Our mission is to reveal and illuminate the strengths of individuals with dyslexia or language-based learning differences.
Kildonan Teacher Training Institute
Following in the footsteps of Kildonan's Co-founder Diana Hanbury King, Kathleen Loftus Stewart leads the Kildonan Teacher Training Institute (KTTI). Diana desired to make literacy available to all by teaching teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach. The Kildonan Teacher Training Institute is fully accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy.
Kildonan At Marvelwood
Kildonan has partnered with the Marvelwood School in Kent, Connecticut, and now offers one-to-one Orton Gillingham tutoring services to Marvelwood students. The Marvelwood School is a private non-profit school with grades 9 through 12. Like Kildonan, Marvelwood's small class size, strong core values, respect for diversity, and appreciation for the value of service to others made this a natural partnership.
Camp Dunnabeck
Founded in 1955, Kildonan's Camp Dunnabeck is the oldest summer camp program of its kind. An academic summer camp for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences providing one-to-one Orton Gillingham tutoring for campers 8 through 16 years of age. An in-person summer camp now operating on the campus of the Marvelwood School in Kent, Connecticut.
WHY we do it:
- We believe in the diversity of the human brain and the vast potential of the dyslexic mind.
- We believe we can excel as human beings when we are physically, intellectually, and emotionally supported.
HOW we do it:
- Students' individual language needs are addressed in daily one-to-one diagnostic-prescriptive Orton-Gillingham tutoring sessions.
- By discovering and nurturing passions, we build strength and resilience.
- Through being mindful of our interconnectedness with the planet and its inhabitants, we connect the present with the future, creating peaceful solutions to complex problems.
- Through challenging dyslexics of adventurous intellect to think critically and creatively and preparing them for active, responsible citizenship in a democratic society.
WHO does it:
- A circle of students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and parents who value PERSONAL GROWTH, RESPONSIBILITY, and INTEGRITY to engage constructively with the world.
WHERE:
- At Camp Dunnabeck in its 70th year!
- Providing 1-to-1 Orton-Gillingham approach at The Marvelwood School.
- Training teachers on Marvelwood’s campus and virtually all over the world!
Our History
In 1950
In 1955
In 1969
In 1980
In 1983 and 1987
In 2003
In August of 2019
A year later, in 2020
Today
In 1950
Kildonan’s co-founder and visionary Diana Hanbury King came to this country from England. She began teaching at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. At the time, this was one of only a few schools with a program for dyslexic students under the aegis of Anna Gillingham. Trained by Dr. Samuel Orton, Helene Durbrow directed the program. With encouragement from Dr. Orton, Helene Durbrow opened Camp Mansfield, a summer program for dyslexic students in Vermont. Mrs. King, personally trained by Anna Gillingham herself, spent several summers teaching there.
In 1955
Mrs. King was inspired to create her own camp, named Dunnabeck, in Western Pennsylvania. After running the camp for 14 years, she met Kurt Goldman, a father of a Dunnabeck camper. So impressed and motivated by his son's progress, he encouraged Mrs. King to open a school for dyslexic students and offered to provide the necessary funding.
In 1969
The Kildonan School opened in Bucks County on a rented campus in Solebury, PA. The first year 12 students enrolled, but the school flourished and eventually outgrew the facility. Under the leadership of Leisket Mills, then Board of Trustees Chair, a search began to find a new campus.
In 1980
Kildonan moved to the foothills of the Berkshires in Amenia, NY. The 460-acre campus had been the site of Barlow School and had several dormitories, a schoolhouse, a library, and an art building.
In 1983 and 1987
In 1983, Camp Dunnabeck moved from Pennsylvania and became a part of The Kildonan School. Over time and supported by the trustees, Kildonan added a large boys' dormitory, a girls' dormitory, and an elementary building to house day students in grades 1 through 6.
Orton-Gillingham instruction remained at the forefront of Kildonan's curriculum, which set our school apart from all others. Horseback riding, skiing, and a strong art program, all of which were a part of the original plan in Pennsylvania, continued to play an important role in the extra-curricular program. Our curriculum and campus continue to evolve and grow throughout our long history, yet the school's philosophy and objectives remain unchanged. Kildonan continues its mission to meet the needs of the dyslexic population by strengthening language skills, providing stimulating subject matter courses, and building confidence and self-esteem.
Mrs. King traveled throughout the USA and abroad to make literacy available to all by training teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Kildonan established the Kildonan Teacher Training Institute (KTTI) in 1987. KTTI empowers individuals with dyslexia and supports literacy widely by educating teachers in the best practices of the Orton-Gillingham approach by offering OG training, practicum supervision, student diagnostics, and 1-to-1 OG tutoring.
In 2003
Kildonan became accredited by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) both as a training site and as a school providing the appropriate education for dyslexic students. The following year, Camp Dunnabeck and KTTI were accredited as well.
In August of 2019
After fifty years of making a positive impact in the lives of students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences, The Kildonan School closed due to low enrollment and increasing costs to maintain a large campus. Fifty years of students’ successes also affect positive change in their families, communities, and our world, but still, the Kildonan organization moves onward!
A year later, in 2020
Kildonan sold the Amenia property and moved its operations onto the campus of the Marvelwood School in Kent, Connecticut, and a historic partnership was formed, Kildonan@Marvelwood. Kildonan is now offering one-to-one Orton Gillingham tutoring services to Marvelwood students. The Marvelwood School is a private non-profit school with grades 9 through 12. Like Kildonan, Marvelwood’s small class size, strong core values, respect for diversity, and appreciation for the value of service to others made this a natural partnership.
Instructors trained through KTTI are now part of Marvelwood’s Clark Center for Learning Support, employing Orton-Gillingham, which supports students with language-based learning challenges.
Kildonan’s Camp Dunnabeck became an online summer camp as a way to continue its mission during the pandemic; Camp Dunnabeck 2.0 was established. In an innovative, immersive, and interactive camp experience, campers learned fun new interactive technologies and made new friends without spatial restrictions. Connecting each student with a highly skilled Orton-Gillingham Practioner trained to help students prevent summer slide.
As we move onward, we are excited to share Kildonan’s mission and continue to transform lives!
Today
Kildonan continues to be a leader in providing:
Kildonan’s Camp Dunnabeck- Helping students since 1955, our unique 6-week summer camp program provides 1-to-1 Orton-Gillingham tutoring while engaging students in fun summer activities that foster independence and build confidence;
Kildonan Teacher Training Institute (KTTI)- Accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy, KTTI provides training and certification for teachers to instruct students with dyslexia or language-based learning differences at the Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified level.
Kildonan@Marvelwood - Providing 1-to-1 Orton-Gillingham tutorials to Marvelwood students.
As we move onward, we are excited to share Kildonan’s mission and continue to transform lives!
