Testimonials

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Zoo-phonics® gets RESULTS!

We are loving our Zoo-phonics®! Our kindergartners are already two months ahead of where they were at this time last year with our old curriculum. The students, their parents, para-educators and I are very happy with our choice!

Brock Williams Principal, Parkside Elementary Tenino, WA June 16, 2015

Taking students to the next level!

We bought the program with the intention of increasing the ease and speed of kindergarten students learning the sounds of the letters. Your program is active, engaging, condensed and worked as promised. Our next challenge is adjusting instruction to take our students to the next level sooner than we have in the past.

Mr. Tony DeMonte Assistant Principal West Elementary, Zion, IL June 11, 2015

By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic.

My name is Lori McPherson and I am a mother of two littles in Rancho Murieta, California. First I want to take a moment to say truly, thank you. In 1992 I was eight years old and entering a new school because I could not keep up at the private catholic school that I had been attending. I was entering the fourth grade and could not read. I excelled in all subjects on every diagnostic test given to me, as long as the instructor read to me. My parents had taken me to every tutor available and had me tested for every diagnosis possible. The result was always the same, there was nothing wrong with me, I just could not read. As I began fourth grade and the school started to talk about special education classes, one counselor came up with an idea. She had heard of a special new phonics that maybe would help me. I was tutored using Zoo-Phonics and guess what? By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic. Nothing had ever worked before. I was so embarrassed and exhausted with learning and Zoo-Phonics taught me to read. What you created was a true gift to me and my thanks could never be enough. Fast forward to December of last year and my little boy, Henry was still struggling at age three and a half to speak in sentences. My rational brain has told me since he was two and not talking, that he will move at his own pace and will be fine. My irrational, mommy brain has been screaming, “What if he is in the fourth grade and can’t read!”. He has previously been to physicians who say he is behind however, is a perfectly healthy, intelligent, typical little boy. We sent him to a preschool program within a daycare setting for the past year and have not been happy with the “extra” socialization he is receiving from one of the teachers and several of the other children. Because I am a totally rational, well adjusted adult, I did what any normal non-mommy brain adult would do… I decided to become an early childhood educator at the age of thirty-five. 😉 In February of 2019 I began classes in Early Childhood Education and have learned so much. Slowly, I have realized that this is all so instinctual to me. While going through my mom’s old box of everything she wanted to save from my early childhood I found a book that my teachers helped me create in preschool. They asked us questions and wrote down our answers. I could not contain my laughter when I read, “What do you want to be when you grow, up? Answer: A mommy, A teacher, A Doctor, and A Rockstar. Make sure you put it in that order!” It all makes sense to me now. My spunky little, four year old self was telling the future: Mommy to Henry and Margaret, followed by Early Childhood Educator, followed by Early Childhood Education Professor, Followed by… well maybe I’ll become famous and meet Gwen Stefani and we’ll make an Early Childhood Education Rap record together, making me a Rockstar. Hey, anything could happen! In all seriousness, I truly have found my calling and am determined to give my children the best education possible. Because, I believe that all children, especially my strong willed little man, need educators other than their parents involved in their lives, my husband and I have enrolled Henry in a carefully selected preschool program that begins in September of 2019. One our search we even stopped by your Safari Learning Center because I had been listening to your podcast, which I found in a search of Early Childhood Education on iphone app. Imagine my surprise when I realized who you were. The educator who created Zoo-Phonics and your center was an hour and a half away from me! My husband and I grew up in a Mississippi river town of 30,000 people in Illinois. We moved to San Diego, California, for his work, in 2012 and Sacramento in 2014 because we were pregnant and could not afford to live in a one bedroom shack on the beach with a baby. We moved to start our family and moved an hour and half away from the creator of the program that taught me to read! Your program and way of educating has inspired me so much. While we are waiting for Henry to start preschool two days a week I will be teaching him and two of his friends Zoo-Phonics. When he begins preschool in the Fall I will continue to teach his friends as well as him on the other three mornings of the week. My hope is that using them as my cute little test subjects, combined with my own schooling, I will be able to start my own, small, neighborhood preschool program in the future. Much appreciation for all that you do, Lori McPherson

Lori McPherson, mom and early-educator-to-be April 10, 2019

Zoo-kids and now Zoo-grand kids!

I am a retired school social worker and  just placed an order to re-order a Parent Kit as a grandparent.  I raised my 3 children in Calaveras County, and a few of their teachers introduced me to Zoo-phonics back in the late 80's. I ran a small home preschool, and all 6 of our students learned to read in their 4th year within a few months using Zoo Phonics.  My own daughter learned in 3 days!  Later, when she went to kindergarten and was introduced to "Climbing Mount Learning" and Open Court phonics, she came home in tears.  She said they'd talked about how hard it was going to be to learn to read.  I reassured her she already knew how to read and that she already knew it wasn't hard it was fun!!   Of course Open Court's crazy system WAS confusing. "Hissing tire, hissing tire, SSS"..  I thought it was the dumbest system I'd ever encountered!  The tire is the shape of an O, the word tire starts with a T, and so how was a child to key on just the sound of S and associate it with the movement of air leaving a tire?  How many kids in the 80's encountered flat tires?   Zoo-phonics was so natural, including the stories to create the blends which the kids remembered and loved.  As parents, both my husband, who was the Special Ed Director, and I made a big pitch to the district to change; at the time it wasn't "research validated" yet so we lost that battle.  Fortunately, the special ed kids continued to access it and benefit.  I told my daughter to just ignore all the methods, read the way she already knew how to sound out words, and if she failed any phonics tests, just ask them to allow her to read to them their questions and her answers....   This brings me to today's order.  I have a 4 year old grandson who was struggling to read on our last visit but now recognizes all of his letters without any help from any system and knows many sounds.  So I delved into the garage boxes to find my Zoo-phonics materials, when I remembered I had donated them to a local preschool when I downsized.  I was so frustrated because I knew he was ready to read!  So he's coming for a visit this weekend and I wanted to be ready with materials! My next purchase will be the vowel puppets! Sincerely, Heather O'Brophy

Heather O'Brophy, retired school social worker & at home preschool owner August 31, 2018

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Students and parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!

"Students and Parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!  My kindergartners adored their zoo animal friends, and they especially enjoyed singing “Come Meet Us At The Zoo” each morning shortly after arriving at school.  But most rewarding to me as their teacher was meeting around the table with my smaller reading groups and noticing a child using the animal alphabet signals to decode a new word.  How exciting to have equipped my students with such a useful tool!"  

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Your use of picture mnemonics to teach letter-sound relations is indeed supported by findings of our 1983 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology

Your use of picture mnemonics to teach letter-sound relations is indeed supported by findings of our 1983 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. In this study we found in two experiments that beginning readers learned letter-sound relations more effectively when they were taught associations between objects having shapes that resembled the shapes of the letters and having names that began with the sound to be associated with the letters. You have applied this principal to all of your letters. In addition you have included body movements that relate to the objects. The evidence suggests that this should help children learn these associations more effectively. Help in learning letter-sound associations is particularly important for children who come to school without much knowledge about letter shapes, names and sounds and for children who have a difficult time remembering associations by rote. In addition, building letter instruction around animals and body movements make learning more fun.

Professor Linnea C. Ehri Program in Educational Psychology March 10, 2016

This is a well-crafted Language Arts program that works for all children

Zoo-phonics, with its cast of child-pleasing Animal Characters, has made a dramatic impact on the beginning reading program at our school. Three, four, and five-year old students are sounding letters, blending letters, building words and reading. It is delightful to see and hear the students as they internalize the sound letter relationship in a natural, fun way. Zoo-phonics uses the three modalities; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic; to take the students from the concrete sounds to the abstract letters that represent these sounds. All 15 of my preschool, first and second grade teachers have been trained in Zoo-phonics. They are all enthusiastic about the program and ecstatic over the results. This is a well-crafted Language Arts program that works for all children.

Nancy Newsome Principal March 10, 2016

They are confidently sounding out and spelling CVC words as they write simple sentences

I have been teaching kindergarten for 5 years now. This year at the end of the 2nd trimester, all but one of my 20 students have a firm knowledge of letter recognition (upper and lowercase) and letter sounds. They are confidently sounding out and spelling CVC words as they write simple sentences. Their parents are amazed at how quickly they learned letter sounds and I am gratified at how easily they are applying this knowledge to become emergent readers.

