SpellRead is a gold standard, science-based reading program that develops a phonological skill set, reading fluency and comprehension, as well as writing skills.
The SpellRead program was developed by Kay MacPhee, a teacher from Prince Edward Island, and over the last two decades, has grown into a top-rated program that holds the highest standard of student results to all of its learners. Kay began developing techniques to teach her son, who was born hearing-impaired, language skills and to learn to read. With support from a local doctor, Kay began working with learning disabled and dyslexic students using the same methods, discovering that they also could not hear the sounds of the English language. After two decades of development, SpellRead was launched in 1994. 
Between 1998-2001, based on a recommendation from Dr. Reid Lyon at the National Health Institute, Dr. Joseph Torgeson of the Florida Center for Reading Research began the first formal clinical trial of SpellRead, publishing the results in Learning Disability Quarterly (Spring 2001). In 2001, SpellRead was initiated into the public school system of several U.S. states, and in 2003, SpellRead was accepted as only one of four programs included in the largest ever clinical trial of reading programs in the U.S, based on its independent evidence and program effectiveness. SpellRead received top honours in the What Works Clearinghouse study, funded by the U.S. Education Department, and was declared the most effective reading comprehension program available today. Since its original implementation, SpellRead is currently part of the public school system in thirteen different states throughout the U.S., as well as clinical practices in China and Switzerland.
With the help of Dr. Wayne MacDonald, director of the IWK Psychology department for 23 years, and Sarah Arnold of the Halifax Learning Centre, the SpellRead program was brought to Nova Scotia in 1999, as a means to help families working with learning challenges and disabilities. Since its inception, SpellRead is now offered in eight locations throughout Nova Scotia and has helped change the lives of over 2000 students around the metro Halifax region. SpellRead has also been successful with many community groups such as the Youth at Risk program and the Department of Community Services developing adult learning, as well as currently working with Dr. Jamie Metsala, Chair of Learning Disabilites at Mount St. Vincent University. The Shore Side Learning Centre is proud to be a part of the SpellRead family.