Parent Tips
| Reading Excellence Act | Education Initiatives | Helpful Hints | Resources/Programs | Games/Activities |
| Reading Excellence Act top | |
| Reading Excellence Act (REA) | Information from the U.S. Department of Education, including an overview of REA, reading resources, and more. |
| Reading Excellence Act (REA) | Frequently asked questions. |
| Education Initiatives top | |
| First Lady, Laura Bush Education Initiatives | Mrs. Bush addresses issues regarding reading education. (U.S. Department of Education Web site). |
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States and local districts will have access to funds from the new Reading First program to implement comprehensive, science-based reading programs in kindergarten through second grade. The Reading Excellence Act would be consolidated under Reading First. |
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| Helpful Hints top | |
| At-Home Activities from Cognitive Concepts | Phonics activities parents use with their children over the summer. |
| At-Home Reading Tips | Excerpted and adapted from The National PTA Talks to Parents: How to Get the Best Education for Your Child. |
| At-Home Reading Activities | Activities to build a vocabulary and strengthen understanding in reading. |
| Best Practices for Effective Early Literacy Programs | Current research has concluded that young children are most likely to achieve early literacy when they have access to integrated instruction that reflects a commitment to the explicit teaching of important reading and writing skills along with daily opportunities to engage in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to meaningful, connected text. |
| Continuum of Children's Development in Early Reading and Writing | IRA & NAEYC Position Statement, strategies for parents and educators (Pre-K through grade 3). |
| Helping Your Child Learn to Read | This book focuses primarily on what you can do to help children up to 10 years of age. While most of the book is for parents of children up to 10 years of age, there is a brief section for parents of older children on how to help them continue to grow as readers. |
| How Do I Know a Good Early Reading Program When I See One? | Parent guide for reviewing a reading program. |
| Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children | Findings, conclusions, and recommendations from the National Research Council. |
| Raising a Reader, Raising a Writer: How Parents Can Help | Suggestions for parents, plus what families should look for in the child's preschool and school setting (small cost involved). |
| Starting Out Right from The National Academy Press. | "Practical guidelines, program descriptions, advice on resources, and strategies that can be used in everyday life, including: practical literacy and language activities for parents and their young children and activities and practices for classrooms." |
| Resources, Literacy Programs, and Other Information top | |
| ALA Resources for Parents, Teens and Kids | Reading resources from the American Library Association, that can utilized by parents and educators. |
| Book Adventure | Book Adventure is a free reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 5,400 recommended titles, take multiple-choice quizzes on the books they've read off-line, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by the Sylvan Learning Foundation and is a nonprofit organization. |
| Carolina Family Literacy Studies - at the National Center for Early Development & Learning, UNC. | "Objectives: (1) to examine outcomes for children and parents, (2) to examine program processes, and (3) to examine in depth the experiences of a selected group of parents." |
| Compact for Reading | A Compact for Reading is a written agreement among families, teachers, principals, and students to work together to help improve the reading skills of kindergarten through third grade children. |
| Lessons Learned | The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy reports on what worked in their family literacy programs. |
| Parents and Children Together Online (PCTO) | PCTO features original stories and articles for children, suitable for reading aloud. A special section for parents features articles on issues related to children's reading and writing and book reviews of recent children's literature. |
| Reading is Fundamental | Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. - a commercial organization - the Family Fun link goes to the Reading Planet, with activities and tips for parents. |
| Reading Resources | From U.S. Department of Education for parents and educators. |
| Games and Activities top | |
| Enchanted Learning | Activities for preschool and kindergarten children. |
| Kids Space | Kids' Space aims to foster literacy, artistic expression, and cross-cultural understanding, literacy activities and more. |
| PBS Kids | Activities from children's programs on PBS. |
| RIF Reading Planet | RIF Reading Planet is a place where kids and families come together to explore the world of books through interactive games, fun activities, on-line book reviews, and informative articles. |
| Starting Out Right | At-home activities from the National Academy Press. |
