What makes Us Unique?

Several studies have been done since 2006 and leading up to 2011 evaluating the reading capabilities of children in South Africa. South Africa did not fare well in these studies and when we came across these studies and studied the details thereof it created a sense of urgency with us to develop a systematic approach to improve these statistics. This was the main driving force behind our initiative and so in 2022 we started developing a program where children from the ages of 5 years right up to adults can learn to read with confidence and comprehension.

Children who struggle to read, struggle to learn and with the ever-evolving technological advances and smart devices children started using abbreviations that are not used in language. This caused a dramatic decline in children’s ability to spell words correctly and has a negative impact on their language progress.

Reading builds vocabulary and language skills. Children who read will show a dramatic improvement with their sentence construction and their use of grammar.

Why develop a new reading program? Why would our program be better than all the previous programs? We studied children of all ages in our development process and closely monitored their quarterly and well as their yearly school grade progress. Our learners in the development showed progress from 6% upwards to 13% on their grades. However, we were not satisfied with the increase percentage and went back to the drawing board and adjusted the reading program and introduced better intentional development. With the goal being to teach children to read in a playful manner but also have them make use of a well-developed computer program where we can further promote speed reading and increase memory retention.

After the necessary improvement and adjustments were made our learners showed a dramatic increase of 21% upwards to 32% in their grades. The learners further boasted with much stronger self-esteem and started enjoying reading and their learning ability doubled. Children diagnosed with ADHD, ADD and DBD also showed enormous progress with our reading and play techniques.

Reading is not an innate human skill thus the importance of being taught how to read. Most children need a systematic approach to help them sharpen and improve their reading skills to enable them to read with comprehension. That is where we come in, during the learning proses many different parts of the brain is being activated and used. With regular training new pathways and neuron connections are being established between the relevant areas of the brain and with sufficient practise word recognition becomes automatic.

This unique combination of reading and playing brought smiles to the faces of children as well as their parents, and suddenly school was no longer an unpleasant journey but one they tackle with great excitement and joy.

Excel Read and Learn Centres serves as a dedicated space for the development of reading abilities and the cognitive growth of each individual learner. This initiative seeks to create an environment where each learner receives undivided attention, with a focus on personal development. These reading centres represents an oasis of potential and individual growth, where smiles flourish, narratives are woven, and where the uniqueness of each learner is nurtured.

The comment from Donne Francis adds further context, emphasizing the positive influence that the Excel Read and Learn Centres has had on individuals. “The growth, smiles, narrative elements, and the creation of a space for uniqueness contribute to an environment within which learners can cultivate a bright future through this immersive reading initiative.” – Donne Francis