How a first-generation Vietnamese mom raised her daughters to the top of their classes.

When Loan had her daughters Ivy and Aileen, she faced a challenge many immigrant parents recognize: teaching her kids a language that she does not speak well.

"English is not my mother language, so we learned how to read and write for the first time when we moved to the US," Loan explains. Despite speaking Vietnamese at home, she recognized reading's fundamental importance and began reading to Ivy from birth.

A solution for working parents

As an engineer at Meta, "lots of time now, [I am] busy with my work.”

So, Loan jumped at the opportunity when Mentava sought beta users. "I feel very lucky that there's the app for my daughter to read. Otherwise, I couldn't help her much."

She quickly established independence in her daughters' learning routine. "After that I just need to sit next to her [while she practices reading]. I don't need to pay attention to her—I just work on my computer," Loan shares.

Safely fostering resilience and independence

The path wasn't always smooth. "Ivy cried when she was frustrated. But it still [didn’t] stop her from studying," Loan recalls. Aileen also struggled initially: "The first few weeks she struggled with blending the words. And [then] all of a sudden she got it and she could do it by herself."

Loan's measured support helped her daughters build resilience and grit. "I only need to pay attention when she got frustrated because of something she didn't understand. I just needed to calm her down and explain to her what happened."

This approach fostered remarkable independence. "Before, I would read for Aileen. But now, she started to read by herself without asking me!" Loan explains, highlighting how this guidance helped transform frustration into motivation.

When the results became obvious

Loan first noticed significant progress when Aileen became bored in daycare "because the kids were still learning how to recognize the letter 'i'."

It became clear how far ahead Aileen was when "some weeks she would bring the book to teach her friend how to read. And her teacher also gave us a lot of praise for her reading abilities. [The teacher] was very surprised as she can read every book there."

Ivy completed Mentava at age 3.5 in seven months, while Aileen finished by age 4 after eight months. Loan remarks, “it’s amazing that my kids can learn to read in only seven months, coming from a family [who’s] native language [is not English].”

What amazed Loan most was when her daughters' abilities surpassed her own. "At the later stage some of the sounds I cannot distinguish the difference, but Aileen could do it. She's actually better than me!"

Their reading abilities now stand out dramatically. "I was also surprised to see that lots of kids don't know how to read even though they are already in first grade. The app did an amazing thing for my daughters because at 4 years old they can already read very fluently just by using the app without any teacher."

A uniquely strong foundation

Both girls now read advanced books independently. "Ivy moved on to a Fairy book called 'Rainbow Magic' that has very few pictures. She also sometimes reads Diary of a Wimpy Kid," Loan explains proudly.

Without additional tutoring, Ivy excels academically. "We just study at home and Ivy actually has on her Star reading test at school at 99% high. And she's in the advanced learning program right now."

When asked about Mentava's value at $500/month, Loan is emphatic: "You don't need to drop them to a Kumon reading center. Now they just stay at home study with the app, about 15 minutes a day. In less than a year they can read very fluently at a very early age."

Reflecting on their journey, Loan concludes: "It's made a [learning] foundation for our two daughters and it is forever. Mentava taught our kids to read very fluently while all the kids in first grade, they cannot read fluent at all."