COA Just Read

Childcare Reading Program Childcare Reading Program

The foundation for learning how to read begins in infancy. Infants as young as six weeks old enjoy being read to out loud and research shows that this practice stimulates brain growth in infants. By age 2 – 3 children begin to develop an awareness of printed letters and words and with witnessing adults around them reading, writing and using printed words they start to develop a propensity for reading and writing. Toddlers and preschoolers are especially eager to learn and are influenced greatly from adults reading to and with them. This reading adventure is one that parents will not want to miss because the benefits for their children will jumpstart "a lifetime of learning".

Our Vision

The vision of the COA Just Read Program is that every child learns to read early and well, thereby reaching his or her full potential in school and life, such as:

  • Support schools in assuring that students read on grade level
  • Facilitate community involvement in helping young readers be successful
  • Encourage and educate families about their important role in raising a reader
  • Knowledge of printed letters & words and the relationship between sound & print
  • The meaning of many words
  • How books work and a variety of writing styles
  • The world in which they live
  • The difference between written language and everyday conversation
  • Reading decreases boredom and is entertaining
  • Reading improves concentration and focus
  • Reading builds self-esteem

COA Just Read Program challenges you to read with your child in the comfort of your own home via a computer, smart phone or tablet. With as little as 15 minutes a day, you will be part of an important milestone in your child’s life bringing the world around them into the home. Our book of the month is general reading content for your children. COA teachers enhance the book experience in the classroom with extended activities that centers around the book content.

We recommend you:

  • Pick a special time to get on the computer with your child
  • Encourage your child to help you enter our COA web site and select our featured book of the month
  • Introduce the book by reading the title, the author’s name and the illustrator’s name
  • Talk about the cover illustrations
  • Ask other family members to also read with your child
  • Talk about the book when you are driving to school or going to the grocery store to enable memory skills
  • Ask your child questions about the book such as...
    ...what was the book about?
    ...did you enjoy the story?
    ...what did you like best about the story?
    ...can you remember some of the words from the story?
  • Ask if your child can find other books at home about the topic
  • Show interest in your child’s responses about the story
  • Pay attention to how your child responds
  • Encourage your child to “pretend to read” as you flip through the pages of the story
  • Point out letters in the story that might connect to your child, such as the first letter of their first name
  • Ask your child to point to letters as you read the word then read the word together
  • Make the sounds of the initial letters with your child and talk about letter to sound matches
  • Read to children frequently
  • Encourage your child to draw a picture about the story and display for all family members to see

Invest in your Children – read to them!