Shelley R. Collett Kindergarten Teacher March 10, 2016

Zoo-phonics is by far the most effective reading program that I have ever encountered in all my teaching years

I am a veteran teacher of 23 years. I have a masters degree in reading and have taught both general and special education. Zoo-phonics is by far the most effective reading program that I have ever encountered in all my teaching years. My special education kindergarten students learned all of their letter sounds in 2 weeks! I had such incredible results with this multi-sensory learning styles based program that, at first, I was reluctant to tell anyone because they wouldn't believe it. My district has adopted Zoo-phonics for all of our kindergartens. My professional assessment of Zoo-phonics is that it is the most brilliant and creative approach to reading that I have ever seen. I will NEVER teach reading without it again!

Pat Haberlein Teacher March 10, 2016

The enthusiasm of both the parents and the students has caused our students to make great progress.

Zoo-phonics is a great way to introduce children to sounds, letters and beginning reading. Connecting movement and animals to the sounds makes the learning fun and allows children to learn with their whole body. I have found that parents are not threatened by this program and readily join in the fun of moving and connecting sounds to letters. The enthusiasm of both the parents and the students has caused our students to make great progress.

Sally Mathers Program Specialist March 10, 2016

By the end of the first month, we were building words!

Zoo-phonics brought the alphabet alive for my kindergarten students! After only one day, the students all could signal and say the sounds. By the end of the first month, we were building words! Zeke Zebra and all his friends really captivated the students! Great Program!

Diane Kardash Kindergarten Teacher March 10, 2016

If I could take back children I had years and years ago, and teach them Zoo-phonics, I know they would have no problem with their reading and that's how I feel about it.

Pat Hing Teacher March 10, 2016

We have seen a dramatic improvement in all students who needed help learning the letter sounds, especially our ELL kids!

Since we integrated the Zoo-phonics program in our Kindergarten mid-year, we have seen a dramatic improvement in all students who needed help learning the letter sounds, especially our ELL kids! All of the students began learning the program together and this gave our ELL kids a lot of confidence as they made great progress along with our English-speaking students! I can't wait to use the program right at the beginning of the year this coming fall!

Lana Youngberg Teacher March 10, 2016

It was nothing less than a miracle

I don't know what magic there is in Zoo-phonics...but the children did everything I had been struggling to get them to do. It was nothing less than a miracle.

Janet Fodor Preschool, Special Ed. March 10, 2016

Zoo-phonics® reaches ALL students!

THANK YOU! I teach preschoolers who are deaf and hard of hearing in an auditory-oral school at Vanderbilt University. I have been using your curriculum for the past five years and consistently teach 3,4 and 5 year-olds who are profoundly deaf, often times with little to no language, the ENTIRE alphabet including sound-symbol. Watching my student's eyes light up during Zoo-phonics® everyday is heart warming. I hope that other auditory-oral deaf schools and special education preschool teachers discover the same gem that I did 5 years ago.

Katie Kiske Teacher of the Deaf, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN June 16, 2015

Zoo-phonics® works WONDERS!

One of my student's, Anna, is 6 years old and has Down Syndrome. She has been in my classroom since March 2011. Anna had absolutely no letter or sound recognition at all. On day one I introduced the alphabet with the Zoo-phonics® method. Some of the kids really went to town on it while others seemed to not be paying attention or giving it any effort. (Anna being in the latter part of the group) Well, on the 7th day of school Anna came up to me at my desk and opened her arms and started doing the motion for Allie Alligator and said /a, a, a/ with a big smile on her face. I said, “What does Bubba Bear say?” and she proceeded to do the motion with a /b, b, b/. I was flabbergasted! We continued on through the entire alphabet and that little hotdog knew 14 of the 26 letter sounds after only 6 days of school and Zoo-phonics®! I had tears in my eyes!!!!

Melissa Sochacki Teacher Bay City, MI June 16, 2015

Teaching to enhance development of learning with Zoo-phonics®…

I wanted to share something we are doing in my Cobb County, Georgia special-needs preschool to support our Zoo-Phonics®. My class is very young and there are some intense behaviors and sensory needs. I have some students who know all of their letters and some who are non-verbal and not yet recognizing animals. Like most cross-categorical special-needs-preschool classes, I have a large mix of ages and abilities. I was looking for a way to keep “letter of the week” examples where they could access them without eating them, throwing them, destroying them, or biting/choking on them, and something which would work for my very lowest students while still challenging my most advances students; so I made a Zoo-Phonics table. It has been extremely popular!

I use an old (tempered glass) glass-top display-style coffee table, but it would be easy to make one. I lined the bottom of the display area with reflective mylar. Every Friday after school, I fill the top of the table with items and pictures which start with the letter of the week for the following week. We add a couple of new things each day after the children leave so they can discover them the next morning. We give the children cards with pictures of the things inside the table. They use magnifying glasses and little flashlights to find the match for the items on the cards, like eye-spy, saying the names of the items. We work on SOOOO many skills and concepts at the same time to let us differentiate for our higher and lower students.

For example, one child is finding a match for an identical photograph of a large item in the table (or even an identical object to an object the teacher hands him), while his classmate might be asked to find things by color or size or function, i.e., “What do we ride on when we go to school in the morning?” or “Who made the honey in our story this morning?” This is one of our most popular centers!

Thanks again for a great program. This is my eleventh year of teaching preschool, and my second year of teaching special-needs preschool. I have used many phonics programs and really like Zoo-Phonics®. My class is learning a lot!

Katie Schulz-Ditchen Special-Needs Preschool Teacher Nicholson Elementary School, Cobb County, GA June 16, 2015

Remarkable RESULTS!

I have been using Zoo-phonics® with my students and I am amazed at how quickly they have picked it up. I had to finish out the year with my district curriculum, but now we are in summer session and my students learned more about alphabet sounds using Zoo-phonics® for ONE DAY than they had all school year. It's absolutely remarkable!!

Della Johnson Teacher Nashville, TN June 12, 2015

The Zoo-phonics® program is exceptional

The multi-modal approach to instruction and learning coupled with the fun Zoo-phonics® friends is truly a winning combination! As important is the commitment of the Zoo-phonics® staff to 'educate the educator.' You really went above and beyond to make sure my staff was properly trained, and the workshop was extremely helpful for our classroom implementation. Our trainer presented not only the broad concepts but gave us practical applications and tips. The research behind the program is sound. In short, it just makes sense. The Zoo-phonics® program is exceptional and has far exceeded our expectations.

Jessica Russo Director of Preschool, St. Mark's Cathedral School Shreveport Louisiana June 12, 2015

Passion for literature starts with preschool Zoo-phonics®!

Oh my GOSH! I recently opened a home daycare and found your website from hours of browsing for the right curriculum. I was sorting through your products list and I kid you not… flashed all the way back to my own preschool years!!! I remember my preschool teacher with a huge flip chart of these animals, reading stories and just being captivated by it all. I remember not wanting to get in trouble because then we'd miss the flip chart story. Of all the things one experiences in preschool… I don't remember my classroom, my play area outside, the food, the friends… none of that. But I remember these animals! Perhaps that is why I've had a passion for literature my whole life and in 5th grade was assessed and scored a college reading level comprehension. I'm just shocked at the realization that this was the same exact stuff I had in my own preschool as a child and thought it would be cool to let you know that this stuff goes pretty deep into the brain! You guys totally "get it"… and I can't wait to share these wonderful animal friends and stories with my own preschool classroom! THANK YOU!

R. Payton Home Daycare Owner/Preschool Teacher Roseville, CA June 12, 2015

Zoo-phonics® gets kindergartners ready for reading instruction sooner!

I attended a Zoo-phonics® training several years ago and have been using it ever since. I have never used such a successful program. The kindergartners, on the average, are ready for formalized reading instruction months sooner! This year, I have a little girl who, after 7 months of school, has learned no letters, no numerals, no shapes, and only tow or three colors. Yet, she knows 12 sounds!!! You could not blast Zoo-phonics® out of my classroom!

Teacher Oxnard, CA June 12, 2015

Zoo-phonics® workshop surpasses expectations!

The workshop met my expectations and above! This was the first phonics program I've liked.

