What families in Illinois should know
Illinois actually had a version of a funding program once — a tax-credit scholarship called Invest in Kids, which helped about 9,600 students afford private school. State lawmakers let it expire on purpose at the end of 2023, after teachers' unions and public-school advocates pushed hard against renewing it. Unlike most states in this directory, which are expanding this kind of funding, Illinois deliberately went the other direction.
What that means practically: there's no ESA, no voucher, and no tax-credit scholarship currently active in Illinois, and there's real political resistance to creating one — Illinois lawmakers have even proposed legislation to block the state from participating in a new federal school-choice tax credit program. On the plus side, Illinois has had a legal definition of dyslexia since 2016 and requires the state to maintain an official Dyslexia Handbook for parents and teachers, updated every four years.
Funding & financial assistance
Funding information is being reviewed for this state.
Tutor and therapist pathways
Illinois adopted the International Dyslexia Association's definition of dyslexia into the Illinois Administrative Code in 2016, and the 2023 Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan expanded professional development requirements for educators. There's no separate "dyslexia therapist" license or endorsement specific to Illinois. Private tutors need no state credential to operate; the national CALT, Barton, and Wilson standards apply as they do nationally.
Illinois Dyslexia Handbook — ISBE
Map of Illinois tutor listings
Explore the locations represented in our directory. Select a marker for provider details, or select a listing below to focus its marker.
Illinois provider directory
These listings are provided as a starting point for your own research.
Cognitive Solutions Learning Center
JoAnn Paldo - Reading & Learning Specialist
Redwood Literacy
Children's Dyslexia Center of Metropolitan Chicago
Children's Dyslexia Center of Metropolitan Chicago
Children's Dyslexia Center of Springfield
Sources
- 1. Illinois' scholarship tax credit program comes to an end — thecentersquare.com — www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_7bc6bdde-a5b8-11ee-bea1-0b31e5391611.html
- 2. Invest in Kids — Illinois Department of Revenue (official) — tax.illinois.gov/programs/investinkids.html
- 3. Legislative Tracker: 2026 State Private School Choice Bills — FutureEd — www.future-ed.org/legislative-tracker-2026-state-private-school-choice-bills
- 4. The Dyslexia Handbook — Illinois State Board of Education — www.isbe.net/Documents/Dyslexia-Handbook.pdf