Promise School enters second year to help kids cope with dyslexia

Brandie D’Orazio is a registered nurse turned educator who believes in learning without limits. After two of their children were diagnosed with dyslexia, D’Orazio and her husband, Dan, founded The Promise School in 2023, to support the academic and social-emotional needs of students with language-based learning differences.

 

About 15 percent of students in the United States are diagnosed with some form of dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects reading and writing. Dyslexia is the result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language. There is no cure for dyslexia, but early intervention results in the best outcome.

 

“Even though a diagnosis of dyslexia can be scary, we know that with the right type of education and therapies, your child can have a great quality of life and be able to thrive,” D’Orazio said. 

 

The Promise School incorporates the Orton-Gillingham method of learning; a multi-sensory approach that uses sight, hearing, touch and movement to teach the connections between sounds and letters. The method breaks reading, writing and spelling down into smaller skills and is highly effective for students struggling with literacy.

 

“The Orton-Gillingham approach is the gold standard for students who have dyslexia,” D’Orazio said. “It rewires the brain to help the kids learn so they can be successful. This is a passion of mine; I’m a registered nurse and for me health care and education have always gone hand in hand.”

 

The D’Orazios are CEOs of a national health-care consulting firm and have extensive backgrounds in health care and community outreach. They were both working with a nonprofit organization for at-risk youth when they met in Baltimore.  

 

The D’Orazios have been married 17 years and moved to Daniel Island from Maryland four years ago. Their oldest daughter, Stella, attends Ashley Hall, and their younger daughter, Anna, and son, Luca, attend The Promise School. Their younger son, Leo, was born with a rare genetic brain malformation, and died after his third birthday.

 

“Daniel Island was a reset for our family when our fourth child passed away in January of 2020,” D’Orazio said. “The three years he was alive were amazing, but they also came with a lot of challenges, so we decided to embrace what we had and live life to the fullest every day.”

 

D’Orazio said the relaxing lifestyle on Daniel Island, along with the friends they have met, have helped the family heal. “The beauty of the island, being outdoors in the sunny weather, and always meeting new people is really fun for us.”

 

The D’Orazios hope The Promise School will become a support and resource for the community by offering educational and outreach services to students with language-based learning differences and their parents. “When you receive a diagnosis of dyslexia, it’s very overwhelming and you wonder what this may look like for your child five years from now,” D’Orazio said.

 

The Promise School, located at 34 Race St., in Charleston, kicked off the academic year Aug. 14 with 11 students and six staff members. The school offers small class sizes with work individualized to the strengths and weaknesses of each child. It’s modeled around a typical school day with core academic and related arts classes, but also develops executive functioning skills and integrates physical and occupational therapies.

 

“We focus on a well-rounded curriculum that not only addresses the student’s educational needs, but also the social and emotional needs of the child and the family,” said D’Orazio, who explained that most students attend the school to get intense intervention and gain confidence in their abilities before progressing into a traditional school environment. 

 

“We’re excited about our second year and can’t wait to do more for the community and to provide more opportunities for kids who have different learning styles,” she said. “It’s a human right to get a quality education.”

 

To find out more information about The Promise School, visit promise-school.com or call 843-604-5355.