Teacher Atlanta, GA June 12, 2015

Success with deaf and hard of hearing in auditory-oral preschool

Hi Zoo-phonics®! I just wanted to drop you a note to say THANK YOU! I teach children who are deaf and hard of hearing in an auditory-oral preschool and have been using your curriculum for the past five years. I am able to consistently teach 3, 4 and 5 year-olds who are deaf and hard of hearing, often times with little to no language, the ENTIRE alphabet including sound-symbol. Even though I do not use sign language in my classroom, I teach the children the signals. The signals not only help the children master sound-symbol, but the signals allow them to 'see' inaudible or difficult speech sounds, which they generally carrying over and use in their speech and language! Watching my student's eyes light up during Zoo-phonics® everyday is heart warming. I hope that other auditory-oral deaf schools and special education preschool teachers discover the same gem that I did 5 years ago! Many thanks and much appreciation!

K. Kiske Teacher of the Deaf II Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt University, Nashville,. TN June 11, 2015

Passion for literature starts with preschool Zoo-phonics®!

Oh my GOSH! I recently opened a home daycare and found your website from hours of browsing for the right curriculum. I was sorting through your products list and I kid you not… flashed all the way back to my own preschool years!!! I remember my preschool teacher with a huge flip chart of these animals, reading stories and just being captivated by it all. I remember not wanting to get in trouble because then we'd miss the flip chart story. Of all the things one experiences in preschool … I don't remember my classroom, my play area outside, the food, the friends… none of that. But I remember these animals! Perhaps that is why I've had a passion for literature my whole life and in 5th grade was assessed and scored a college reading level comprehension. I'm just shocked at the realization that this was the same exact stuff I had in my own preschool as a child and thought it would be cool to let you know that this stuff goes pretty deep into the brain! You guys totally "get it"… and I can't wait to share these wonderful animal friends and stories with my own preschool classroom! THANK YOU!

R. Payton Home Daycare Owner/Preschool Teacher Roseville, CA June 11, 2015

Amazing!

I want to thank you again, and tell you how excited a mother was this evening when she picked up her soon to be 5 year old son. He has been slower than others to pick up on colors, numbers, shapes, letters, etc. Today he began to show his mother the chart and tell her the sounds of the letters. He did the signals and the sounds of almost all the letters, yet we just started 2 weeks ago! She was floored, and so was I! LOL This is amazing!

K. Hess Pre-K Teacher Facebook post 2011 June 11, 2015

No child slips between the cracks with Zoo-phonics®…

No child slips between the cracks with Zoo-phonics®…"Just wanted to write to let you know I am eating crow in North Carolina. I was just not sure about the program and was concerned about having to implement Zoo-phonics®. On Wednesday, I started talking about the animals and introducing the signals and sounds. The children loved them and I thought to myself skeptically, "Of course they love them, they are animals!" On Thursday, I went over the signals again, and was completely amazed that they knew them all. Even my students that only had learned about 2 sounds out of the 18 we had already learned were producing the correct sound and using the signals. On Friday, I decided to give a little spelling test. I was just going to use the ad family. Boy, was I shocked and surprised when ALL of the students made a 100%! Even my little boys that are struggling! They were signaling with me and then they would look up at the Nature Cards and make the connection between the animal and the signal and the sound! Wow! I tried again on Monday and used a variety of CVC words. I did not stick to a word family because surely it had been a fluke. NOPE! Everyone made a 100%. Okay, I thought. It works! So now I am the biggest supporter. Sign me up! Let me sing your praises. My students are writing better. They are sounding out words to create beautiful sentences and stories. When they come to a word they don't know in a book, they signal it out and figure it out on their own! They love the program and BEG to do it. I am now a Zoophonics Teacher!!

Kelly Hain Teacher, Hurley Elementary Salisbury, NC June 11, 2015

You will get GREAT RESULTS with Zoo-phonics®!

“I had these results: one student was reading at a 1.9 level, two students were reading at a 1.6 level, three students finally understood letters = sounds = words, and tested 1.0, and two students were getting to associate letters = sounds and sounds = words. These were Kindergarten students and did better than some other students in K-2 district wide testing! I am using three reading “programs” to teach reading. Yours is the best and most productive program I have used in my 31 years in teaching K-12th graders. I cannot say how well your program helps my students learn to read. I recommend it to all teachers in my district!”

Brian Koharian Teacher, Fort Yukon Elementary Fort Yukon, AK June 11, 2015

Teachers LOVE Our Workshops!

I am really excited about what I’ve learned at this fun hands on workshop. I am ready to head back to the class to show the kids!

Teacher from Grand Rapids, MI June 11, 2015

Head Start teachers love the results of Zoo-phonics® too!

I teach a Head Start class that includes three and four-year-old children. I was initially concerned about presenting the entire Zoo-phonics® alphabet to the children at one setting. But the first time I presented the alphabet they wanted to do it again! They loved it! They learned the sounds and movements after just one week. Every day they would come in and ask to do Zoo-phonics®. They were proud that they had learned it! Within a week I noticed that the children were relating the sounds and movements to letters and words around the room and in books. I would pick up a book and a child would say, “‘Home’ is a word like Honey Horse.” They just started to become aware of the letters and sounds. Within six-weeks the children could combine the sounds of letters to start to form words like c-a-t. They also began to notice if a word ended in “Sammy Snake.” The best part was the feedback I got from the parents when the children went on to kindergarten this last fall. The children from my class were very well prepared and had great advantage because of Zoo-phonics®!

Janet O’Connor Head Start Teacher Grapeview, WA June 11, 2015

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Head Start teachers love the results of Zoo-phonics® too!

I teach a Head Start class that includes three and four-year-old children. I was initially concerned about presenting the entire Zoo-phonics® alphabet to the children at one setting. But the first time I presented the alphabet they wanted to do it again! They loved it! They learned the sounds and movements after just one week. Every day they would come in and ask to do Zoo-phonics®. They were proud that they had learned it! Within a week I noticed that the children were relating the sounds and movements to letters and words around the room and in books. I would pick up a book and a child would say, “‘Home’ is a word like Honey Horse.” They just started to become aware of the letters and sounds. Within six-weeks the children could combine the sounds of letters to start to form words like c-a-t. They also began to notice if a word ended in “Sammy Snake.” The best part was the feedback I got from the parents when the children went on to kindergarten this last fall. The children from my class were very well prepared and had great advantage because of Zoo-phonics®!

Janet O’Connor Head Start Teacher Grapeview, WA June 11, 2015

By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic.

My name is Lori McPherson and I am a mother of two littles in Rancho Murieta, California. First I want to take a moment to say truly, thank you. In 1992 I was eight years old and entering a new school because I could not keep up at the private catholic school that I had been attending. I was entering the fourth grade and could not read. I excelled in all subjects on every diagnostic test given to me, as long as the instructor read to me. My parents had taken me to every tutor available and had me tested for every diagnosis possible. The result was always the same, there was nothing wrong with me, I just could not read. As I began fourth grade and the school started to talk about special education classes, one counselor came up with an idea. She had heard of a special new phonics that maybe would help me. I was tutored using Zoo-Phonics and guess what? By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic. Nothing had ever worked before. I was so embarrassed and exhausted with learning and Zoo-Phonics taught me to read. What you created was a true gift to me and my thanks could never be enough. Fast forward to December of last year and my little boy, Henry was still struggling at age three and a half to speak in sentences. My rational brain has told me since he was two and not talking, that he will move at his own pace and will be fine. My irrational, mommy brain has been screaming, “What if he is in the fourth grade and can’t read!”. He has previously been to physicians who say he is behind however, is a perfectly healthy, intelligent, typical little boy. We sent him to a preschool program within a daycare setting for the past year and have not been happy with the “extra” socialization he is receiving from one of the teachers and several of the other children. Because I am a totally rational, well adjusted adult, I did what any normal non-mommy brain adult would do… I decided to become an early childhood educator at the age of thirty-five. 😉 In February of 2019 I began classes in Early Childhood Education and have learned so much. Slowly, I have realized that this is all so instinctual to me. While going through my mom’s old box of everything she wanted to save from my early childhood I found a book that my teachers helped me create in preschool. They asked us questions and wrote down our answers. I could not contain my laughter when I read, “What do you want to be when you grow, up? Answer: A mommy, A teacher, A Doctor, and A Rockstar. Make sure you put it in that order!” It all makes sense to me now. My spunky little, four year old self was telling the future: Mommy to Henry and Margaret, followed by Early Childhood Educator, followed by Early Childhood Education Professor, Followed by… well maybe I’ll become famous and meet Gwen Stefani and we’ll make an Early Childhood Education Rap record together, making me a Rockstar. Hey, anything could happen! In all seriousness, I truly have found my calling and am determined to give my children the best education possible. Because, I believe that all children, especially my strong willed little man, need educators other than their parents involved in their lives, my husband and I have enrolled Henry in a carefully selected preschool program that begins in September of 2019. One our search we even stopped by your Safari Learning Center because I had been listening to your podcast, which I found in a search of Early Childhood Education on iphone app. Imagine my surprise when I realized who you were. The educator who created Zoo-Phonics and your center was an hour and a half away from me! My husband and I grew up in a Mississippi river town of 30,000 people in Illinois. We moved to San Diego, California, for his work, in 2012 and Sacramento in 2014 because we were pregnant and could not afford to live in a one bedroom shack on the beach with a baby. We moved to start our family and moved an hour and half away from the creator of the program that taught me to read! Your program and way of educating has inspired me so much. While we are waiting for Henry to start preschool two days a week I will be teaching him and two of his friends Zoo-Phonics. When he begins preschool in the Fall I will continue to teach his friends as well as him on the other three mornings of the week. My hope is that using them as my cute little test subjects, combined with my own schooling, I will be able to start my own, small, neighborhood preschool program in the future. Much appreciation for all that you do, Lori McPherson

