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Early Childhood Reading Program Adventures in Learning Offers Intensive Reading Instruction For the first time in its 40-year history, Adventures in Learning (AIL) has established an intensive reading program for our youngest students at risk of falling behind just as their peers are taking off. Funded by a grant and by contributions from donors, the program offers individual instruction twice a week for about 15 minutes at a time to 13 students, most of whom are first graders who lacked the skills of their classmates in the Manhasset Public Schools. Almost half the students are English Language Learners (ELLs), requiring special services to learn English as a second language. Staffed by reading specialist Tamara Lovelock, students work on letter recognition, letter sounds, word recognition, and finally comprehension. Their progress has been remarkable. Of the 10 students who were first tested early in the program and then tested again just three or four months later in March, 2009, six students gained six months in their reading scores, while four gained one full year or more. Students will be tested again at the end of the program to check on their growth. Executive Director of AIL, Diana Holden, commented, “This is something we have wanted to do for a long time. The need has been there, and we are glad that we are now able to meet it. The children have come so far, but we understand that they still need our support as they head into a new school year.” For that reason, AIL will provide individual tutorial sessions during the summer program operated by the EOC. These sessions will enable students to keep up their skills over the summer and, hopefully, to progress even more. Additional students in grades 2 and 3 will be able to participate in the AIL summer reading tutorials as well, thanks to funding that has become available for that purpose. Continuing this intensive reading program next year is a high priority of the AIL staff and Board. But more funds will have to be raised to support it. AIL understands that seeing is believing. Please come see our students and listen to them read for you. It is something they could not do just a few months ago. What could be more important?
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