About Your Tutor

“Your child may struggle in reading, but this does not have to be the end of the story, or the path your child will forever struggle along.”

Hello, my name is Vanessa Brink.

I am the founder of and tutor at Sofia Literacy. For the last 20 years, I have had the privilege to serve children in the classroom in traditional, classical, Montessori, private and public schools. My goal is to spark the love of reading by building the mechanical skills and the sense of confidence every child needs to succeed.

I have had the privilege to work with children from prek-12th grade, teaching a variety of subjects from practical life skills in the Montessori environment, to Calculus in High School. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to accept different responsibilities: teacher, curriculum developer, founder and principal of a one room schoolhouse, assistant dean, and librarian. Every role helped shape my awareness and deepen my understanding of the breadth of learning approaches and the necessity for a teacher to observe patiently to find out how best to serve each child on their scholastic journey.

As a parent, you want your child to feel confident in their abilities. The worst thing as a parent is to see your child think he or she is stupid or incapable. And you know they are not stupid or incapable. Your child may struggle in reading, but this does not have to be the end of the story, or the path your child will forever struggle along.

Let’s get your child the help and assistance they need from someone who is willing to see their pain, offer a journey of individualized lesson plans, and walk them through it to reading confidence!

-Vanessa

P.S. If you are keen to start today, check out my blog with plenty of helpful tools and advice to get your child the help they need.

FAQs

For more information, see my Services or check out my blog.

  • For children with a diagnosis of dyslexia or ADHD, I recommend 3 hours per week. Depending on the needs of the child, the frequency can be adjusted.

  • Depending on the needs of the child, a typical program lasts from 60-100 hours.

  • My office hours are 9am-6pm. You can choose to come after or during school hours if you and your school are amenable to your child being pulled from their regular class.

  • Pulling your child out for tutoring allows them to feel successful without the pressure of keeping up in class. This builds their confidence and prevents them from feeling “behind.”

  • My tutoring office is in the Biltmore area of Phoenix, Arizona.

    I do offer online sessions for your convenience.

  • I adapt my approach to each child’s personality, engaging them in ways that suit their needs and keeping lessons dynamic to hold their interest.

  • Together, we’ll work on strengthening phonological awareness, working memory, vocabulary, visualization, and engaging all the senses for more effective learning.

  • I do not diagnose. If you are interested in a diagnostic test for your child, here are some qualified testing facilities that could help you out:

    Arizona Developmental Psychology

    Dyslexia Pros

    The Reading & Math Clinic

    Anderson Psychological Services

    When a child has a diagnosis, I curate the program to the correct literacy level, offering an adaptable, individualized learning plan that engages the interests of the child.