Lori McPherson, mom and early-educator-to-be April 10, 2019

Administrators and teachers know what works!

Zoo-phonics® has made a phenomenal impact on the primary reading program in my school district over the past 5 years! No matter what the socio-economic background of the students, I see smiling children who are excited about learning to read and eager to “zoo” their letters and sounds for me wherever I go. With Zoo-phonics®, children quickly learn the letter-sound basics and move on to segmenting and blending. Teachers love the program and marvel at their students’ rapid progress. Even veteran teachers tell me that they have never used a program that gets solid results so quickly and easily! It is one of the best comprehensive, foundational programs on the market today!

Dr. Karen Tankersley Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Retired, Dysart Unified School District and Educational Author Phoenix, AZ June 11, 2015

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

At risk ELL children will learn to read with Zoo-phonics®!

Our migrant children's centers are open for low income families with ELL children from at-risk groups. If these ELL children are going to be successful, they must learn to read. The key to reading is the sounds and shapes of the letters and Zoo-phonics® is an amazing key to successful reading. Most of our children learned the sounds of the English alphabet in one week! Zoo-phonics® is a very powerful ELL program!

Barry Marks Coordinator, Pajara Valley USD, Buena Vista Children's Centers Watsonville, CA June 16, 2015

By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic.

My name is Lori McPherson and I am a mother of two littles in Rancho Murieta, California. First I want to take a moment to say truly, thank you. In 1992 I was eight years old and entering a new school because I could not keep up at the private catholic school that I had been attending. I was entering the fourth grade and could not read. I excelled in all subjects on every diagnostic test given to me, as long as the instructor read to me. My parents had taken me to every tutor available and had me tested for every diagnosis possible. The result was always the same, there was nothing wrong with me, I just could not read. As I began fourth grade and the school started to talk about special education classes, one counselor came up with an idea. She had heard of a special new phonics that maybe would help me. I was tutored using Zoo-Phonics and guess what? By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic. Nothing had ever worked before. I was so embarrassed and exhausted with learning and Zoo-Phonics taught me to read. What you created was a true gift to me and my thanks could never be enough. Fast forward to December of last year and my little boy, Henry was still struggling at age three and a half to speak in sentences. My rational brain has told me since he was two and not talking, that he will move at his own pace and will be fine. My irrational, mommy brain has been screaming, “What if he is in the fourth grade and can’t read!”. He has previously been to physicians who say he is behind however, is a perfectly healthy, intelligent, typical little boy. We sent him to a preschool program within a daycare setting for the past year and have not been happy with the “extra” socialization he is receiving from one of the teachers and several of the other children. Because I am a totally rational, well adjusted adult, I did what any normal non-mommy brain adult would do… I decided to become an early childhood educator at the age of thirty-five. 😉 In February of 2019 I began classes in Early Childhood Education and have learned so much. Slowly, I have realized that this is all so instinctual to me. While going through my mom’s old box of everything she wanted to save from my early childhood I found a book that my teachers helped me create in preschool. They asked us questions and wrote down our answers. I could not contain my laughter when I read, “What do you want to be when you grow, up? Answer: A mommy, A teacher, A Doctor, and A Rockstar. Make sure you put it in that order!” It all makes sense to me now. My spunky little, four year old self was telling the future: Mommy to Henry and Margaret, followed by Early Childhood Educator, followed by Early Childhood Education Professor, Followed by… well maybe I’ll become famous and meet Gwen Stefani and we’ll make an Early Childhood Education Rap record together, making me a Rockstar. Hey, anything could happen! In all seriousness, I truly have found my calling and am determined to give my children the best education possible. Because, I believe that all children, especially my strong willed little man, need educators other than their parents involved in their lives, my husband and I have enrolled Henry in a carefully selected preschool program that begins in September of 2019. One our search we even stopped by your Safari Learning Center because I had been listening to your podcast, which I found in a search of Early Childhood Education on iphone app. Imagine my surprise when I realized who you were. The educator who created Zoo-Phonics and your center was an hour and a half away from me! My husband and I grew up in a Mississippi river town of 30,000 people in Illinois. We moved to San Diego, California, for his work, in 2012 and Sacramento in 2014 because we were pregnant and could not afford to live in a one bedroom shack on the beach with a baby. We moved to start our family and moved an hour and half away from the creator of the program that taught me to read! Your program and way of educating has inspired me so much. While we are waiting for Henry to start preschool two days a week I will be teaching him and two of his friends Zoo-Phonics. When he begins preschool in the Fall I will continue to teach his friends as well as him on the other three mornings of the week. My hope is that using them as my cute little test subjects, combined with my own schooling, I will be able to start my own, small, neighborhood preschool program in the future. Much appreciation for all that you do, Lori McPherson

Lori McPherson, mom and early-educator-to-be April 10, 2019

Zoo-kids and now Zoo-grand kids!

I am a retired school social worker and  just placed an order to re-order a Parent Kit as a grandparent.  I raised my 3 children in Calaveras County, and a few of their teachers introduced me to Zoo-phonics back in the late 80's. I ran a small home preschool, and all 6 of our students learned to read in their 4th year within a few months using Zoo Phonics.  My own daughter learned in 3 days!  Later, when she went to kindergarten and was introduced to "Climbing Mount Learning" and Open Court phonics, she came home in tears.  She said they'd talked about how hard it was going to be to learn to read.  I reassured her she already knew how to read and that she already knew it wasn't hard it was fun!!   Of course Open Court's crazy system WAS confusing. "Hissing tire, hissing tire, SSS"..  I thought it was the dumbest system I'd ever encountered!  The tire is the shape of an O, the word tire starts with a T, and so how was a child to key on just the sound of S and associate it with the movement of air leaving a tire?  How many kids in the 80's encountered flat tires?   Zoo-phonics was so natural, including the stories to create the blends which the kids remembered and loved.  As parents, both my husband, who was the Special Ed Director, and I made a big pitch to the district to change; at the time it wasn't "research validated" yet so we lost that battle.  Fortunately, the special ed kids continued to access it and benefit.  I told my daughter to just ignore all the methods, read the way she already knew how to sound out words, and if she failed any phonics tests, just ask them to allow her to read to them their questions and her answers....   This brings me to today's order.  I have a 4 year old grandson who was struggling to read on our last visit but now recognizes all of his letters without any help from any system and knows many sounds.  So I delved into the garage boxes to find my Zoo-phonics materials, when I remembered I had donated them to a local preschool when I downsized.  I was so frustrated because I knew he was ready to read!  So he's coming for a visit this weekend and I wanted to be ready with materials! My next purchase will be the vowel puppets! Sincerely, Heather O'Brophy

Heather O'Brophy, retired school social worker & at home preschool owner August 31, 2018

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Students and parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!

