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As a teacher of 28 years at the elementary level of public education - three years recently in Kindergarten - I have learned a lot about why students struggle in school today. I believe parents want the best for their child, but often aren't aware of how they can fulfill their role as their child's most influential teacher. Yet, like all other parents, they want to help them achieve their potential as a student. Therefore, I would like to share with you the secret about how you can make this happen for your child who may still be a preschooler, or even family members yet to be.

Research clearly shows that reading is the single most important skill a child can learn if they are to be successful as a student in school, and later on as an adult. Yet, it's been my experience as a teacher, that too many parents are not aware of the critical role they play in their child's development to becoming a solid reader during their formative (birth to 5) years. It is my firm belief that, for those parents who, during their child's formative years before entering school, invest regular time reading aloud to their children from birth on, will have children who will develop strong language skills in the areas of reading and writing over the span of their K - 12 educational experience. I make this statement from personal experience with my own two daughters.

Since my wife and I are both educators, we committed to reading to both of our daughters aloud from the day they were born until well after they were in their elementary grades. We took turns alternating nights sitting next to their beds and reading a book to them which was "age appropriate" as infants, but that was at a level above what they were capable of reading once they began reading themselves. It was this rich language exposure that gave them a real "head start" over their peers who didn't have this in their early years of life. As a result, both daughters entered their Kindergarten class reading independently at a third grade level. I saw this difference first hand as a Kindergarten teacher each of the three years I taught this grade. It was very obvious at the beginning of the school year.

Now, I realize many of you who are reading this are saying to yourself, "Easy for him to say this when he doesn't know what my situation is for my family." However, I ask the following key questions:

What is more important than your child's future success?
What price can be put on the time and enjoyment you will experience in sharing stories and time with your child, while giving them that head start that every parent wants for their child once they become a student?
Do you really, seriously, and honestly believe that it is ONLY the responsibility of the schools to teach your child how to read?
Did you realize that most teachers view the learning experience to be a "team effort" between the parent, child and teacher?

It is my personal opinion that, if we are going to reverse the direction literacy is going in U.S. public schools, the change MUST start with the new parents beginning their families today.

Provided here are a few of the many links available which promote emergent reading development in pre-school children:

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