Unfolding the Magic

Yellow Tree Reading Academy is an online training academy dedicated to equipping educators, therapists, and home-schooling parents with research-based strategies, multiple resources, and support to effectively teach and support children with reading difficulties.

At Yellow Tree, we believe that reading is not “caught”. Reading should be “taught” daily, intentionally and systematically. When educators are equipped with the right knowledge and tools, and apply their knowledge of the reading process, struggling readers become confident, capable leaders.

Our Story

The Yellow Tree brand was derived from the magically tinted yellow leaves the majestic pecan nut trees transform into during the autumn months at the Yellow Tree Training Centre. When these leaves eventually drop off, they form a yellow carpet turning the garden into a spectacular wonderland.

The Yellow Tree Training Centre was established in 2022, as a professional teacher training centre, with the main focus areas:

Understanding and meeting the needs of students who experience reading and language delays
Different language barriers (reading difficulties)
Complexity of the reading process according to the Science of Reading
Different methodologies to teach students with reading difficulties
Assessment Strategies to assess language skills
Differentiation to meet individual needs and reading functioning levels
Development and enrichment of vocabulary
Implementation of the resource material provided during the training

In 2025 the Yellow Tree Reading Academy was launched as an online extension where teachers, remedial therapists or homeschool-parents learn how to teach and support children who experience reading difficulties, while receiving practical and fun-filled resource material ready for implementation in their classrooms.

A Yellow Tree with it's leaves falling onto the grass

What we Believe

We are grounded in the Science of Reading approach to reading instruction and focus on the following essential components necessary to become skilled readers:

Development of Background Knowledge
Phonological & Phonemic Awareness
Phonics and Decoding
Reading Fluency
Vocabulary Development
Language Structures
Reading Comprehension
The Role of the Teacher in Reading Success
Reading Motivation

We believe that reading instruction should be structured, explicit, and multi-sensory. Children learn best when they are actively engaged - using their eyes, ears, hands, bodies (movement) and voices to build strong neural pathways necessary for reading.

Our approach is holistic, playful, and practical, supporting both skill development and confidence.

Our Approach

At Yellow Tree Reading Academy, we combine:

Research-based methodologies
Hands-on, multi-sensory learning strategies
Interactive games and physical manipulatives
Practical tools educators can implement immediately

We meet learners where they are, offering materials and strategies that support a wide range of abilities and learning profiles. Our resources are designed to grow alongside the child, building reading skills step by step while nurturing motivation and curiosity.

The Yellow Tree Vision

Our vision and dream is to empower educators, therapists, and parents with the necessary knowledge and skills, to confidently and effectively teach children with reading and language delays.

To provide specialised resource material for educators to implement within their learning environments - ensuring every child experiences reading success, confidence and a love for reading.

Cream Let's Meet The Team Instagram Post (12).png

Meet Annemarie

Educational Psychology Specialist & Co-Founder

Annemarie is a Master Remedial Specialist, Educational Psychologist with more than three decades of experience in the field of Specialised Education in South Africa. She is an International author of several educational books and courses.
Her work focuses on supporting children with severe reading delays and learning difficulties, as well as training educators to confidently and competently teach reading using research-based methods. Additionally, Annemarie develops highly acclaimed and unique specialised support material to meet the needs of individual children with special educational needs. A special trait of her creations is her whimsical touch of humour, fun and magic.

Her passion and expertise lie in making complex Literacy Science accessible, practical, applicable and easy to implement for educators and parents alike.

Teacher training workshop—educators applauding during a Yellow Tree Reading professional development session.

Literacy assessment training—instructor presenting “From Assessment to Success” with workbooks on the table.

Yellow Tree Reading founder celebrating the launch of the ‘Toor met Teks’ literacy workbook, outdoors.

Teachers standing in a group outside, on grass

The Spark behind the Magic

Co-Founder & Marketing Specialist

Tania Roux

Tania is an experienced and creative Marketing Specialist. With a background in Digital Marketing, Photography and Fine Art, she is the driving force behind sharing the Yellow Tree Reading brand online.
Together, Annemarie and Tania combine their educational and marketing expertise with creative vision, passion and flair to elevate the Yellow Tree Reading Academy to prosper and thrive.

App Developer & Automation Specialist

Ruben

Ruben is the digital architect behind the Yellow Tree Reading Academy platform. As an App Developer and Automation Specialist, he thoughtfully designs and builds the systems that turn Yellow Tree’s educational vision into a living, breathing learning experience. From interactive assessments and engaging learning tools to seamless automations and intuitive user journeys, Ruben ensures the Academy’s technology feels reliable, accessible, and ready to grow. With a passion for problem-solving and innovation, he bridges education and technology to support educators, parents, and learners with future-ready digital solutions they can trust.

Brand Marketing & Design Specialist

Chante Koorzen

With a passion for thoughtful design and storytelling, Chante weaves visual magic into the heart of Yellow Tree Reading Academy. Her love for creativity, colour, and clarity shines through every resource, campaign, and digital touchpoint, ensuring that Yellow Tree’s message feels as warm and hopeful as the learning journeys it supports. Guided by both strategy and imagination, Chante transforms ideas into meaningful designs that nurture connection, spark curiosity, and help Yellow Tree’s mission bloom.

To Teach a child to read is to give them a passport to worlds unknown, a key to unlock every door of knowledge, and the ability to write their own story in life.

Absolutely love your training, Annemarie. I am so happy that I could join another wonderful course. You (and your daughter) are so inspiring. I just love your passion. Content is fantastic and thorough. It is so relevant to our teaching in the Learning Support classroom. We are desperate for content and resources, and now we have quality content to work with.

M. Kriel