The Centre for Literacy provides instruction and support to students in Alberta, and across Canada. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, the Centre’s major activity is supporting students to overcome difficulties in learning reading, writing and math. Most students receive one on one support from highly trained teachers. Small group support, primarily early intervention play-based programs for students in Grades 2-6 is also available.
Support is organized around a student’s learning challenges, and strengths. Strategies used for teaching are evidence-based or evidence-informed; they have been assessed as effective through peer reviewed evaluation.
Reading, writing and math assessments are completed for the purpose of informing intervention and monitoring progress.
Empowering parents/guardians through information sessions on relevant topics is also a priority. Teachers and other professionals benefit from a variety of Professional Development programs. They are invited to attend sessions alongside the Centre’s teaching staff.
Lori Purvis, Executive Director
Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS)
Lori serves as a dedicated literacy leader at the Centre for Literacy, striving to remove learning barriers by guiding and supporting the teaching and administrative teams. The Centre for Literacy teachers provide specialized remediation in reading, writing, math, and French. Guided by the belief that improved educational outcomes directly impact an individual’s lifelong well-being in all areas, Lori is a passionate advocate for literacy.
Her professional background includes successfully managing a system of libraries, and undertaking an international teacher librarianship role in the United States, where she had the privilege of establishing two libraries for inner-city schools. Lori also spent several years as a Community Librarian for the Strathcona County Library, where she worked to strengthen local literacy and served as an ambassador and technology trainer to promote intellectual freedom for clients with print disabilities.
Lori holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and a Communications Studies Degree from the University of Calgary.
Shani Reiter, Director of Instructional Leadership
Master of Education (M.Ed.) – Educational Research, Educational Neuroscience and Children’s Mental Health
Since joining the Centre for Literacy in 2016, Shani has successfully delivered intensive reading remediation to students of all ages. In her capacity as the Director of Instructional Leadership, she designs evidence-based training programs and remediation materials grounded in the Science of Reading—a comprehensive body of research identifying the most effective methods for teaching reading, spelling, and writing.
As a highly respected leader in reading instruction, Shani also conducts specialized courses and workshops to help area teachers enhance their classroom instruction. Within the Centre, her mentoring responsibilities focus on sharing these proven methods and guiding educators through a robust library of custom remediation resources developed by her and her team.
We are proud to celebrate Shani’s 10th year at the Centre, recognizing her outstanding dedication to teaching and her valued leadership!
Lori and Shani work closely with a passionate and skilled Senior Management/Administrative Team comprised of individuals who collectively provide advice and formulate policy on the operation of the Centre.
Heather Clarke (BEd, Elementary Education) teaches and leads the assessment and progress monitoring team, ensuring that assessments and learning profiles are completed for all students to best inform their educational support.
Emma Day (BEd, BSc) is a literacy and assessment specialist and the Centre’s progress monitoring lead. She coordinates, administers and develops assessments to inform remediation. Additionally, she teaches students one-on-one and mentors literacy and numeracy teachers.
Catherine Elzinga (BEd, Elementary Education/Special Education) is a highly regarded teacher at the Centre. In addition to teaching, she co-leads the math programming, the math progression and supporting materials; and mentors Centre teachers who provide reading and math remediation to students.
Jaime McLachlan (BEd, Recreation Therapist) is a literacy/numeracy specialist who coordinates a collaborative project with the First Nations School Board (FNSB) in the Yukon, providing coaching to literacy teachers and assistants and instruction to FNSB students. Jaime co-leads the math programming and supports the development of advanced literacy resources used by Centre teachers.
Eva Blaskovic is a literacy and assessment specialist who teaches literacy and assesses students’ writing abilities. She mentors teachers who provide remediation services to junior and high school students.
The Centre has an amazing administrative team of three individuals:
Maria Burjour is the Scheduling Coordinator. Her major responsibility is to work with teachers and parents, caregivers and clients on all matters related to scheduling.
Jackie Soprovich is the Accounting Coordinator. Her major roles are invoicing, ensuring that client accounts remain current, and reconciling all Centre accounts. Maria and Jackie are typically the first points of contact with parents/caregivers.
Roberta Lapointe is the Human Resources Coordinator. She is responsible for payroll, teacher recruitment and onboarding.
Our Teachers! The Centre employs approximately 55 teachers, the majority of whom work on a part-time basis providing remediation and support to students, in addition to their classroom work in area schools. Their work is so impactful!
We are proud to build on and enrich the foundation of the Centre for Literacy, notably established by former owners Kathryn Burke, Yvonne Stern and Sylvia Hannah.