"Students and Parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!  My kindergartners adored their zoo animal friends, and they especially enjoyed singing “Come Meet Us At The Zoo” each morning shortly after arriving at school.  But most rewarding to me as their teacher was meeting around the table with my smaller reading groups and noticing a child using the animal alphabet signals to decode a new word.  How exciting to have equipped my students with such a useful tool!"  

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Passion for literature starts with preschool Zoo-phonics®!

Oh my GOSH! I recently opened a home daycare and found your website from hours of browsing for the right curriculum. I was sorting through your products list and I kid you not… flashed all the way back to my own preschool years!!! I remember my preschool teacher with a huge flip chart of these animals, reading stories and just being captivated by it all. I remember not wanting to get in trouble because then we'd miss the flip chart story. Of all the things one experiences in preschool… I don't remember my classroom, my play area outside, the food, the friends… none of that. But I remember these animals! Perhaps that is why I've had a passion for literature my whole life and in 5th grade was assessed and scored a college reading level comprehension. I'm just shocked at the realization that this was the same exact stuff I had in my own preschool as a child and thought it would be cool to let you know that this stuff goes pretty deep into the brain! You guys totally "get it"… and I can't wait to share these wonderful animal friends and stories with my own preschool classroom! THANK YOU!

R. Payton Home Daycare Owner/Preschool Teacher Roseville, CA June 12, 2015

Passion for literature starts with preschool Zoo-phonics®!

Oh my GOSH! I recently opened a home daycare and found your website from hours of browsing for the right curriculum. I was sorting through your products list and I kid you not… flashed all the way back to my own preschool years!!! I remember my preschool teacher with a huge flip chart of these animals, reading stories and just being captivated by it all. I remember not wanting to get in trouble because then we'd miss the flip chart story. Of all the things one experiences in preschool … I don't remember my classroom, my play area outside, the food, the friends… none of that. But I remember these animals! Perhaps that is why I've had a passion for literature my whole life and in 5th grade was assessed and scored a college reading level comprehension. I'm just shocked at the realization that this was the same exact stuff I had in my own preschool as a child and thought it would be cool to let you know that this stuff goes pretty deep into the brain! You guys totally "get it"… and I can't wait to share these wonderful animal friends and stories with my own preschool classroom! THANK YOU!

R. Payton Home Daycare Owner/Preschool Teacher Roseville, CA June 11, 2015

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Zoo-phonics® builds confidence!

Every, and I mean EVERY school I have been in is soooooo excited about the program. In less than two weeks, children are making the connection of sounds and letters that never have done this the entire school year. Not only that, but they are spelling and are so thrilled that their confidence in themselves has blossomed. I have had tears of excitement from teachers and, of course, me. One teacher told me that she had been the biggest doubter and now the seven children she was going to retain in kindergarten have joined the ranks of learners. I can't wait to finish going into the other classrooms and see the amazing results of Zoo-phonics®

Linda Mauldin Literacy Specialist Ret., Rowan-Salisbury School District Salisbury, NC June 16, 2015

By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic.

My name is Lori McPherson and I am a mother of two littles in Rancho Murieta, California. First I want to take a moment to say truly, thank you. In 1992 I was eight years old and entering a new school because I could not keep up at the private catholic school that I had been attending. I was entering the fourth grade and could not read. I excelled in all subjects on every diagnostic test given to me, as long as the instructor read to me. My parents had taken me to every tutor available and had me tested for every diagnosis possible. The result was always the same, there was nothing wrong with me, I just could not read. As I began fourth grade and the school started to talk about special education classes, one counselor came up with an idea. She had heard of a special new phonics that maybe would help me. I was tutored using Zoo-Phonics and guess what? By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic. Nothing had ever worked before. I was so embarrassed and exhausted with learning and Zoo-Phonics taught me to read. What you created was a true gift to me and my thanks could never be enough. Fast forward to December of last year and my little boy, Henry was still struggling at age three and a half to speak in sentences. My rational brain has told me since he was two and not talking, that he will move at his own pace and will be fine. My irrational, mommy brain has been screaming, “What if he is in the fourth grade and can’t read!”. He has previously been to physicians who say he is behind however, is a perfectly healthy, intelligent, typical little boy. We sent him to a preschool program within a daycare setting for the past year and have not been happy with the “extra” socialization he is receiving from one of the teachers and several of the other children. Because I am a totally rational, well adjusted adult, I did what any normal non-mommy brain adult would do… I decided to become an early childhood educator at the age of thirty-five. 😉 In February of 2019 I began classes in Early Childhood Education and have learned so much. Slowly, I have realized that this is all so instinctual to me. While going through my mom’s old box of everything she wanted to save from my early childhood I found a book that my teachers helped me create in preschool. They asked us questions and wrote down our answers. I could not contain my laughter when I read, “What do you want to be when you grow, up? Answer: A mommy, A teacher, A Doctor, and A Rockstar. Make sure you put it in that order!” It all makes sense to me now. My spunky little, four year old self was telling the future: Mommy to Henry and Margaret, followed by Early Childhood Educator, followed by Early Childhood Education Professor, Followed by… well maybe I’ll become famous and meet Gwen Stefani and we’ll make an Early Childhood Education Rap record together, making me a Rockstar. Hey, anything could happen! In all seriousness, I truly have found my calling and am determined to give my children the best education possible. Because, I believe that all children, especially my strong willed little man, need educators other than their parents involved in their lives, my husband and I have enrolled Henry in a carefully selected preschool program that begins in September of 2019. One our search we even stopped by your Safari Learning Center because I had been listening to your podcast, which I found in a search of Early Childhood Education on iphone app. Imagine my surprise when I realized who you were. The educator who created Zoo-Phonics and your center was an hour and a half away from me! My husband and I grew up in a Mississippi river town of 30,000 people in Illinois. We moved to San Diego, California, for his work, in 2012 and Sacramento in 2014 because we were pregnant and could not afford to live in a one bedroom shack on the beach with a baby. We moved to start our family and moved an hour and half away from the creator of the program that taught me to read! Your program and way of educating has inspired me so much. While we are waiting for Henry to start preschool two days a week I will be teaching him and two of his friends Zoo-Phonics. When he begins preschool in the Fall I will continue to teach his friends as well as him on the other three mornings of the week. My hope is that using them as my cute little test subjects, combined with my own schooling, I will be able to start my own, small, neighborhood preschool program in the future. Much appreciation for all that you do, Lori McPherson

Lori McPherson, mom and early-educator-to-be April 10, 2019

Zoo-kids and now Zoo-grand kids!

I am a retired school social worker and  just placed an order to re-order a Parent Kit as a grandparent.  I raised my 3 children in Calaveras County, and a few of their teachers introduced me to Zoo-phonics back in the late 80's. I ran a small home preschool, and all 6 of our students learned to read in their 4th year within a few months using Zoo Phonics.  My own daughter learned in 3 days!  Later, when she went to kindergarten and was introduced to "Climbing Mount Learning" and Open Court phonics, she came home in tears.  She said they'd talked about how hard it was going to be to learn to read.  I reassured her she already knew how to read and that she already knew it wasn't hard it was fun!!   Of course Open Court's crazy system WAS confusing. "Hissing tire, hissing tire, SSS"..  I thought it was the dumbest system I'd ever encountered!  The tire is the shape of an O, the word tire starts with a T, and so how was a child to key on just the sound of S and associate it with the movement of air leaving a tire?  How many kids in the 80's encountered flat tires?   Zoo-phonics was so natural, including the stories to create the blends which the kids remembered and loved.  As parents, both my husband, who was the Special Ed Director, and I made a big pitch to the district to change; at the time it wasn't "research validated" yet so we lost that battle.  Fortunately, the special ed kids continued to access it and benefit.  I told my daughter to just ignore all the methods, read the way she already knew how to sound out words, and if she failed any phonics tests, just ask them to allow her to read to them their questions and her answers....   This brings me to today's order.  I have a 4 year old grandson who was struggling to read on our last visit but now recognizes all of his letters without any help from any system and knows many sounds.  So I delved into the garage boxes to find my Zoo-phonics materials, when I remembered I had donated them to a local preschool when I downsized.  I was so frustrated because I knew he was ready to read!  So he's coming for a visit this weekend and I wanted to be ready with materials! My next purchase will be the vowel puppets! Sincerely, Heather O'Brophy

Heather O'Brophy, retired school social worker & at home preschool owner August 31, 2018

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Students and parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!

