TinyIvy

I'm Rebecca Silverzweig. I run TinyIvy, an EdTech startup that can teach almost any kid to read with our patented system (U.S. Patent No. 11,842,718) called TIPS. It really works, 2-5 times better than anything else. Huge improvements can be seen in as little as ten weeks. We have a digital platform and turn-key curriculum. Flashcards, readers, workbooks, and more. We train and support our teachers. We're in 12 schools in the US, most in NYC, and 5 more in Kenya. What makes our program different is the TIPS®, think Hebrew, and how it utilizes diacritics to indicate letter sounds. We did that but for the whole alphabet. Our program is founded in the Science Of Reading and completes 1-1 letter sound orthography, helping kids decode faster and start reading right away.

We have completed the development of materials needed to launch our home kit in April. We have an online platform for teachers with a developer on standby to create a student log-in so we can sell subscriptions for at-home use and be available on public schools’ Clever system. We are in the process of applying for MTAC in NYC so we can become a mandated curriculum. We have been trying to get funding for an AI component so that a child reading our books will have an AI coach to correct and encourage. I have so many more ideas on how to expand and use home kits to fund schools in Africa to help more kids. I want TIPS® available wherever people are learning to read. We are doing a lot, but it’s not enough. And the more kids we have entering school from families where English isn’t spoken, the harder it is to learn, and the bigger the achievement gap and ultimately the economic divide.

I want to help kids all reach their potential and learning to read is life-changing. It's the most important gift we can give our kids, but only 33% read at grade level nationwide. I have the tools to change that. What my family has done – my brother (inventor), my mother (author of our 350 books and advisor), Cornyn (Curriculum Director), and myself (I wear many hats) – well it's amazing.

We are helping kids who never had a chance before. 4th-grade non-verbal autistic children are finally able to learn to read. Grandmothers in Uganda teaching future generations to read so they have a chance to be teachers or doctors. Children in inner-city schools are surrounded by crime and falling apart, in schools where tutors won't go because it's too dangerous. Children scattered over hundreds of miles on a remote Indian Reservation. We are teaching these kids to read.

I have schools in NYC willing to let you see TIPS® in action live. I have principals and district leaders who will vouch for our methods. We are backed by Dr. David Share, one of the world’s leading linguistic scientists. I have case studies linked here. We have schools in all different spaces that children who never had a chance now have a chance. We need someone to see what we have and all the good it will bring.