Mission and Services

Many schools have neither the training nor the resources to screen struggling readers or equip educators to identify and remediate students with dyslexia. With an estimated 15-20% of all students displaying characteristics of dyslexia, we cannot overcome the achievement gap or increase the high school graduation rate, nationally or locally, unless more children with learning differences can read at grade level. The Erika Center’s services include:

1. Community presentations defining dyslexia and developmentally appropriate literacy benchmarks
2. Literacy screenings to evaluate grade-level language skills
3. Professional development and training opportunities for Mid-South educators to strengthen identification of and intervention for students with dyslexia
4. Free and public outreach events to increase awareness of dyslexia and how it relates to other learning differences
5. Satellite programs at area schools, providing a trained Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator in a specialized language arts program (Currently at Rossville Christian Academy and St. Ann Catholic School in Bartlett)

Early Reading Screening

The Erika Center at Bodine School offers free early reading screenings for any student in grades K-2 in the Mid-South region. This screening will assess the early literacy skills of a child to identify those who may need additional support. Research has shown the importance of early intervention for students who learn differently. After testing, an Erika Center staff member will discuss the results with families, providing feedback and recommending next steps. Space is limited.

History of the Erika Center

The Erika Center is named after Erika Yunkun, who began attending Bodine in 2007. In 2012, The Erika Center was made possible by a donation to honor Erika Yunkun, a Bodine student, who passed away in 2011 due to a brain tumor. Erika’s work ethic was eclipsed only by her compassion for and encouragement of her classmates to succeed. The donor asked that the Center’s work would preserve and honor the memory of Erika. The Erika Center was designed to emulate to the larger community the compassion that Erika showed her classmates.

In April 2016, the Tennessee Legislature passed the “Say Dyslexia” law (HB 2616/SB 2635), placing emphasis on the continuum of services needed for students with dyslexia along with providing professional development resources for educators regarding identification and intervention for all students.

Arise2Read Video Series

In partnership with Arise2Read, this series of videos was designed to inform parents and educators about the Science of Reading, Reading Milestones and Reading as a Family and Reading in the Classroom.