Becoming A Statistic

Recently, Kids Count and the Annie E. Casey Foundation released their national findings in regards to reading proficiency among 4th graders.  Unfortunately, in the state of Utah, 69% of fourth graders do not read at grade level!  I found this statistic absolutely appalling!  How is it that children can reach fourth grade without sufficient reading skills?  


Reading abilities are absolutely critical in a child's education: they build the foundation for the rest of their academic success. Abel Ortiz with the Annie E. Casey Foundation states that "Up until third grade, children are learning to read. After third grade they read to learn, so if they don't have that basic skill it impacts them for the rest of their life."

So what is the first suggestion this study gives in order to remedy this terrible problem?  Improve early childhood education!  Which is exactly why, at Patchwork Preschool, we understand how important it is to incorporate a reading program into our daily curriculum - even as early as the 3 year old year.  

You may not be able to have a direct hand in what your child learns in the public classroom, but you can give them the gift of an early start in reading.  So don't become part of a negative statistic: read to your child at least 15 minutes a day or more!  And in addition, enroll your child in a great preschool where reading is a consistent and significant part of the program.   Afterall, reading skills and confidence in reading are too vital to ignore - why not help your child achieve that at an early age?


Read the full article on KSL.com here.


Contributed by Rebecca Nielsen - Provo, UT