Once at School
We equip and coach your assistants to teach students to read independently
Daily, one-on-one, in-person reading tutoring for PreK–1st grade — built for the staff you already have.
The model
In-person tutoring, the way kids learn best
Instruction happens the way young students learn best: sitting next to a trusted adult, one-on-one, every day. No screens between them. No cohorts. Just focused, consistent 15-minute sessions.
No certifications required
Empower the support staff you already have
With Once's scripted curriculum and weekly video coaching, instructional aides, assistants, and paraprofessionals don't need special certifications or experience to teach your students to read.
“High-Impact Tutoring is a pillar of DCPS' pandemic recovery strategy, and early literacy attainment is one of our strategic priorities.”
District of Columbia Public Schools
What you get
Everything a school needs to make it work
You set the program in motion. We handle the rest.
Turnkey
Scheduling, onboarding, training, and ongoing support — we run it so your staff can focus on kids.
Curriculum
Fully scripted, Science of Reading–aligned phonics curriculum with 200 cycles of instruction.
Training
Hands-on initial training plus graduate-credit-eligible professional development for every instructor.
Coaching
Weekly video coaching from expert coaches — over 20 hours of structured feedback per year.
Evidence-based
Based on the Science of Reading
Once has completed 4 ESSA Tier 3 studies, with Tier 2 and Tier 1 studies in progress. Students on Once grew on i-Ready from the 38th percentile nationally to the 67th.
Narrative curriculum
Stories that make kids want to learn how to read
Let's face it: decodable readers are often boring. Once chains the practice text of all 200 cycles into a single, cohesive narrative with consistent characters — so students fall in love with the story and want to keep reading.
Included with every implementation
Efficacy research included
Once sees every school and district as a research partner. Get top-tier efficacy data about your implementation at no additional cost — and become part of a growing body of evidence for what works in early literacy.
10%
of outsourced tutoring
Affordability
The most affordable one-on-one tutoring in the country
Because Once instructors are existing school support staff — not outsourced tutors — Once costs roughly 10% as much as typical high-dosage tutoring programs.
Learn why
Low risk
Start with Tier 2/Tier 3, then expand
You don't need to take a risk to try Once. Start as a Tier-2 or Tier-3 intervention with a small cohort, and then expand to Tier-1 with all kindergarteners once you see the impact for yourself.
Get started
Ready to bring Once to your school?
Our partnerships team would love to answer your questions and help you design an implementation that works.