Learning to read is a skill that takes time for kids to grasp. While kids get instruction in school, many parents like to give their children a head start before they reach the classroom.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than one in three children start kindergarten without the language skills they need to read.
This is where programs like Reading Head Start come in. Reading Head Start can not only give little ones early exposure to reading but can also help older kids sharpen their skills.
A program like this allows parents to give their children a foundation before they start learning to read in school. In this Reading Head Start review, we’re going to take a closer look at the program, its benefits, and why you may want to try it for your child.
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What is the Reading Head Start Program?
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The Reading Head Start program was created by Sarah Shephard. She’s a wife, mother, and English tutor for the past 14 years. She got the idea for the program after seeing that the lessons her children were receiving at school were outdated.
After studying what was being taught in schools, she saw that kindergartners were struggling in reading. So, she decided to come up with a different way of doing things.
After a few months, she developed the program and tested it on her own child. Within a month of trying the program, her son went from the bottom of his English class to the top.
She started testing the program on her own students and saw an improvement. Other teachers started trying it and parents noted the improvement of their children’s reading skills.
Fast forward to today, the Reading Head Start program is being used by parents everywhere.
Part of the program’s success is due to its simplicity. Parents need an easy-to-follow program that will engage their kids if they want them to be successful.
The Reading Head Start program breaks down into four different stages that take about 15 minutes to complete. Each stage uses sound techniques that kids find fun while boosting their sound association skills.
What Does the Reading Head Start Program Include?
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The Reading Head Start program includes an e-book and online app to help parents teach their children reading skills. You can download the e-book to your smartphone or computer so that you can use it anywhere.
The e-book contains skills and methods parents can learn to boost their child’s reading ability. It has four main stages. Each stage uses sound-association skills to help kids learn.
After they complete each stage, the child gets a certificate of achievement. This helps boost their confidence as they move on to the next level.
The program is very user-friendly. Parents start playing the videos and can go through them at their child’s pace. It only takes 15 minutes a day. It is recommended you use it every day, three times a week until your child starts improving his levels.
Program Features
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To help parents easily use the plan with their kids, there are different tools available to them. The Reading Head Start program provides parents the following:
Lesson plans
The e-book provides step-by-step lesson plans, explaining exactly what needs to be done to improve children’s reading skills. The book uses fun lessons so that kids are actually interested in the lessons.
Printable letter books and flashcards
These are useful to help kids memorize the information they’re learning.
Worksheets
There are many worksheets available to keep your child engaged. These worksheets are not the boring ones that kids may see in school. These are colorful and fun.
Bonuses & Interactive reading games
As a bonus to the online program, there are interactive reading games to make reading even more fun as they learn the fundamentals. Another bonus is the fun with words book series that makes learning new words fun.
Do I Need This Program for My Child?
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If kids are going to learn to read in kindergarten, you may wonder why you would need to get this program. Although reading is taught, not all kids learn at the same level.
Consider the fact that by the end of first grade, kids are expected to ask questions and remember story details that they’ve read. If a child can’t do that, there’s an 88% chance that they’ll still be behind in reading by the time they reach the fourth grade.
We all know that kids learn faster the younger they are. Why not take advantage of this and get their little brains moving? Cognitive development can help in many different milestones. The more you can do to nurture this, the better off your child will be.
Reading Head Start Benefits
Besides the benefit of learning sounds and learning to read, there are other benefits to the Reading Head Start program. Take a look.
A positive outlook on reading
Some kids have the preconceived notion that reading is boring. When kids think something is boring, they’re not going to want to do it.
Combine this with the fact that reading is a learning process, and you could lose kids even before you get them on board. The Reading Head Start program shows kids that reading is fun.
Self-confidence boost
As kids move on to the different stages, they do not only get certificates of achievement but also get a self-confidence boost of knowing they accomplished something.
This feeling of accomplishment helps to boost self-confidence. We all know kids can use as much self-confidence as they can muster up in life.
Kids will not only learn how to talk with adults better because of the program but will also learn how to communicate better with their peers.
