Preschoolers In Early Reading Programs (NAPSA)—With a greater de- mandfor children to enter kinder- garten ready to learn to read, a growing numberof parents across the country are enrolling their preschool-aged children in tutoring programs. Many parents are finding that these programsbetter prepare their children for school and help to foster a love of reading from an early age. Addressing this emerging trend, Sylvan Learning Center has introduced an early reading _ years-old and older. This program is interactive and designed to make reading fun for children at an early age. Sylvan’s Beginning Reading program can become an invaluable part of parents’ efforts to ensure that their children enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive and early reading skills—laying the groundwork for their future academic success. “Children love to learn, and the early childhood years—well before kindergarten begins—are the tips: program for children ages 4%- most important years for a child’s reading development, when they’re absorbing everything around them,” said Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., vice president of education for Sylvan Learning Center. “Sylvan’s Beginning Reading program is fun for younger children, and builds the skills and confidence for children to succeed once they get to school.” The Beginning Reading program is designed to give students a foundation in reading and prepare them to enter the classroom. By the end of the program, children will be able to recognize words, know their colors, print their own names, write capital and lowercaseletters and more. So how can parents tell if a structured academic program is right for their child? Sylvan Learning Center gives each child a skills assessment to determine whethera child is ready to learn. If an assessment showsthe child may not be ready, parents should continue to read aloud and share books at home and consider having their children reevaluated in three months—a few months can make a dramatic difference in a young child’s development. To start the reading adventure with preschoolers, Sylvan Learning Center offers the following Set aside time for reading and storytelling, which help stimulate reading and writing skills. Read aloud to help spark imagination andorient children to verbal language and the written words. When reading aloud, point to the words on the page as you say them. Follow the sentence with your finger so that children begin to recognize how words appear on the page. Read often with young children but don’t expect them to focus for long periods of time. For additional information on the Beginning Reading program or for more tips on developing reading skills at an early age visit www.educate.com or call 1-800-31SUCCESS.
