Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Herd.
Hi Julie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am the owner of Reading Reach Literacy Center in Oceanside, which provides evidence-based reading and spelling instruction to striving readers and students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties. My passion is teaching striving readers to become confident and fluent readers. I am a CA credentialed Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist and I have a master’s degree in Reading and Literacy Education, as well as official training and a practicum with the Orton-Gillingham Academy. I am certified by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI), which is a subsidiary of the International Dyslexia Association.
I’ve always been a teacher. I always knew educating young children was an important job, but what I didn’t know was that teaching children to read would change my life. My passion has always been literacy; however, I never anticipated I would become the owner of a top-rated literacy center! One of the things that fueled my fire along the way was my own son’s reading and writing difficulties. My son has dyslexia, so I understand the struggles and insecurities that are associated with it. I want to help students like him overcome their struggles and become confident and accurate readers. Becoming better readers will boost their self-esteem, which is what every parent wants for their child. My son is the main reason why I do what I do. I am now able to focus on homeschooling him while also running a business that helps many children learn to read.
When I started Reading Reach four years ago, it wasn’t yet a full literacy center as it is today. At first, Reading Reach started with me tutoring struggling readers in their homes. After a while, I turned my living room into a classroom, where my clients came to me for tutoring services. Eventually, my student list grew and grew! I had a wait list, and I had to hire employees. This inevitably brought me to opening a full literacy center (with a little encouragement and a lot of help from my husband, Matt!). We now have seven teachers and are hiring more to accommodate our growing waitlist of students. The growth all happened so fast, and the demand for reading intervention services continues to bring expansion to our literacy center.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a small business owner brings many unique struggles! Besides that, the biggest struggles were the sacrifices made during my studies, getting my master’s degree, and going through my Orton-Gillingham practicum, such as my family and I missing out on time together. The sacrifices, however, were worth the freedom we now have owning a business. We have the ability to focus on educating our own child as well as giving the gift of literacy to all the children enrolled at our literacy center.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a literacy leader in the classroom, in my community, and beyond! I am proud to be CERI certified, as this is the most progressive and prestigious certification in the profession. As the founder of Reading Reach Literacy Center, I lead my team of instructors with a structured literacy approach and the modeling of evidence-based practices. My dedication to ensuring the application of the science of reading in my center has gained acknowledgement for high-quality literacy instruction and impressive student improvements. Reading Reach has gained local recognition for outstanding customer satisfaction through the “Best of Oceanside – 2024” award for being the top-ranked tutoring service!
I am proud to have been named a winner of Nessy’s Teacher of the Year 2024 – Dyslexia Aware, where I ranked third place globally and first place in the United States. In 2025, I was a nominee for Nessy’s Science of Reading Teacher of the Year. I was also selected as an Honorable Mention for the Learning Ally Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award in 2025, which honors exceptional educators across the U.S. for their impact on struggling readers. I participate in advocacy programs, such as John Corcoran Foundation’s The Truth About Reading Million Viewer Campaign. In addition, I’ve been a speaker at various local community events, promoting effective literacy instruction and dyslexia awareness at the grassroots level.
Another way I am able to impact student success is through my contributions to the California Literacy Performance Assessment (LPA) pilot test consensus scoring sessions and pilot test portfolio scoring with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Pearson. Through my work ensuring the LPA is valid, reliable and authentic to the teaching practice, as well as my work scoring submissions over the past two years, many students will be positively impacted by the improvements to literacy teaching practices in California. This will impact the success of not only my center’s students, but all students in California. When teachers are proficient in effective literacy practices, they are better equipped to support students both academically and emotionally.
Finally, through my center’s social media platforms, I’m able to reach many worldwide in my efforts to lead others in the understanding of the science of reading.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Perseverance through the hard times. There will be ups and downs. If I gave up during the hard times, I would not be where I am today. The way I look at it, if you keep working towards your goals, no matter how slowly, you are still making progress. If you give up, you’ll never get where you want to go! Persistence and determination are important characteristics for success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ReadingReach.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readingreach
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readingreach
- Other: https://linktr.ee/readingreach
Image Credits
Sharon McKeeman Photo
