Testimonials

Our Very First Testimonial - from a grateful and generous family...

"I turned my son Andrew over to you for tutoring a year and a half ago. I was tired of the wrestling, the arguing, the resistance, the fighting, and all the pain that goes with a severely dyslexic and severely ADHD child. After twelve years of constant struggle, I wanted to try having a "normal" mother-child relationship with him. I decided to let you do the tutoring for a while so I could drop just that little bit of the struggle.

As you know, the pain of seeing your child struggle never goes away. It is the pain of seeing him try to hold his own against his peers who all think he is stupid; it is the pain of seeing embarrassment on his face when he is called to read aloud in class; it is the pain of seeing his fleeting successes work against him as teachers expect that if he can do it once, he can do it consistently. It is the pain of seeing a child, so sensitive and intuitive, so bright and funny and so endearing get hammered down a bit more each day as his failures outnumber his achievements.

Iris, you did two things for my son. You believed in Dreamcatcher and you believed in him. You told me you would teach him to read and you did. It is not easy for him and it is not his first choice when he has free time! But he has crossed over the hump from not having a clue about reading to reading fluently and he did it with you. As he continues at Dreamcatcher, I feel that reading will get easier and easier for him.

Andrew would probably never come out and thank you for teaching him to read. However, I felt his gratitude one day while discussing this letter with him; a letter that I thought he would not want me to write because of the embarrassment of "going public" with his disability and his struggle. I told him I didn't have to write the letter. He thought for a minute and said, 'Mom, if it helps other kids learn how to read, I think it would be worth it.'

From the bottom of my heart and his, thank you."

—DeDe Beardsley

"Both my husband and I feel that the instruction our son received at Dreamcatcher is primarily responsible for his turn-around at school. He seemed to study hard, but each semester his grades, confidence and happiness seemed to diminish. Before enrolling, I must tell you I was skeptical as to what results we could expect, because we had seen Zach put forth good effort at two other instructional facilities, but with no change in his academic records.

We send you our heartfelt appreciation, because we saw him become increasingly confident, sure of his abilities and intellect, and prepared to excel. Because of Dreamcatcher, his recent report card had six A's and one B, and we are convinced that your continued encouragement and commitment has made it possible for him to pursue his dream of attending a Service Academy."

—Karen and Scott Decker

"I am thrilled with my daughter’s success at Dreamcatcher...She is almost ten years old. The first testing showed that she was about two grade levels behind. After only six months in the program, she had advanced over two grade levels in reading. I cried!"

—Lisa Gerstacker

"I would like to complement you and your staff for the great environment you maintain at your center. It is upbeat, caring and very positive. Other parents I talk with agree. My son was barely passing any of his classes in his sophomore year. Both of his teachers helped him fill in the missing gaps in his learning, which changed his ability and his attitude. He learned that he could learn, and be successful. Thank you, Iris, Ralph and Nadia."

—Valerie Solheim

"I can’t thank the staff at Dreamcatcher enough for all their hard work with my son. I feel like Dreamcatcher h as given him a new start in life. I know he will go on to college and be a successful person in society."

—Dianne Campbell-Ostdiek

"As a teacher (former public school and Montessori school and current homeschool) and parent, I unconditionally recommend Dreamcatcher for any child needing a boost in academic skills and confidence."

—Susie Beiersdorfer

"The research and my daughter’s academic results indicate that the Direct Instruction curriculum, which Dreamcatcher utilizes as their method of teaching, works really well. The instruction method coupled with the awesome, caring staff at Dreamcatcher has greatly helped improve my daughter’s life."

—Win Cady

The people at Dreamcatcher are really nice. They helped me a lot and always listened. It was fun because I had only one teacher and I liked learning that way."

—Kelsie Cady, age 9

"Dreamcatcher has been a miracle! Within weeks, my son began reading, and now he looks forward to each session he attends! I just wish more people could know there is help available that can and will guarantee the children lifelong success."

—Colleen Evans

"My son was given phonic skills to break down the mystery of reading. Dreamcatcher made the lessons challenging, yet not overwhelming. They celebrated every milestone with as much enthusiasm as we did."

—Laurel McKown

"I stood in the office with tears in my eyes, questioning if the program could really help my daughter. She is now reading at grade level. There are days she would rather go to Dreamcatcher than play with her schoolmates!"

—Jeanne Ryan

References and Complete Letters Available Upon Request