If your child is in Kindergarten or the early grades in Ontario, the way they are taught to read has changed in the last few years. Much of that change traces back to one report.
In February 2022, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released its Right to Read inquiry report. It looked at how Ontario's public schools teach reading, especially to students with reading disabilities such as dyslexia, and it made 157 recommendations. Since then, the province has rewritten its language curriculum, protected time for reading instruction and introduced early reading screening for young students. Here is what that means for your family.
What the Right to Read Report Found
The Commission concluded that learning to read is a basic human right, not a privilege, and that many Ontario students, particularly those with reading disabilities, were not getting the teaching they needed to read well.
Reading needs to be taught directly
The report found that many classrooms relied on cueing methods, where children were encouraged to guess a word from a picture or the first letter. It recommended structured, evidence-based teaching of the foundations instead: sounds, phonics, decoding, word reading and fluency, taught explicitly and in order.
Struggling readers should be caught early
The Commission recommended screening every young child for early reading difficulties, so that schools can spot a child who is falling behind before the gap grows.
Help should come quickly
A child who needs extra reading support should get effective, evidence-based intervention right away, without waiting for a formal diagnosis or a long assessment list.
What Has Changed in Ontario Schools
A new language curriculum
Since September 2023, Ontario's Grades 1 to 8 Language curriculum includes a Foundations of Language strand that asks teachers to teach foundational reading skills, including phonics, explicitly and systematically.
Protected time for reading instruction
Under Policy/Program Memorandum 168, schools must set aside uninterrupted time for explicit, systematic teaching of foundational reading in Grades 1 to 3: at least 150 minutes in every five-day cycle, in daily blocks of at least 30 minutes.
Early reading screening
The same memorandum requires every student in Year 2 of Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 to be screened for early reading with a ministry-approved, evidence-based tool. The first screening happens near the start of the school year and must be finished before mid-November. A second screening by the middle of March is required for students who did not meet the benchmark the first time and is optional for those who did.
Results are shared with families: the first screening in the first Kindergarten Communication of Learning or the first provincial report card, and the second in the report that comes home near the end of June.
How to Read Your Child's Screening Result
A screener is a quick check of foundational skills, such as knowing letters and their sounds, blending sounds into words and reading simple text. It is not a grade, and it does not count toward your child's marks.
If your child did not meet the benchmark, treat it as an early flag, not a label. The policy says screening should not be the only basis for decisions about special education, and that schools should talk with parents about the results and how to support reading at home. Good questions to ask the teacher:
- Which skills did the screener show my child needs to work on?
- What extra reading instruction will my child get at school, and how often?
- When will you check progress again?
- What can we practise at home that matches what you are teaching in class?
Signs Your Child May Need More Reading Support
- Still mixes up many letter sounds by the middle of Grade 1
- Guesses words from pictures or the first letter instead of sounding them out
- Reads very slowly or avoids reading aloud
- Has trouble rhyming, clapping out syllables or hearing the sounds in a word
- Struggles with spelling much more than with other schoolwork
None of these alone means a learning disability, but together they are worth raising with your child's teacher early.
Simple Ways to Help at Home
- Play with sounds. Rhyming games, I Spy with first sounds, and breaking short words into sounds (c-a-t) build the skills the screener checks.
- Ask your child to sound words out. When they get stuck, point to the letters and blend the sounds together rather than saying "look at the picture".
- Use decodable books. Ask the teacher for books that match the sound patterns your child has learned, so practice feels successful.
- Keep reading aloud to them. Listening to stories builds vocabulary and comprehension, even while decoding is still developing.
- Keep it short and regular. Ten relaxed minutes most days does more than one long session at the weekend.
How Connect Education Can Help
If your child needs extra help with the foundations of reading, a one-on-one tutor can work on exactly the skills the screener flagged. Connect Education matches families with certified teachers who hold a professional teacher certificate in good standing, including teachers experienced in structured literacy and in supporting students with dyslexia. Lessons take place online, in person or at a public library.
Read more about the report and the changes in schools on our Right to Read page, see how we teach reading and spelling, or book a free 15-minute assessment to talk through your child's needs. You can also create a free parent account and browse teachers.
For more on the teaching approach behind the report, read The Science of Reading: How Structured Literacy Shapes Early Literacy Success.