New York, NY – Today, TinyIvy just launched their first product on Kickstarter, the TIPS™ Early Reader Pack, using a patent-pending approach that could dramatically reduce the time and effort needed to teach kids to read. The system is based on data-driven research into the backbone of phonics, which led to a computer algorithm that decoded the entire English language and found a simple solution: Add TIPS™.
“As soon as I started teaching my son phonics, it broke down. There were too many exceptions,” said Zachary Silverzweig, TinyIvy’s founder and CEO. “I had this idea that literacy isn’t a reading problem, it’s a math problem. A probability problem. So I put on my engineering hat and all of a sudden the answer seemed really obvious.”
While all dictionaries include pronunciations of words, no dictionary includes a map of which letters are making those sounds. TinyIvy developed that algorithm and in the process uncovered the most important building blocks of the English Language. It’s not the ABCs. It is the ‘S’ that sounds like a ‘Z’ in IS, the ‘O’ that sounds like a ‘U’ in LOVE, and all the other variations that make reading so difficult for young kids.
TinyIvy teaches these explicitly. By adding TIPS™, tiny accent marks, kids get a set of training wheels for literacy, a set of visual cues on the exact sound each letter makes in that word. IS becomes IŚ. LOVE becomes LÔVE. Like magic, reading becomes unlocked. Words are easily decodable by a child. There are no exceptions, so kids make almost no mistakes. Kids can approach words they have never seen without any fear. There is more joy, and more progress, in far less time than traditional methods.
Abigail Brennan, reading specialist and educational consultant on literacy programs to schools in the United States and Southeast Asia recognizes the value. “We are facing a literacy crisis. 65% of students in the United States are reading on or below a basic reading level. It’s time for innovative ideas. When I see what TinyIvy is offering and their early results, I have tremendous hope for this company and for our country’s future.
TinyIvy is committed to bringing this simple, easy, powerful reading system to children all across the US, including those most in need of support. For every TIPS Early Reader Pack sold on Kickstarter, the company is donating an additional pack to a classroom in a school that falls below the nation’s literacy objectives, as well as providing resources so that the teachers can apply the system easily and the children can rapidly improve.
About Us:
TinyIvy: TinyIvy develops tools and technology that make it easier for kids to learn to read faster, earlier, with fewer mistakes, and a lot more joy. TinyIvy’s Phonics System (TIPS™) revolutionizes the way we teach literacy, allowing all language to be decoded directly by the child, avoiding the sight-word memorization and teaching of exceptions that make reading in English so difficult. Using a proprietary algorithm that unlocked the secret of phonics, learning just 50 TIPS gives a child the ability to sound out over 50 thousand words.
Zachary Silverzweig: Mr. Silverzweig is the founder and CEO of TinyIvy. He previously served as Co-founder of CipherHealth, leading all product and engineering efforts. Over his tenure with the firm, he served in a wide variety of roles, driving culture that led to being ranked as Best Place to Work in Modern Healthcare and securing over $45M in financing. Prior to that, Mr. Silverzweig worked as a consultant at Pace Harmon, helping Fortune 500 companies optimize technology and technology operations.
TinyIvy Phonics System (TIPS™): TIPS™ is TinyIvy’s reading system, which includes TIPS™ Letters (representing the variations of pronunciations of that letter). TIPS™ Letters are organized into TIPS™ Reading Levels, allowing for systematic progress. TIPS product suite includes TIPS™ Reading Books, TIPS™ Early Reading Packs, TIPS™ Classroom Kit, TIPS™ Reading Difficulty Score, and TIPS™ Reading World.
TIPS™ Early Reader Pack: This is the first product launched by TinyIvy, available today for pre-order as part of a Kickstarter campaign to raise awareness for the business. The Early Reader Pack is a deck of 130 cards that includes everything a child and parent need to get started with the system. It includes TIPSTM Letter examples, sample words, power words, vocabulary lists, and fun game ideas for parents to play with their kids.
About Abigail Brennen:
For the past 22 years Abigail has been committed to making school a learning place that’s authentic, fun and committed to allowing talents to come to life. She has taught students and supervised teachers at the elementary, secondary and higher education levels. As an educational consultant, her areas of expertise include individualized education planning, literacy and mindfulness programs.
COMPANY:
TinyIvy, LLC
408 Broadway, 2nd Floor
NY, NY 10013
(917) 994-0406
tinyivy.com
CONTACT:
Zachary Silverzweig
(917) 994-0406
(917) 359-2651 (cell)
zach@tinyivy.com
Media Contact
Company Name: TinyIvy
City: New York
State: New York 10013
Country: United States
Website: www.tinyivy.com
