Toronto, ON – September 2024 – Chapter One, Canada’s leading high-impact reading tutoring charity, is accelerating its efforts to close the reading gap for Indigenous children in Canada with a novel approach using family smartphones. A two-year, $300,000 grant from the TD Bank Group awarded in March 2023 has made 1:1 reading tutoring available to more than 750 Indigenous students in over 60 communities nationwide — putting the initiative ahead of schedule in its ambitious goal of bringing at-home tutoring to 1,000 students by March 2025.

Since the grant was awarded, results from a large randomized controlled trial led by Stanford University have shown that students receiving Chapter One high-impact tutoring were more than twice as likely to reach phonics benchmarks by the end of Kindergarten, and scored 35% higher in oral reading fluency by the end of Grade 1.

Results achieved by TD-sponsored students in at-home tutoring were consistent with the Stanford findings, with the number of tutored students reaching grade-level reading proficiency doubling between March 2023 and September 2024.

Parent feedback also reflects the program’s success. In a 2023-24 family survey, 92% of parents said they would recommend the program to other families, and parents consistently reported significant progress in their children’s reading:

As lead sponsor of Chapter One’s at-home reading tutoring, TD was the first major supporter of this initiative, helping make the program available on families' smartphones and connect with more young children, including those in isolated areas. This expansion has allowed Chapter One to serve more than 60 new communities across Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, including remote, fly-in communities such as the Sahtu Region in NT.

Chapter One is on track to exceed its goal of scaling its at-home tutoring initiative, to make proven, evidence-based 1:1 high impact tutoring available to 1,000 First Nations and Inuit children by March 2025. The expansion from classroom-based programs to at-home tutoring offers significant benefits to families in remote communities where specialized reading support is scarce, and in cases where children are homeschooled or have inconsistent school attendance.

Building on this success, Chapter One aims to reach an additional 1,000 students by March 2028, closing the reading gap for children in need across the country.

About Chapter One

Chapter One Canada is a registered charity dedicated to transforming children’s futures by providing 1:1 high impact reading tutoring at the time they need it most. It aims to close the reading gap by empowering young at-risk children with the literacy skills they need to inspire a love of reading and learning, and succeed in school and life.

For more information, visit chapterone.org/ca.

About TD Ready Commitment

TD Ready Commitment is TD’s global corporate citizenship platform, designed to support equitable, inclusive communities. Focused on four key drivers of change – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities, and Better Health – TD is targeting $1 billion in community giving by 2030.

Read about TD Ready Commitment's impact with Chapter One.

Learn more about TD Ready Commitment.