Parent Resources

Reading is the most important skill young elementary students can learn yet, according to the Nation’s Report Card, six out of 10 fourth graders in the U.S. are not reading at grade level.Research shows that students who don’t learn to read by the end of third grade likely won’t ever catch up, and they’re apt to fall behind in other academic areas. Struggling readers are less likely to graduate high school, enter college and earn more money over their lifetime.With so much at stake, what’s going wrong? Why Millions of Kids Can’t Read Our brains are wired to talk, but...

Do you remember the first book you ever read?Most likely you do. Books stick in our minds in a significant way, especially at an early age. Reading is one of the single best indicators of academic, career and financial success, and even healthy relationships, yet 67 percent of fourth graders read below grade level and are unlikely to catch up (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010).But the fate of your child doesn’t have to be in the hands of teachers. In fact, children should start learning the mechanics of reading before they reach kindergarten. Furthermore, the benefits of reading with a...

When children learn to read at an early age, they become more fluent readers with a greater capacity for learning and academic success. We know that reading is the foundation of education and vital to future success, yet 75 percent of kids in America are not proficient readers. It’s evident as early as kindergarten and first grade. What is the Reading Gap? Students learn letters and sounds in kindergarten, but not the concepts that go along with reading. Yet, when they get to first grade, there’s an expectation that they should be reading, comprehending, and understanding. It’s not the teachers...

From the time our children are born, we track their milestones: sitting up, crawling, walking, talking. Once little ones hit the preschool years, it’s not uncommon to turn our attention to reading, and the question we all ponder: “Should I teach my child to read before kindergarten?” Teaching your child to read early has numerous benefits, including increased confidence in learning ability that can lead to future academic success. Learning to read early in life can result in higher test scores and better job opportunities. Even better, when parents are engaged in their child’s education, it can lead to a lifelong...