The Institute of Reading Development is a nationwide leader in reading skills instruction. Since 1970, the Institute has taught more than two million students in partnership with colleges and universities across the United States. The Institute’s inspired instruction encourages a lifelong love of reading in every student.
Is Institute of Reading Development legit?
Institute of Reading Development (readingprograms.org) has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 100 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Public & Local Services and its reputation is excellent. 88% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 9% are 1 star; The business has replied to 67% of negative reviews; 3 of them were added in the last 12 months. Last updated 2026-08-25.
What I enjoyed most about the summer reading program was the strong engagement between teachers and students. The interaction and support provided created a positive learning environment, and I truly wouldn't change anything about that aspect. Mr. Kevin B. is a phenomenal educator with an engaging personality. The children loved him.
Where I feel the program could improve is in the design of the student portal. I believe it would be beneficial to have a more interactive platform—one that not only encourages daily engagement but also offers adaptive challenges for students who are more advanced.
For instance, my daughter often breezed through the assigned tasks and was left with little else to do. Even when we tried to pace the activities, the material didn't offer enough depth or variety to keep her fully engaged or challenged.
Incorporating tiered activities, bonus challenges, or optional enrichment tasks could help students like her stay motivated and continue progressing at their own pace.
Overall, my child did gain some skills from the program, but I wouldn’t say they were skills she could’ve only learned by enrolling. That said, it was still a great experience and definitely worth trying at least once. It gave us insight into a different style of learning and provided valuable structure over the summer.
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-09-03
We appreciate this thorough review, Jessica. We're so glad that we kept your daughter engaged and that the class was a positive experience. We are actually working on building out more and more activities for our student portal, all designed to meet kids where they are in each grade, week after week - so please keep checking back for more info about this new content! Thanks again - Kate, Customer Care Specialist
A summer class like this can help any and all students stay sharp over the summer. My son enjoys learning but isn't always happy to do homework, especially over the summer. I think he liked having some work over the summer, though, after all. He liked meeting the other students in the class and developed a good rapport with the teachers. He felt he learned some things and it was helpful to him.
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-08-06
We're glad to hear that your son ended up enjoying his Summer Reading Program, Tiffany! Thank you for leaving us a review - Kate, Customer Care Specialist
Instructor is excellent, he motivated us. He made the students happy. He was joyful exciting even the parents had a good time. And you really made it fun
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-08-06
We love hearing that parents are enjoying our program as much as the students! Thanks, Yvette - Tracy, Customer Care Specialist
Mr. Damion brought the mission and vision of the organization to life. He engaged with his students, he challenged them, and he encouraged them. It has been an exceptional experience thus far. Thank you!
My son likes the class. The teacher is friendly and passionate about reading books.
It is nice to see the kids interacting in class.
Nowadays, the school want the kids to read in Chrome books which is the worst thing you can do to a young reader.
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-07-15
Thank you for highlighting the importance we place on kids discussing great books with each other and the teacher. We appreciate your review, Luanda! - Casey, Customer Care Specialist
I enrolled my daughter in this reading program with high expectations, based on the advertising that promised real progress. I specifically chose the in-person option—despite the higher cost—because she struggles with online learning due to her age and short attention span.
Unfortunately, the experience was far below what was promised. One class was canceled five minutes after its start time because the facility hadn't opened its doors. The makeup session was scheduled during my work hours, so my husband had to take PTO to bring her—only to find the classroom empty.
On the first day, the teacher had nothing but a small post-it board to teach from, which was not visible to the children in the back. She said the company was supposed to provide a proper board, but none ever arrived.
There were also issues with the 20-minute sessions—one week, the assigned teacher didn’t show up at all. I’d prepared my daughter and rearranged our day, only to be forced into rescheduling. When I contacted support to share my concerns, the agent asked, "Well, what would you like?"—as though I needed to solve their service issues myself.
I paid nearly $400 for what should have been a structured and supportive learning environment. The registration process was smooth, and I was planning to enroll her in both summer sessions, but after this experience, I can’t recommend the program to other families.
The only positive was the teacher herself—she was kind and patient, and that’s the only reason I’m giving this program one
The teachers are all very nice and patient with my daughter's learning. Her speed of learning, understanding the passage and picking up new vocabulary have improved a great deal!
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-07-08
Thank you for sharing how much our teachers helped your daughter. We're so glad to hear about her improvements! - Kate, Customer Care Specialist
My experience was GREAT because I saw a few shy children participate in class and enjoyed learning. The teacher ensured all children participated in answering questions and if they struggled then the teacher simplified the process of sounding out letters and connecting words so the child would understand and learn how to read a word. No child was left behind in class. This experience left a big impression on my son (5 years old) and he can't wait to go back to class. I have never heard my son say "Mom can we go to reading class tomorrow (Sunday) again". I am amazed. The teacher is exceptional.
Reply from Institute of Reading Development2025-06-23
This is absolutely what we want for every student in our Reading Programs, Camaria! Thank you for sharing how your teacher made sure that each student was building their skills and confidence. - Casey, Customer Care Specialist
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