Education on Centre: Dyslexia center reopens with new name, features

The Dyslexia Reading Center of Central Pennsylvania opened Tuesday and saw its first two clients on the first day.

Board Vice President Angie Williams said so far, it’s been a smooth transition, though there are still kinks to work out.

At the end of August, the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Central Pennsylvania, located on West College Avenue, closed its doors.

But with help from the same board of governors, they had a vision to reopen a new center with a new name at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pine Grove Mills that would have more features.

What used to only serve children is now also available to adults with dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects reading and language-based processing skills.

“It opens up the door to so many more people we can help,” Williams said. “It’s the kind of thing that needs a special approach specific to their needs.”

That approach is what’s called a multisensory program, which includes auditory, visual, tactical and kinesthetic learning.

“It’s a huge part of boosting self-esteem,” Williams, who had a son in the program, said.

The center serves people in Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Lycoming and Mifflin counties, and has seven tutors.

As of opening day, the center had 15 clients, Williams said.

“It’s going well, and the space worked out well although it seemed like it took forever,” Williams said.

Williams said they started moving into the church in November and finalized things about a week before they opened.

It originally cost about $5,000 per student per year, Williams said, but that was paid for through sponsors.

The center’s annual budget was about $100,000 and was funded through the Masons and organized fundraising efforts, Williams said.

However, the Masons pulled funding.

“We have rent, but more than anything, we’re looking for community support with assistance to come up with scholarship money to help pay tutors,” Williams said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 10:27 PM with the headline "Education on Centre: Dyslexia center reopens with new name, features."