Lowcountry Literacy Project and Windwood Farm partner to provide life changing literacy support for six boys this summer

Summer Scholars Initiative Expands Access to High-Dosage Orton-Gillingham Intervention Through Support from the Wright Reason Foundation

The Lowcountry Literacy Project (LLP) announced a new partnership with Windwood Farm Home for Children that is providing six boys with intensive, one-to-one Orton-Gillingham literacy intervention this summer through LLP’s Summer Scholars Initiative.

Funded by the Wright Reason Foundation, the program is delivering nine weeks of high-dosage tutoring at no cost, helping students strengthen foundational reading skills and build confidence as learners.

Windwood Farm Home for Children, a residential treatment program for boys ages 6–16 recovering from abuse, neglect, trauma, and other significant emotional and behavioral challenges, is home to a Charleston County School District Title I school. The organization was identified as an ideal partner for the Summer Scholars Initiative because of the critical need for individualized literacy support.

“Every child deserves the chance to discover that they are capable”, said Lindsey Ballenger, Executive Director of the LLP. “For boys who have experienced significant adversity, learning to read isn’t just about academics, it’s about restoring confidence, creating opportunity, and building a future where their past does not determine their future. We are incredibly grateful to the Wright Reason Foundation for making this opportunity possible and to Windwood Farm for partnering with us to serve these deserving students.”

The intervention will utilize the Orton-Gillingham approach, a structured, multisensory, evidence-based method widely recognized as the gold standard for supporting students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Each scholar will receive individualized instruction designed to meet their unique learning needs while accelerating reading growth.

The Windwood Farm partnership is part of LLP’s growing Summer Scholars Initiative, which provides high-dosage literacy tutoring to students across the Lowcountry who may not otherwise have access to specialized intervention. This summer, Summer Scholars programming is serving students at Jennie Moore Elementary, Ladson Elementary, and now Windwood Farm Home for Children.

“We at Windwood Farm are excited to work with the Lowcountry Literacy Society on this pilot project,” states Charles Carmody, Windwood Board Chair. “Reading is fundamental to success in life. Many Windwood Farm boys arrive on campus reading well below their grade level or not being able to read at all. Teaching them how to read will help them be successful when they return to the community and give them a chance for a better life. We thank the Lowcountry Literacy Project for helping our boys to improve their reading ability.”

About Lowcountry Literacy Project

The Lowcountry Literacy Project prepares and supports educators in the science of reading and the Orton-Gillingham approach while expanding access to evidence-based literacy intervention across Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. Through teacher training, coaching, family engagement, and community partnerships, LLP works to ensure every child has the opportunity to become a successful reader. lowcountryliteracyproject.org 

About Windwood Farm

Windwood Farm Home for Children provides help, hope, and healing for boys ages 6 to 16 who are experiencing significant emotional and behavioral challenges resulting from abuse, neglect, and trauma, or whose families, schools and communities are unable to provide the specialized care they need. Their goal is to equip each child with the healing and behavioral skills necessary to successfully transition into a safe, stable, and loving home—whether with their parents, extended family, a foster family, or through adoption—and to rediscover the joy of being a child. windwoodfarm.org