"Students and Parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!  My kindergartners adored their zoo animal friends, and they especially enjoyed singing “Come Meet Us At The Zoo” each morning shortly after arriving at school.  But most rewarding to me as their teacher was meeting around the table with my smaller reading groups and noticing a child using the animal alphabet signals to decode a new word.  How exciting to have equipped my students with such a useful tool!"  

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Your use of picture mnemonics to teach letter-sound relations is indeed supported by findings of our 1983 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology

Your use of picture mnemonics to teach letter-sound relations is indeed supported by findings of our 1983 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. In this study we found in two experiments that beginning readers learned letter-sound relations more effectively when they were taught associations between objects having shapes that resembled the shapes of the letters and having names that began with the sound to be associated with the letters. You have applied this principal to all of your letters. In addition you have included body movements that relate to the objects. The evidence suggests that this should help children learn these associations more effectively. Help in learning letter-sound associations is particularly important for children who come to school without much knowledge about letter shapes, names and sounds and for children who have a difficult time remembering associations by rote. In addition, building letter instruction around animals and body movements make learning more fun.

Professor Linnea C. Ehri Program in Educational Psychology March 10, 2016

This is a well-crafted Language Arts program that works for all children

Zoo-phonics, with its cast of child-pleasing Animal Characters, has made a dramatic impact on the beginning reading program at our school. Three, four, and five-year old students are sounding letters, blending letters, building words and reading. It is delightful to see and hear the students as they internalize the sound letter relationship in a natural, fun way. Zoo-phonics uses the three modalities; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic; to take the students from the concrete sounds to the abstract letters that represent these sounds. All 15 of my preschool, first and second grade teachers have been trained in Zoo-phonics. They are all enthusiastic about the program and ecstatic over the results. This is a well-crafted Language Arts program that works for all children.

Nancy Newsome Principal March 10, 2016

They are confidently sounding out and spelling CVC words as they write simple sentences

I have been teaching kindergarten for 5 years now. This year at the end of the 2nd trimester, all but one of my 20 students have a firm knowledge of letter recognition (upper and lowercase) and letter sounds. They are confidently sounding out and spelling CVC words as they write simple sentences. Their parents are amazed at how quickly they learned letter sounds and I am gratified at how easily they are applying this knowledge to become emergent readers.

Shelley R. Collett Kindergarten Teacher March 10, 2016

Zoo-phonics is by far the most effective reading program that I have ever encountered in all my teaching years

I am a veteran teacher of 23 years. I have a masters degree in reading and have taught both general and special education. Zoo-phonics is by far the most effective reading program that I have ever encountered in all my teaching years. My special education kindergarten students learned all of their letter sounds in 2 weeks! I had such incredible results with this multi-sensory learning styles based program that, at first, I was reluctant to tell anyone because they wouldn't believe it. My district has adopted Zoo-phonics for all of our kindergartens. My professional assessment of Zoo-phonics is that it is the most brilliant and creative approach to reading that I have ever seen. I will NEVER teach reading without it again!

Pat Haberlein Teacher March 10, 2016

The enthusiasm of both the parents and the students has caused our students to make great progress.

Zoo-phonics is a great way to introduce children to sounds, letters and beginning reading. Connecting movement and animals to the sounds makes the learning fun and allows children to learn with their whole body. I have found that parents are not threatened by this program and readily join in the fun of moving and connecting sounds to letters. The enthusiasm of both the parents and the students has caused our students to make great progress.

Sally Mathers Program Specialist March 10, 2016

By the end of the first month, we were building words!

Zoo-phonics brought the alphabet alive for my kindergarten students! After only one day, the students all could signal and say the sounds. By the end of the first month, we were building words! Zeke Zebra and all his friends really captivated the students! Great Program!

Diane Kardash Kindergarten Teacher March 10, 2016

If I could take back children I had years and years ago, and teach them Zoo-phonics, I know they would have no problem with their reading and that's how I feel about it.

Pat Hing Teacher March 10, 2016

We have seen a dramatic improvement in all students who needed help learning the letter sounds, especially our ELL kids!

Since we integrated the Zoo-phonics program in our Kindergarten mid-year, we have seen a dramatic improvement in all students who needed help learning the letter sounds, especially our ELL kids! All of the students began learning the program together and this gave our ELL kids a lot of confidence as they made great progress along with our English-speaking students! I can't wait to use the program right at the beginning of the year this coming fall!

Lana Youngberg Teacher March 10, 2016

It was nothing less than a miracle

I don't know what magic there is in Zoo-phonics...but the children did everything I had been struggling to get them to do. It was nothing less than a miracle.

Janet Fodor Preschool, Special Ed. March 10, 2016

Thank you so much for this wonderful product! I believe it has changed our son’s life.

We love Zoo-phonics!!!!! In a little over a week, our boy, a 32-month-old with Down syndrome, learned all the signs and can now make almost all of the corresponding sounds. His speech therapist is elated and so are we! She says he is doing more and better work during speech therapy. He loves playing Zoo-phonics and often initiates the play himself. And the other day while he was eating lunch, he started doing signals and sounds all by himself with no prompting or cards, so in a sense he is doing his own therapy. Thank you so much for this wonderful product! I believe it has changed our son’s life.

Sean King Parent March 10, 2016

Wow! What a program!

I work as a Kindergarten Teacher for the Centralia School District which just adopted Zoo-phonics as an intervention system in order to familiarize myself with the program. I started introducing the letter sound cards to my 18-month-old son. (He started to notice letters when he was 12 months.) I just used the cards with him about 10 minutes a day for about 6 weeks and now he knows all the letter sounds! Wow! What a program!

Heather Toller Parent and Teacher March 10, 2016

I am amazed at her progress in only FOUR SHORT MONTHS

I would like to thank everyone involved in making Zoo-phonics available for our children. I was questioning whether my child would ever grasp the concept of reading. She could identify only about eight letters. The concept that letters have sounds and sounds make up words was totally foreign to her. Then her teacher introduced Zoo-phonics and today she is forming three-letter words on her own. I am amazed at her progress in only FOUR SHORT MONTHS. I am very pleased. Thank you again and, by the way, I don’t anticipate any reading problems with my three year old. She is already fluent in Zoo-phonics!

Justine de la Rosa Parent March 10, 2016

Zoo-phonics is truly amazing!

Hanah and Sarah are 18 months old. As I was checking out of the grocery store, and holding Hanah, she looked at me and started saying “p”, “p”, “p” while moving from side to side in my arms. I looked around and found a giant penguin on the wall. She saw it and was telling me about it! It was “Peewee Penguin” to her! This afternoon we watched “Little Bear.” They have never watched it before. Both Sarah and Hanah started saying “buh,buh,buh” and pulling their hand to their mouth when they saw the bears! The program also has a cat, which they also did! Zoo-phonics is truly amazing!

Angie Eberspacher Parent March 10, 2016

Now he is in Kindergarten and is reading at the 3rd grade level!

My son went to pre-school, when we lived in California. They were teaching Zoo-phonics there and he loved it! He caught on to it very quickly and basically taught himself how to read. Now he is in Kindergarten and is reading at the 3rd grade level!

Amy Hickenlooper Parent March 10, 2016

Another amazing success story!

Hello to all at Zoo-phonics®! I want to write and thank you for a wonderful product. Our son Hunter (pictured) has many disabilities that make learning very difficult. He has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, as well as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and a rare eye disorder. He was getting along socially, and is such a happy boy, but when it came to learning, he did not know the difference between letters and numbers…He could not retain anything he learned. We spent many months in different types of therapy, but nothing worked. He just could not remember the alphabet, or the letter sounds. I searched the web, read all sorts of books, and tried everything to help Hunter learn…Nothing stuck. His teacher mentioned that she was trying a new program called Zoo-phonics®…Hunter was excited about the animals, but I thought to myself, “yea whatever, just another thing…” Yes it was another thing, and it has been the BEST thing in Hunter's life. He is learning the alphabet…He knows the sounds, and HE REMEMBERS!!! There are not enough words to describe our joy. There is hope…Hunter picked up on Zoo-phonics® so fast, and continues to make daily progress. His teacher says he will be able to read!!! This is just amazing… We are a family of readers, and I could not imagine my son not knowing the joy of reading on his own, learning about far away places. Zoo-phonics® has made this possible. I can never thank you all enough. Hunter has learned the entire alphabet, and is now able to associate the Zoo-phonics® animals with everything he sees during the day. He told us a few days ago about the letters in our license plate, and what their sounds were!! Wow…Have I said enough? By the way, your products are all wonderful. After Hunter's success, I wanted some things at home, to help retain his skills…We are having fun with everything. The Zoo-phonics® Fonts are really neat, because we can make coloring and fun activity pages. The stories (Zeke and His Pals) are a bedtime favorite. In closing, I will say thank you again, you created a great product, and you have forever changed our little boy's life, and given him a chance to go anywhere he chooses in life guided by 26 wonderful animal friends!!

