CRACKING THE CODE

Here’s a guide to choosing the right school or camp for your child with learning differences.

- GRACE HEBRON

Twice a week, while his peers were learning Spanish and French, Zach DeBolt was pulled out of his firstgrade class to spend time with a tutor. A year older—and about a head taller—than most of his classmates, the bright 8-year-old boy, who had recently been diagnosed with dyslexia, was performing below grade level in reading and math.

It was around this time that his parents, Liza and Tom DeBolt, realized that the independent school their two oldest children attended could no longer meet Zach’s academic needs. So, at the suggestion of friends—and a private psychologist—they began to look into The Odyssey School as an option for their only son.

“It was kind of like divine intervention,” says Liza DeBolt, who knew right away that the K-8 charter school was the right fit for Zach. A stone’s throw from the family’s home in Phoenix, the school, situated on 42 acres in Greenspring Valley, offered specialized instruction for students with dyslexia, something DeBolt, a former public school teacher and mother of three, knew would be crucial to her son’s academic success.

“It seemed perfect for Zach, and we felt like they not only accepted him, but they accepted our whole family,” she says.

Maryland is home to 84 private schools and 37 public schools designed to serve children with learning differences. But, for parents, selecting the right one to meet their child’s needs is no small feat. So, where to begin?