When her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, Gina Polly Applegate, an AMI Montessori elementary guide, began looking into the Orton-Gillingham approach. She went on to achieve the Associate level and then Certified level with The Orton-Gillingham Academy and is currently a Fellow-in-Training with the Academy learning how to train teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach.

With nearly two decades of experience in Montessori elementary, Gina is passionate about bringing Montessori and the Orton-Gillingham approach together to address the needs of children who require additional reading assistance through individualized, multi-sensory learning within the Montessori prepared environment.

She has a Masters in Education, an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Elementary diploma, and is a certified Early Childhood - 8th grade teacher in Texas including English as a Second Language (ESL), and is recognized through the International Dyslexia Association as a Certified Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialists (C-SLDS). In addition, she is an  Elementary Consultant for the AMI/USA.