When kids have good reading skills, they often have better communication skills. The two often go hand-in-hand.
Cognitive development
As kids learn how to read and become familiar with sounds, they also build their cognitive skills.
Cost
As you’re reading this Reading Head Start review, you’re probably wondering about the program’s cost. There are three different price tiers so that you can find the one that best suits your needs.
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Try It Out
If you’re not really sure if you and your child are going to like the program, you could start with the monthly subscription that allows you to cancel at any time.
You pay a $1 trial fee for three days of use, then $37/month until you decide to cancel. There are no fees to cancel. This is the best no-commitment option available.
One-Year Membership
For a one-time payment of $197, you get a full one-year membership. This can save you $247 over the monthly payment option. If you think your child is going to benefit from the program and you plan to stick with it, this is a cost-effective option.
Lifetime Membership
For a one time payment of $297, you get a lifetime membership to the program. If you have more than one child, you could really get your money’s worth this way.
You’ll always stay current with updates as the program evolves. If for any reason you’re not satisfied with the program, there is a 100% money-back guarantee. That should show you how confident the creators are in the program.
What Parents Learn from the Reading Head Start Program
It’s not only kids that get benefits from the Reading Head Start program. Parents get some benefits too. The e-book contains some valuable lessons for parents including the dos and don’ts when it comes to their child’s success in school.
Parents also learn how to help their children pronounce words and add more words to their children’s vocabulary.
Since the program makes learning and teaching enjoyable, parents learn how to guide their children to be successful in school subjects even when they don’t show interest right away.
The program also looks at why certain school practices are outdated these days and what they can do to spot certain issues that may not be working when it comes to their child’s learning.
If your child is dyslexic, you’ll also learn some easy ways of reversing the condition which can affect a child’s reading ability.
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Reading Head Start Pros and Cons
As you decide whether Reading Head Start is right for your child, consider the pros and cons that go along with the program.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Makes reading fun
- Includes bonuses like fun games
- Affordable
- Money-back guarantee
- Awards kids for their achievements
Cons
- You need to have internet access to use the program.
- You also need to be able to dedicate the time to the program for it to work. Some people may not see this as a negative, but for parents who don’t have time, this can be a drawback. It just takes 15 minutes a day, three times a week. Although this may not seem like a lot, for some parents it’s difficult to dedicate this uninterrupted time.
The Bottom Line
Going through research for this Reading Head Start review, I found many positive statements about the program and its successes.
Many parents like this program because it was developed by a teacher who could see there were some flaws in the status quo. Since it was made from someone “in the trenches,” it is highly respected.
The method of teaching kids to read by showing them how each letter sounds is beneficial as well as teaching them how certain letters change the sound of a word.
Learning letters and sounds is the foundation of reading. If kids can get a better foundation before they enter kindergarten, they’ll be farther ahead than their peers.
This program is also a hit because it makes learning fun. We all know how important this is, especially with the younger kids.
Since there are different subscription levels, it’s easy to find one that works for you. As a parent, I don’t like feeling locked into things, especially when it comes to my kids.
Having the flexibility to cancel a subscription at any time is a nice feeling. The program itself is extremely affordable, especially if you choose the lifetime subscription.
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If you have a pre-kindergartner and a younger child, you can use the program for the youngest when it’s time. This is a nice tool to have in your back pocket!
While some parents may find it difficult to carve out 15 minutes a day to dedicate to the program, it’s really minimal when you consider the benefits. Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time isn’t much to ask to help your child’s reading success.
Some parents also use the program on their older kids to teach sound basics they may be missing. This can be beneficial if they’re trying to catch up to older kids.
In the end, the Reading Head Start program is a genuine program that aims to teach your child the fundamentals of reading and helps older kids brush up on skills.
The fact that the company offers a money-back guarantee shows its commitment to helping kids become better readers. Reading the program’s success stories is reassurance that it works.
If you’re still unsure if the Reading Head Start program is right for you and your child, start with the trial for $1. That’s really nothing to lose when you consider the benefits your child could get from using the program.
