other reading interventions (privately and at school), and felt that they were too babyish, condescending and boring. Kathleen was able to take the time and effort to develop rapport and a deep connection with my child. She is truly one of "his people" now and he trusts her and loved working with her. Her reading support was tailored to his interests, reading level and maturity (and sense of humor!). She kept him engaged and knew when to push and when to give him some space or play a game. He felt like she was a partner for him, and that she respected his knowledge and intelligence and helped him work on skills he needed to improve. I highly recommend Kathleen!!!!!!! She gave my bright, dyslexic kid the tools he needs to thrive in school and in life, and we will be forever grateful.”

-Mickie Farris, Parent

“Kathleen at Rain City Reading changed our child’s life – no, really! Our daughter first started seeing Kathleen in 1st grade after a special education evaluation at the end of the school year. She was not a reader at all and did not retain the sight words she was expected to remember. She was well below grade level in reading and writing, dyslexic and working through an ADHD diagnosis. Through consistent care, masterful skill and endless creativity, Kathleen connected with our daughter, found the activities and topics that excited her, and built her skills over the years. With accommodations in the testing environment, our daughter demonstrated Level 4 proficiency on the state’s SBA testing in ELA by 4th grade and again in 5th grade. At the three-year re-evaluation in 5th grade, she was able to drop the reading goal. Our daughter is now a 9th grader in high school and going strong thanks to targeted early intervention with Kathleen. Thank you, Kathleen, for your kind heart and amazing expertise!”

-Angie D.

“Kathleen at Rain City Reading is amazing. She helped us navigate my son's transition to a traditional academic environment, catch up with his peers on literacy skills, and built a foundation for a love of reading. I found her support as I waded through my son's neurodiversity and academic challenges to be incredibly helpful for my family. 

The effort she puts into each lesson plan is visible. She got to know my son, his interests and how he responds to challenges and custom tailored a learning plan every session. 

I recommend her and her services to anyone even wondering if their kid would benefit from reading support. Her experience as a speech language pathologist then applying it to literacy makes her one of the best resources available in Bellingham. Thank you so much Kathleen.”

-Katy S.

“We were originally referred to Kathleen for getting my son help with reading. Despite a love for stories, he was reluctant to pick up books himself and his reading skills were not developing with his grade level. Kathleen’s approach engaged his busy mind and captured his interest. His skills bloomed rapidly under her tutelage. He is now an avid reader. As my son got older, Kathleen began providing support for his writing – e.g., spelling, sentence structure, and composition. He still remembers fondly the word root exercises and games that she used. Kathleen is so patient, kind, and creative. She gave my son room to wiggle and adapted to his variable attention span. The huge boost that Kathleen provided to my son’s confidence also meant so much to us. We used to joke that, to our family, Kathleen is worth her weight in gold.”

-Alli D., Parent

”Kathleen has been working with our daughter, S, regularly for nearly 2 years. S has dyslexia and Kathleen’s support has been life changing for our family. S has grown her skills and self esteem and as her parents we have grown our confidence in how to support her at home. Huge growth in all aspects! We are extremely grateful to have Kathleen as a provider and friend.”

- Mandee M.

“Kathleen was more than just a tutor. She connected with our son, not only helping him with his literacy development but nurturing his love for reading and language. She got to know him and provided lessons that allowed him to connect with the material. He looked forward to his sessions every week, talked about the things he was going to share with her, and was sad when it was finally time to move on. For a kid who never likes to go to school, he was always happy to work with Kathleen. Furthermore, Kathleen was an invaluable resource and support to us as parents, and for all of this we will always be grateful.”

-Tonya and David Namura, Parents