Early Literacy Intervention

Imagine you are leaving the house for work one morning. You put the key in the ignition, turn your car on, and immediately hear a faint clunking sound coming from under the hood. You know it wasn’t there the day before, but you chalk it up to the early morning chill in the air and go about your day.

The very next week, you notice the sound is a bit louder, to the point where you can hear it over the radio. You delay for another two days, and the next thing you know, your trusty car dies in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Not only are you embarrassed, but you realize this could have been avoided over a week ago by visiting a mechanic.

I tell you this story because it’s a perfect example of the benefits of early intervention. And just as more costly car repairs can be avoided with a preemptive trip to the mechanic, so can your child’s literacy struggles be taken care of by seeking out intervention earlier rather than later.

Imagine you are leaving the house for work one morning. You put the key in the ignition, turn your car on, and immediately hear a faint clunking sound coming from under the hood. You know it wasn’t there the day before, but you chalk it up to the early morning chill in the air and go about your day.

The very next week, you notice the sound is a bit louder, to the point where you can hear it over the radio. You delay for another two days, and the next thing you know, your trusty car dies in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Not only are you embarrassed, but you realize this could have been avoided over a week ago by visiting a mechanic.

I tell you this story because it’s a perfect example of the benefits of early intervention. And just as more costly car repairs can be avoided with a preemptive trip to the mechanic, so can your child’s literacy struggles be taken care of by seeking out intervention earlier rather than later.

Times as Long

It will take four times as long in the 4th grade to intervine as it will in kindergarten.

Taking positive steps now avoids bigger issues down the road

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, “When intervention is delayed, it takes four times as long to intervene in fourth grade as it does in late kindergarten because of brain development and because of the increase in content for students to learn as they grow older.”  

I think about that quote a lot because it’s exactly what we’ve been preaching since we first opened our doors in 2006. The ability to read, write, and comprehend creates the basis for all education and career success, and if a child isn’t proficient before the fourth or fifth grade, they may never catch up. Over time, these issues add up to the equivalent of three years of reading loss by the end of the fifth grade.

Benefits of Early Intervention

The basics of phonics, phonemic awareness, coding, spelling, etc are vital to our children’s success. Mastering these concepts early will pay dividends in the future!

  1. If your child is struggling, here are just a few of the benefits early intervention for reading and writing can help develop:
  2. Increased vocabulary and language skills
  3. Improved memory and concentrationThe ability to communicate effectively with others
  4. Improvements in analytical thinking and problem solving
  5. Enhanced scores in other school subjects
  6. Encourages a thirst for knowledge

COVID and Our Current Situation

The pandemic has caused havoc in our schools.  Shutdowns, online learning with 20+ students in a class, etc, etc.  As we discussed in last week’s blog over 40% of Kindergarten and 1st-grade students are at risk of not meeting basic literacy standards.  If your child is experiencing difficulties, DON’T WAIT, get them help as soon as possible.  The quicker we take action to help our children the faster and stronger they will bounce back.  Tutoring, individually and in small groups is proven to get results.

Let me know your thoughts, and if there is anything we can help you with!  Have a great week.

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