Helen Shupe Parent Wyoming, MI June 16, 2015

Zoo-phonics® was born in a self-contained special education class!

We love Zoo-phonics®!!!!! In a little over a week, our boy, a 32-month-old with Down syndrome, learned all the signs and can now make almost all of the corresponding sounds. His speech therapist is elated and so are we! She says he is doing more and better work during speech therapy. He loves playing Zoo-phonics® and often initiates the play himself. The other day he started doing signals and sounds all by himself with no prompting or cards, so in a sense he is doing his own therapy. Thank you so much for this wonderful product! I believe it has changed our son's life.

Sean King Parent Seattle, WA June 16, 2015

Famous researcher’s grandchild loves Zoo-phonics®!

My oldest grandson, Andrew, went to kindergarten in Redondo Beach,California, where his teacher was using a program called Zoo-phonics® to introduce the students to the alphabet and reading. Andrew's family came to Tallahassee that year for Christmas, and Andrew's dad told a funny story about something that had taken place two weeks earlier (first week in December). Andrew had brought home from school one of the decodable books that are included with the program to read to his parents. These books are written to provide practice for children in using the letter-sound relationships they have learned in class to identify words in printed text. They are not always great literature, but they do help students learn how to use “phonics” skills to decode unfamiliar words in text. Well, Andrew was reading along quite nicely, since he was already learning to decode quite well, when he came to one of those words that “don't play fair.” Some programs call them “outlaw” words, or irregular words-words that don't follow standard letter-sound conventions. My son David correctly told Andrew that he would not be able to sound that word out, but would simply have to learn it, whereupon Andrew looked up at him very seriously, and said “That's because you don't know Zoo-phonics®!” We laugh at this story because we know that Andrew was being a little over-confident, but as his grandfather, I took great comfort in the fact that it was only December of his kindergarten year, and Andrew already understood, and had confidence in using the alphabetic principal to decode unknown word in print. Sure, he would need to learn to be flexible (particularly with vowel sounds), but here it was December of kindergarten, and he already knew there was a system to the way words worked in print--he didn't have to just guess or call his teacher when he came to a word he didn't know--he could think about it, apply his analytic skills, and usually identify the word on his own.

Joseph K. Torgesen Ph.D Chair of Psychology and Education Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University June 11, 2015

No child slips between the cracks with Zoo-phonics®…

No child slips between the cracks with Zoo-phonics®…"Just wanted to write to let you know I am eating crow in North Carolina. I was just not sure about the program and was concerned about having to implement Zoo-phonics®. On Wednesday, I started talking about the animals and introducing the signals and sounds. The children loved them and I thought to myself skeptically, "Of course they love them, they are animals!" On Thursday, I went over the signals again, and was completely amazed that they knew them all. Even my students that only had learned about 2 sounds out of the 18 we had already learned were producing the correct sound and using the signals. On Friday, I decided to give a little spelling test. I was just going to use the ad family. Boy, was I shocked and surprised when ALL of the students made a 100%! Even my little boys that are struggling! They were signaling with me and then they would look up at the Nature Cards and make the connection between the animal and the signal and the sound! Wow! I tried again on Monday and used a variety of CVC words. I did not stick to a word family because surely it had been a fluke. NOPE! Everyone made a 100%. Okay, I thought. It works! So now I am the biggest supporter. Sign me up! Let me sing your praises. My students are writing better. They are sounding out words to create beautiful sentences and stories. When they come to a word they don't know in a book, they signal it out and figure it out on their own! They love the program and BEG to do it. I am now a Zoophonics Teacher!!

Kelly Hain Teacher, Hurley Elementary Salisbury, NC June 11, 2015

Zoo-phonics® aligns with National Reading Panel research…

It seems self-evident that techniques to develop children’s phonemic awareness in classrooms should be as relevant and exciting as possible so that the instruction engages children’s interest and attention in a way that promotes optimal learning…It seems that teachers will be most effective when they are enthusiastic in their teaching and enjoy what they are doing in the classroom.

The National Reading Panel’s Report, “Teaching Children To Read” (2000) June 11, 2015

By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic.

My name is Lori McPherson and I am a mother of two littles in Rancho Murieta, California. First I want to take a moment to say truly, thank you. In 1992 I was eight years old and entering a new school because I could not keep up at the private catholic school that I had been attending. I was entering the fourth grade and could not read. I excelled in all subjects on every diagnostic test given to me, as long as the instructor read to me. My parents had taken me to every tutor available and had me tested for every diagnosis possible. The result was always the same, there was nothing wrong with me, I just could not read. As I began fourth grade and the school started to talk about special education classes, one counselor came up with an idea. She had heard of a special new phonics that maybe would help me. I was tutored using Zoo-Phonics and guess what? By the end of fourth grade, I was reading at a fifth grade level; just like magic. Nothing had ever worked before. I was so embarrassed and exhausted with learning and Zoo-Phonics taught me to read. What you created was a true gift to me and my thanks could never be enough. Fast forward to December of last year and my little boy, Henry was still struggling at age three and a half to speak in sentences. My rational brain has told me since he was two and not talking, that he will move at his own pace and will be fine. My irrational, mommy brain has been screaming, “What if he is in the fourth grade and can’t read!”. He has previously been to physicians who say he is behind however, is a perfectly healthy, intelligent, typical little boy. We sent him to a preschool program within a daycare setting for the past year and have not been happy with the “extra” socialization he is receiving from one of the teachers and several of the other children. Because I am a totally rational, well adjusted adult, I did what any normal non-mommy brain adult would do… I decided to become an early childhood educator at the age of thirty-five. 😉 In February of 2019 I began classes in Early Childhood Education and have learned so much. Slowly, I have realized that this is all so instinctual to me. While going through my mom’s old box of everything she wanted to save from my early childhood I found a book that my teachers helped me create in preschool. They asked us questions and wrote down our answers. I could not contain my laughter when I read, “What do you want to be when you grow, up? Answer: A mommy, A teacher, A Doctor, and A Rockstar. Make sure you put it in that order!” It all makes sense to me now. My spunky little, four year old self was telling the future: Mommy to Henry and Margaret, followed by Early Childhood Educator, followed by Early Childhood Education Professor, Followed by… well maybe I’ll become famous and meet Gwen Stefani and we’ll make an Early Childhood Education Rap record together, making me a Rockstar. Hey, anything could happen! In all seriousness, I truly have found my calling and am determined to give my children the best education possible. Because, I believe that all children, especially my strong willed little man, need educators other than their parents involved in their lives, my husband and I have enrolled Henry in a carefully selected preschool program that begins in September of 2019. One our search we even stopped by your Safari Learning Center because I had been listening to your podcast, which I found in a search of Early Childhood Education on iphone app. Imagine my surprise when I realized who you were. The educator who created Zoo-Phonics and your center was an hour and a half away from me! My husband and I grew up in a Mississippi river town of 30,000 people in Illinois. We moved to San Diego, California, for his work, in 2012 and Sacramento in 2014 because we were pregnant and could not afford to live in a one bedroom shack on the beach with a baby. We moved to start our family and moved an hour and half away from the creator of the program that taught me to read! Your program and way of educating has inspired me so much. While we are waiting for Henry to start preschool two days a week I will be teaching him and two of his friends Zoo-Phonics. When he begins preschool in the Fall I will continue to teach his friends as well as him on the other three mornings of the week. My hope is that using them as my cute little test subjects, combined with my own schooling, I will be able to start my own, small, neighborhood preschool program in the future. Much appreciation for all that you do, Lori McPherson

Lori McPherson, mom and early-educator-to-be April 10, 2019

Zoo-kids and now Zoo-grand kids!

