Greetings!

I am Cailin Kiefhaber and I am a reading specialist located in Washington D.C.

Prior to working 1:1 with struggling readers and writers, I was an elementary classroom teacher and curriculum coordinator for over 15 years. I spent much of my career working in international and private schools that gravitated towards progressive forms of education. I loved, and still love, project-based learning and methodologies such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia. My favorite teaching experiences were the many years that I spent working under the IB PYP, or International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme which focuses on socio-emotional learning as well as transdisciplinary skills.

While my teaching experiences were all incredible and positive, I often felt that something was missing within the realm of explicit reading instruction. When I was introduced to the Orton Gillingham approach I was struck by how direct, organized and effective it was. Using this multi-sensory and prescriptive approach to teach reading and spelling has transformed my ability to reach children who were struggling in ways that previously, I could not have identified as effectively. I am finally able to sit with parents of struggling readers and show them which specific skills in reading that their child needs and then provide them an individualized plan of instruction. I also love how the approach is so easily shareable with other educators and have been lucky to build collaborative relationships with the teachers of the students that I work with.