As recent headlines will attest, reading test scores are declining across the country. Many sources name Covid as the reason for this: “The Pandemic Erased Two Decades of Progress in Math and Reading,” cries The New York Times (1); “Students’ test scores plunge,” writes The Washington Post (2). Other journalists, like Natalie Wexler from Forbes, argue that Covid only compounded already declining test scores from the pre-pandemic education system (3). Regardless of their reasoning, the experts arrive at the same verdict: reading test scores are down. Hoping to boost their children’s reading abilities, many parents are searching for supplemental resources, one of which is Reading Head Start.
Reading Head Start is a literacy program designed for children from preschool age to around nine years old. Reading Head Start covers phonetics, letter recognition, letter writing, letter sounds, letter combinations, sounding out, irregular words, and reading comprehension. Parents gain access to Reading Head Start by subscribing to a monthly membership of $37/month. In this article, we will discuss what exactly a membership includes (lesson plans, resources, etc.), potential benefits, potential challenges, and my overall impression of value for parents.
If you’re looking for a hands-off program in which your child can participate independently, Reading Head Start may not be for you. Reading Head Start, as told in the site’s welcome video, “empowers you [the parent] to become an amazing teacher and your child a star student.” Reading Head Start is not so much a program as it is a set of carefully cultivated resources – resources that equip parents to actively participate in their child’s developing literacy.
What You Get
● Lessons: A membership to Reading Head Start grants you 40 weeks worth of 5-day lesson plans. Each lesson plan includes multiple lessons, those for earlier readers taking about 10 total minutes a day, and those for more advanced readers taking about 20 minutes a day. A lesson plan lists the activity type, the appropriate grade level, the appropriate group size, the time it will take, the materials needed, and the goal of the lesson (Note: Reading Head Start is a tool for educators as well, and most lessons list the group size as “small group” or “whole class.” Know that you can easily implement these lessons in one-on-one settings). Following the description of the lesson is a set of thorough instructions, and some lessons even include a short instructional video for parents. Lesson Resources (as described under “Tools”) are readily accessible to you on each lesson page.
Depending on your child’s reading ability, you may not need to start at Week 1 of lessons. Reading Head Start provides lesson recommendations based on your child’s ability as well as a breakdown of literacy skills as they appear in the lessons. You have the option to repeat lessons or jump ahead in the curriculum as your child’s needs change. This flexibility is a plus as it ensures your child has mastered the literacy skills presented in challenging lessons and prevents them from becoming bored or disinterested by easier lessons.
● Tools: The Tools page has links to printable card decks that can be used along with the lessons or independently. Card decks include Picture Cards (each picture has the written word below it), Letter Cards, Letter Formation Cards, Sound Out Cards, Irregular Word Cards, and Advanced Phonics Cards (double letter words, contractions, compound words, silent-letter words, -ed words).
● Videos: Designed for early readers, these short, goofy cartoons use rhyming words to tell stories. The videos play the story twice, first as just the cartoon, then along with captions to aid in word recognition. Additionally, each video comes with a reading comprehension worksheet. There are only four videos available on the site right now, but as your child becomes a stronger reader, they may be able to engage with the videos in new ways each time they view them.
● Decodable Books: Designed for more advanced readers, these “books” are short paragraphs that accompany illustrations. As your reader learns about irregular words and advanced phonics, these decodable books are opportunities for them to sound out new words, recognize familiar words, and put those words together in a narrative.
