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Ember — Structured Literacy
In active development · Austin, TX
Pilot opens · April 2026

Every reader has an ember.

Pilot opens April 2026 · Building now

The 20 minutes of reading practice between tutoring sessions that don't have to end in tears. Ember is a tablet app built around the structured, phonics-first method certified reading specialists use — so the time at home reinforces your child's tutoring instead of undoing it.

The hardest 20 minutes of the day shouldn't be reading practice.

If your child has dyslexia, you already know how it goes. The homework folder comes out. The tears start. You're not sure if what you're doing is helping — and the generic reading apps you've tried don't teach the way their specialist does. Dyslexia isn't a knowledge gap; it's a wiring difference that needs a very specific kind of practice, done consistently, to rewire the brain's reading network. That's what Ember is for.

1 in 5
Children have dyslexia, making it the most common learning difference
International Dyslexia Association
Every word, every story, every correction Ember gives your child is generated for them specifically. No generic phonics drills. No recycled lessons.
Our promise
0
Reading apps built to match the structured phonics method your child's specialist is actually using
The gap we're filling

Between sessions, in the same direction.

Ember isn't a replacement for your child's reading specialist — it's a way to make the days between sessions count. It follows the phonics-first, structured approach their tutor uses, listens as your child reads, catches mistakes gently, and adapts to what they actually got right. No drills that are too hard. No stories with words they haven't been taught yet. Just 20 supportive minutes a night that reinforce what their specialist is building. Orton-Gillingham fidelity is the bar we're holding ourselves to, and we're actively recruiting CALTs into the build process to make sure we meet it.

i.

Faithful to the method that works

The same phonics-first, multisensory approach 40+ years of research — and your child's specialist — already trust. Ember doesn't invent a new method; it follows the one that works, one sound and one letter pattern at a time, in the order the brain needs to learn them.

ii.

Meets your child exactly where they are

Ember remembers which letter-sound patterns your child has nailed, which are still wobbly, and which keep tripping them up — and adjusts the next page accordingly. No frustrating drills that are too hard. No boring repetition of things they already know.

iii.

Listens, corrects, and encourages

Ember hears your child read aloud and catches mispronunciations the moment they happen, with gentle corrections that mirror the approach their specialist uses. And every story is generated fresh using only the patterns they've learned, so they never hit a word they haven't been taught.

What 20 minutes looks like

Five short, structured steps that reinforce what happens in a tutoring session — paced for your child.

0 — 4 min

Today's new sound

One new letter pattern, introduced the way a specialist would.

4 — 9 min

Build words

Hands-on practice making words with the day's new pattern.

9 — 15 min

Read a story

A fresh story using only the sounds they've learned so far.

15 — 20 min

Show what you know

A short review that helps today's lesson stick.

Timings shift slightly based on how your child is doing that day — every session is their own.

Be among the first families to try Ember with your child.

Get early access → We're piloting with a small group of families and their reading specialists.

We'd rather show you what's real than fake a screenshot.

Built & working

Voice recognition that listens as your child reads aloud. Structured lessons that follow a phonics-first scope & sequence. Games unlocked by progress, so practice earns play.

Building now

The full pilot curriculum, the tablet UI, and progress reporting a CALT can actually use between sessions. Orton-Gillingham fidelity is the bar — we're actively recruiting practicing CALTs into the build process to make sure we clear it.

Won't cut corners on

Methodology fidelity. Pricing that locks out the families who need this most. Claiming a specialist's job is ours — Ember is a between-session tool, not a replacement.

Built for the two people who matter most.

For families
Your child was flagged for dyslexia, and nightly reading practice has become the hardest 20 minutes of the day. The generic reading apps don't match what their specialist is teaching, and you can't tell if anything you're doing is working. You need practice that feels more like progress and less like a battle.
What we're building for you: a calm 20 minutes, real progress you can see, and the quiet relief of knowing you're not on your own.
For CALTs & reading specialists
You spend 45–60 minutes a week rewiring a child's reading brain, and then they go home. Generic practice apps undo your scope and sequence and leave you guessing at the next session. We're building Ember to stay faithful to Orton-Gillingham — and we want practicing CALTs shaping the curriculum, the scope & sequence, and the between-session reporting from the start.
What we're building with you: methodology you trust, mastery data that tells you where to start next session, and a tool that's shaped by CALTs from day one.
A note from the team

Ember is being built by a small Austin team, with ongoing input from CALTs and families of dyslexic learners. We're still early — which means the parents who try it with their kids and the CALTs who shape the methodology will actually change what this becomes. That's the deal.

— The Ember team · Austin, TX

Join the pilot. Shape what Ember becomes.

Parents: the pilot opens April 2026. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the moment a spot is ready for your child, with details on pricing and what the pilot involves.

CALTs & reading specialists: we're actively recruiting practicing CALTs to help shape the curriculum, scope & sequence, and reporting. Tell us you're a CALT below and we'll be in touch.

You're on the list

You'll be first in line when the pilot opens. We may reach out to learn more about your family or practice — your perspective shapes what we build.