Christina Wilcomes is a former public school teacher and the founder of Word Lab Literacy Studio. She holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Smith College and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from New York University.
Christina’s training spans multiple evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction. She is trained in Orton-Gillingham through the Dyslexia Training Institute as well as through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. She is also trained in a Linguistic Phonics or speech-to-print approach through EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction) and Reading Simplified. Further professional study includes coursework in Structured Word Inquiry, deepening her understanding of the phonological, morphological, and etymological structures of written English.
While Christina draws on her Orton-Gillingham training to inform her understanding of struggling readers, a Linguistic Phonics or speech-to-print approach (EBLI), most closely reflects her teaching philosophy: start with what we already know – speech, make the complexities of English understandable, and give students the most direct path possible to skilled, independent reading, writing and spelling.
Christina spent many years building and running a successful floral and garden design business, but an increasing concern about the state of literacy education ultimately drew her back to education. As she learned more about declining reading proficiency—both locally and nationally—she became deeply interested in why so many bright, capable children struggle to learn to read, and why traditional instruction does not work equally well for every learner.
Emily Hanford’s Sold a Story podcast helped bring national attention to many of these concerns and is an excellent introduction for parents interested in understanding the larger conversation surrounding reading instruction.
Word Lab was founded from a desire to be part of the solution. It provides struggling readers and writers with thoughtful, highly individualized instruction grounded in research and evidence. Rather than asking a child to fit a particular program, instruction is shaped around the individual learner—building on strengths, identifying what is getting in the way, and finding the clearest path forward.
