Statements
Mission
Learning Matters is a nonprofit established in 2006 to ensure K-12 students with Dyslexia and other learning disabilities reach their academic and human potential by providing equitable access to the highest quality assessment, tutoring, and advocacy.
Background
Learning Matters, Inc. began in 2006 over a cup of coffee, as friends Christie Andrews and Deb Kitchens dreamed of a place where kids struggling academically could receive assessment, evidence-based tutoring, and advocacy regardless of their parents' ability to pay. Literacy is a gateway to success in life. Dyslexia, a specific learning disability, affects a person's reading, spelling, and writing. It is a complex problem rooted in brain systems that allow us to understand and express language. For example, the inability to distinguish words such as 'cat' versus 'cut' and 'dog' versus 'log' dramatically changes the meaning of a sentence. Many students who cannot read are considered underachievers or of low IQ, leading to feelings of anxiety toward school and low self-worth despite many Dyslexic individuals's higher-level problem-solving and reasoning skills. Dyslexia persists into adulthood, affects one in five students, and represents 80-90% of all learning disabilities.
For the past 18 years, Learning Matters has addressed this critical component of learning by providing three primary services on a sliding fee scale:
- Academic assessment to diagnose a potential learning disability
- Interventional tutoring to remediate learning loss and gain skills to learn independently
- Educational advocacy to help caregivers attain appropriate classroom support for their child.
Learning Matters also serves students needing support in math, study skills, organization, or other content-specific areas. All students are carefully matched with an experienced teacher and a teaching plan based on the individual needs of the student.
Impact
With the support of our community, in FY2024, we supported students with diverse learning styles regardless of their financial capacity in the following ways:
• 403 students received academic services
• 8112 hours of interventional tutoring provided
• 32% of tutoring was provided at a reduced or no fee
• 446 hours of free advocacy
• 20 community teachers received Orton-Gillingham classroom certification through our training
• 203 volunteer hours helped advance our mission and reduce barriers to learning
New Initiative in 2025:
Learning Matters is launching the School Partners in Reading Intervention Tennessee (SPIRIT) program in collaboration with local nonprofits and schools to provide diagnosis, evidence-based tutoring, and school advocacy for economically-disadvantaged students with Dyslexia in their community at no cost.
Needs
Learning Matters welcomes financial gifts and volunteer support to ensure we serve students from any income level. Monetary donations help bridge the gap between what a family can afford to pay and the cost of providing academic support (assessment, tutoring, advocacy). Financial assistance will aid us with our immediate goals of:
1. Provide all services at no cost to the family in our new School Partners in Reading Intervention Tennessee program that reduces geographic and transportation barriers by bringing our tutors to students in their home communities.
2. Increase diversity of students served students
3. Increase awareness and reduce stigma around learning disabilities
CEO Statement
Families and children with diverse learning styles face many barriers in attempting to receive timely and necessary prescriptive intervention for their children to succeed in school. We at Learning Matters are proud to meet families with compassion and understanding, as we are often the first point of contact. Highly qualified and experienced psychologists administer complete psycho-educational evaluation or screenings. A comprehensive report is then developed to ensure a student receives the necessary intervention. All interventions, whether reading, math, or study skills, use research-based curricula with a certified and experienced teacher. Continued advocacy is provided at no cost to all participating families. Since Dyslexia is genetic, many students will have a parent or other family member who may be Dyslexic but never received intervention. Awareness and access to learning with their child will improve the other family members' relationship with literacy. We aim to alleviate stress, increase positive interactions, and increase family stability.
Educational assessments and tutoring are expensive, and we are grateful for community support that allows us to continue to provide these services on a sliding fee scale or at no cost to our under-resourced families.
Board Chair Statement
Learning Matters has experienced phenomenal growth in the 18 years since it was founded. I am honored to serve as the chair of Learning Matters as I am also the mom of a Dyslexic son. I am grateful to have had the resources available to diagnose and discover how my son learns- not just his challenges, but also his strengths. Over the years, my son has spent many hours with tutors, and I've attended numerous school meetings on his behalf. I have witnessed, first-hand, the value of early identification and intervention. I give my time and money to Learning Matters because too many families in our communities lack the resources needed to support the ends of their children with Dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Learning Matters has been able to provide its services on a sliding fee scale due to individual donations and grant support. Learning Matters is unique among non-profit organizations as it can cover much of its operating and overhead expenses with the fees generated from the full fee clientele. Learning Matters is extremely grateful to the corporations, community groups, and individual donors that have allowed the organization to help the students that we serve experience success as learners.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Education - Educational Services |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Remedial Reading & Encouragement |
| Tertiary Category: | Education - Special Education |
Areas Served
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Giles |