I am a retired school social worker and  just placed an order to re-order a Parent Kit as a grandparent.  I raised my 3 children in Calaveras County, and a few of their teachers introduced me to Zoo-phonics back in the late 80's. I ran a small home preschool, and all 6 of our students learned to read in their 4th year within a few months using Zoo Phonics.  My own daughter learned in 3 days!  Later, when she went to kindergarten and was introduced to "Climbing Mount Learning" and Open Court phonics, she came home in tears.  She said they'd talked about how hard it was going to be to learn to read.  I reassured her she already knew how to read and that she already knew it wasn't hard it was fun!!   Of course Open Court's crazy system WAS confusing. "Hissing tire, hissing tire, SSS"..  I thought it was the dumbest system I'd ever encountered!  The tire is the shape of an O, the word tire starts with a T, and so how was a child to key on just the sound of S and associate it with the movement of air leaving a tire?  How many kids in the 80's encountered flat tires?   Zoo-phonics was so natural, including the stories to create the blends which the kids remembered and loved.  As parents, both my husband, who was the Special Ed Director, and I made a big pitch to the district to change; at the time it wasn't "research validated" yet so we lost that battle.  Fortunately, the special ed kids continued to access it and benefit.  I told my daughter to just ignore all the methods, read the way she already knew how to sound out words, and if she failed any phonics tests, just ask them to allow her to read to them their questions and her answers....   This brings me to today's order.  I have a 4 year old grandson who was struggling to read on our last visit but now recognizes all of his letters without any help from any system and knows many sounds.  So I delved into the garage boxes to find my Zoo-phonics materials, when I remembered I had donated them to a local preschool when I downsized.  I was so frustrated because I knew he was ready to read!  So he's coming for a visit this weekend and I wanted to be ready with materials! My next purchase will be the vowel puppets! Sincerely, Heather O'Brophy

Heather O'Brophy, retired school social worker & at home preschool owner August 31, 2018

Teaching to enhance development of learning with Zoo-phonics®…

I wanted to share something we are doing in my Cobb County, Georgia special-needs preschool to support our Zoo-Phonics®. My class is very young and there are some intense behaviors and sensory needs. I have some students who know all of their letters and some who are non-verbal and not yet recognizing animals. Like most cross-categorical special-needs-preschool classes, I have a large mix of ages and abilities. I was looking for a way to keep “letter of the week” examples where they could access them without eating them, throwing them, destroying them, or biting/choking on them, and something which would work for my very lowest students while still challenging my most advances students; so I made a Zoo-Phonics table. It has been extremely popular!

I use an old (tempered glass) glass-top display-style coffee table, but it would be easy to make one. I lined the bottom of the display area with reflective mylar. Every Friday after school, I fill the top of the table with items and pictures which start with the letter of the week for the following week. We add a couple of new things each day after the children leave so they can discover them the next morning. We give the children cards with pictures of the things inside the table. They use magnifying glasses and little flashlights to find the match for the items on the cards, like eye-spy, saying the names of the items. We work on SOOOO many skills and concepts at the same time to let us differentiate for our higher and lower students.

For example, one child is finding a match for an identical photograph of a large item in the table (or even an identical object to an object the teacher hands him), while his classmate might be asked to find things by color or size or function, i.e., “What do we ride on when we go to school in the morning?” or “Who made the honey in our story this morning?” This is one of our most popular centers!

Thanks again for a great program. This is my eleventh year of teaching preschool, and my second year of teaching special-needs preschool. I have used many phonics programs and really like Zoo-Phonics®. My class is learning a lot!

Katie Schulz-Ditchen Special-Needs Preschool Teacher Nicholson Elementary School, Cobb County, GA June 16, 2015

Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Our private elementary school located in Silicon Valley was about a 20 minute drive from a large country club community that boasted an excellent, well-funded neighborhood public school. Over a period of a few years, we noticed a trend: many families from the country club area utilized our Pre-school and Kindergarten, and then would transfer to their neighborhood school for 1st grade.  One day I shared our observation with a parent with whom I felt comfortable, gently inquiring why this might be so.  She immediately responded, ‘Oh, we talk about you out there!  You see, our local school runs a developmental Kindergarten program, but when kids arrive in 1st grade they seem to be expected to know how to read.  Parents feel like no one there really teaches them how to do it.  The word spread between parents and we’ve learned that we can come to you, because you know how to teach children how to read!’  I am so thankful to have had a principal who equipped the Pre-school through 1st Grade teachers with the Zoo-phonics program!  Ever since, I have considered Zoo-phonics to be the greatest tool in my teacher’s tool box!

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

Administrators and teachers know what works!

Zoo-phonics® has made a phenomenal impact on the primary reading program in my school district over the past 5 years! No matter what the socio-economic background of the students, I see smiling children who are excited about learning to read and eager to “zoo” their letters and sounds for me wherever I go. With Zoo-phonics®, children quickly learn the letter-sound basics and move on to segmenting and blending. Teachers love the program and marvel at their students’ rapid progress. Even veteran teachers tell me that they have never used a program that gets solid results so quickly and easily! It is one of the best comprehensive, foundational programs on the market today!

Dr. Karen Tankersley Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Retired, Dysart Unified School District and Educational Author Phoenix, AZ June 11, 2015

Students and parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!

"Students and Parents LOVE Zoo-phonics!  My kindergartners adored their zoo animal friends, and they especially enjoyed singing “Come Meet Us At The Zoo” each morning shortly after arriving at school.  But most rewarding to me as their teacher was meeting around the table with my smaller reading groups and noticing a child using the animal alphabet signals to decode a new word.  How exciting to have equipped my students with such a useful tool!"  

Kelly Witmer, retired elementary school teacher, Achiever Christian School May 31, 2018

You will get GREAT RESULTS with Zoo-phonics®!

“I had these results: one student was reading at a 1.9 level, two students were reading at a 1.6 level, three students finally understood letters = sounds = words, and tested 1.0, and two students were getting to associate letters = sounds and sounds = words. These were Kindergarten students and did better than some other students in K-2 district wide testing! I am using three reading “programs” to teach reading. Yours is the best and most productive program I have used in my 31 years in teaching K-12th graders. I cannot say how well your program helps my students learn to read. I recommend it to all teachers in my district!”

Brian Koharian Teacher, Fort Yukon Elementary Fort Yukon, AK June 11, 2015

The Zoo-phonics® program is exceptional

The multi-modal approach to instruction and learning coupled with the fun Zoo-phonics® friends is truly a winning combination! As important is the commitment of the Zoo-phonics® staff to ‘educate the educator.’ You really went above and beyond to make sure my staff was properly trained, and the workshop was extremely helpful for our classroom implementation. Our trainer presented not only the broad concepts but gave us practical applications and tips. The research behind the program is sound. In short, it just makes sense. The Zoo-phonics® program is exceptional and has far exceeded our expectations.

Jessica Russo Director of Preschool, St. Mark’s Cathedral School Shreveport Louisiana June 11, 2015

Teachers LOVE Our Workshops!

I am really excited about what I’ve learned at this fun hands on workshop. I am ready to head back to the class to show the kids!

Teacher from Grand Rapids, MI June 11, 2015

Great reviews and comments!

Just wanted you to know we received your appreciation gift and wanted to say Thank You! The effects of the training were amazing. I have heard great reviews from many preschool providers utilizing Zoo Phonics now and parents commenting on the children’s knowledge already. It is very exciting to see this approach sweep through Modoc County!

Heather Tufts Modoc Resource and Referral Director Alturas, CA June 11, 2015

You will get GREAT RESULTS with Zoo-phonics®!

I had these results: one student was reading at a 1.9 level, two students were reading at a 1.6 level, three students finally understood letters = sounds = words, and tested 1.0, and two students were getting to associate letters = sounds and sounds = words. These were Kindergarten students and did better than some other students in K-2 district wide testing! I am using three reading “programs” to teach reading. Yours is the best and most productive program I have used in my 31 years in teaching K-12th graders. I cannot say how well your program helps my students learn to read. I recommend it to all teachers in my district!

Brian Koharian Teacher, Fort Yukon Elementary Fort Yukon, AK June 11, 2015