You don’t need to be a reading specialist to be an exceptional reading teacher.

All you need are the scientifically proven tools & training that make learning to read inevitable for every child.

If you’re a pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade teacher who wants to finally feel confident about your reading instruction, you’ve come to the right place.

HERE’S THE TRUTH:

Teaching all your diverse learners how to read can be easy and fun—when you know exactly WHAT to teach and HOW to teach it.

We’re not here to waste your time with fluffy activities. Or to overload your brain with too much theory. And we’re definitely NOT here to give you just one piece of the reading instruction puzzle—and then leave you hanging to figure out the rest on your own.

WE KNOW…

You don’t just want to be a good reading teacher.

You want to be GREAT.

That’s why we’re here to give you all the highest quality tools and training.

But, teacher friend, beware.

Common Side Effects Include:

  • Administrators singing your praises
  • Parents requesting you to be their child’s teacher
  • Colleagues asking for your secret reading recipe
  • Your students begging for more reading time
  • And YOU… finally embracing your “off the charts” reading scores

Let’s take your reading instruction from complicated to confident.

WHO ARE WE?

We’re a team of excellence-driven TEACHERS just like you.

And we’re on a mission to give you everything you need to help all your students accelerate their reading growth.

We’re committed to helping you feel 100% confident in knowing:

WHAT to teach

WHEN to teach it

+ HOW to teach it

… Along with all the resources you need to make learning to read highly accessible, effective, and playful!

Frustrated by your school’s lack of high-quality resources and support?

Let’s press the delete button on that stress.

We’re here to equip you with everything you need to confidently help your students learn to read.

When we join forces, those worries about students falling through the cracks will be a thing of the past.

And reading lessons will finally be your favorite (and most fun!) time of the day.

MEET THE TEAM

Alex

The Reading Roadmap Manager

Sarah

The Plato Pack Manager

Lori

Creative Writer

Mandy

Social Media Lead

OUR FOUNDER

Hey there! I’m Malia—the red nail polish-wearing, Starbucks-loving, National Board Certified teacher and founder of Playdough to Plato.

I know you want to make a real difference in your students’ lives—not just talk the cliché teacher talk. I get it because that’s exactly the kind of teacher I’ve always been.

That’s why I’m obsessed with equipping teachers like you with everything you need to confidently teach every student to read (with the complete science-backed training and tools you’ve been waiting for).

If you’re ready to step into your master reading teacher shoes and watch your students’ eyes light up with the excitement of learning to read in the easiest and most playful way possible… grab your Flair pens, my friend.

You won’t believe how fun it’s going to be!

What We Stand For

We believe teachers are invaluable.

You’re the essential backbone of every child’s journey toward a literate and successful life.

And you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your time, relationships, or mental health to be your best in the classroom.

That’s why we’re here to help alleviate the enormous burdens and challenges you face by providing the highest quality literacy training, tools, and support you need. 

We believe every student can learn to read.

In fact, your students’ growth is inevitable when they’re given science-backed tools with a playful twist.

With the right instruction and resources, your students can achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.

And those semi-toothless grins you see when their light-bulb moments strike?

Well, that’s our greatest joy.

Giving young readers the gift of a bright future is what keeps our teacher engines turning.

Our Mission

We’re here to erase illiteracy.

For decades, our education system has pulled teachers left and right with incongruent instructional fads and a lack of effective resources.

The result?

Nearly insurmountable literacy gaps for our students to overcome.

Enough is enough.

At Playdough to Plato

Our work is guided by our vision to equip 500,000 teachers with the best science-backed literacy training and tools to help 100 million children learn to read.

Because every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their dreams. 

Effective reading instruction should be a right, not a privilege.

Our mission is to make learning to read accessible and inevitable for every child by equipping the front line teachers who make it possible with the training and tools that make it work.

As a 100% teacher-run company, we’re committed to helping our fellow pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade teachers rise to their highest potential with joy and confidence—while empowering their students to do the same…

All WITHOUT sacrificing your time, relationships, or mental health.

Our Guiding Values

We’re Personal:

We put people first. Period.

We’re Forward-Thinking:

We focus on human potential and possibilities, not problems.

We’re Courageous:

We do what’s right—even when it’s not easy.

We’re Impact-Oriented:

We’re making the world a better place—one teacher and one child at a time.

Which Reading Solution Meets Your Needs?

Want our complete set of Science of Reading resources that cover everything you need for an entire school year?


JOIN

The Plato Pack™ Membership

Want the most essential and actionable bite-sized tools & training to boost your students’ reading growth by next week?


GRAB

Science of Reading Quick Start™

Want our complete all-in-one science of reading system—with ALL the training, tools, and support to help every student learn to read?


ENROLL IN

The Reading Roadmap™

TAKE OUR TRAINING & TOOLS FOR A TEST DRIVE

Try our Phonological Awareness Daily Warm Ups

With just a couple minutes of practice each day, your students will begin accurately hearing & moving word sounds in a flash.

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