Structured Literacy Program for Early Readers Fully Funded for Summer 2026

The Take Flight Summer Reading program is a four-week structured literacy program serving students in grades 1-3 whose families face financial barriers to specialized tutoring or academic summer programs. 

This program is directed by Jeanine Cyrwus, M.Ed., Director of Outreach & Literacy at Oakwood School, and hosted on Oakwood's campus in the DC Metro area. 

Instruction is delivered by graduate student interns from George Mason University and Marymount University, each of whom will complete Structured Literacy training through Reed Charitable Foundation, an IDA-accredited program, before working directly with students. 

Every lesson follows evidence-based Structured Literacy principles, systematic, cumulative, explicit, and multisensory, and addresses the full range of reading skills: phonemic awareness, phonics for reading and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Classes meet three hours per day in small groups.  

This summer, enrollment is completely free. The program has been awarded a Summer Reading grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, receiving the maximum grant amount of $3,000 to support books, software, and instructional materials. 

Additionally, generous funding from the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and the Virginia Council on Learning Disabilities will cover tuition for each enrolled camper, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent a child from receiving the intervention they need.

I’m excited about the potential of this pilot program, said Cyrwus. The support we’ve received from IDA, VCLD, and now the Dollar General Literacy Foundation reflects just how necessary programs like this are and makes it possible for us to reach students who might not otherwise have access to this kind of instruction.

Take Flight represents a dual investment: in the early readers who need structured literacy intervention most, and in the next generation of teachers being trained to deliver it. 

For more information, contact Jeanine Cyrwus via email at Take Flight Summer Reading.