Parental Involvement and Reading: New Online Program Provides Parents the Tools They Need
Poster: SySAdmin
Posted on May 13, 2010 at 9:49:01 AM
Parental Involvement and Reading: New Online Program Provides Parents the Tools They Need
GLENCOE, Ill., May 13 -- While parental involvement is highly correlated with children's reading success, busy parents struggle to provide the quality time needed to make a difference in their child's reading skills, especially in the summer when outdoor activities tend to take precedence. Stepping Stones Together offers parents a personalized and easy-to-use online reading program for children ages 3-7 that requires just 15-20 minutes per day.
"In my 14 years working in education, and as a busy parent of three young children, it became clear to me that there was a need for a personalized online reading program option for busy parents," said Erika Burton, Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and founder of Stepping Stones Together. "Parents want to be involved with their child's reading development, but they need easy access and resources to help them with the process."
Parental involvement has taken on increased significance with today's struggling education system. Teacher lay-offs, lack of school resources and school closings (recently, Illinois eliminated over 10,000 teachers with talks of another 20,000 in the future and Kansas City closed 29 of its 61 schools), have placed additional responsibility on parents.
Even comedian Bill Maher recently took aim at the education system, but put the responsibility on parents. In Maher's show and commentary entitled, "New Rule: Let's Not Fire the Teachers When Students Don't Learn--Let's Fire the Parents," he stated, "According to all the studies, it doesn't matter what teachers do...what matters is what parents do. The number one predictor of a child's academic success is parental involvement."
Dr. Burton agrees. "With the challenges that many of our nation's schools face, parents have an increased responsibility for their child's education, and that begins with spending effective time each day working with their child on reading. Stepping Stones Together offers parents a unique, fun, and personalized program for their young child, spending just 15-20 minutes a day to help their child develop reading skills."
About Stepping Stones Together
Stepping Stones Together was designed for parents to help their child with beginning reading skills, and offers personalized and printable reading tools for parents to use with their child. With only a 15-20 minute a day commitment, parents will see a noticeable improvement in their child's beginning reading skills. A child will choose one of a number of motivating stories based on a theme of interest to them. A parent will seamlessly take their child through a series of fun reading and writing activities to improve reading skills. Each child will earn a printable personalized certificate after reaching each reading milestone. There are also additional games that further increase reading skills that the child may play at any given time, and reminders/E-alerts will be sent to parents when Stepping Stones Together activities have slowed. The Stepping Stones Together program is only $19.99 for 90 days or $39.99 for an entire year.
Stepping Stones together was founded to empower parents with tools and knowledge needed to instill a lifetime foundation of love and commitment to reading while creating an invaluable bond with their child.
Stepping Stones Together will donate a portion of their proceeds directly to the Myeloma Institute, which will help support the institutes' efforts to advance the treatment and potential cure of Multiple Myeloma, a type of cancer affecting more than 50,000 Americans.
For more information on Stepping Stones Together, go to http://www.steppingstonestogether.com, call 1-877-772-7007.
Source: Stepping Stones Together
CONTACT: Jill Edgeworth, +1-847-778-1538, Jilledgeworth@hotmail.com, for
Stepping Stones Together
Web Site: http://www.steppingstonestogether.com/
GLENCOE, Ill., May 13 -- While parental involvement is highly correlated with children's reading success, busy parents struggle to provide the quality time needed to make a difference in their child's reading skills, especially in the summer when outdoor activities tend to take precedence. Stepping Stones Together offers parents a personalized and easy-to-use online reading program for children ages 3-7 that requires just 15-20 minutes per day.
"In my 14 years working in education, and as a busy parent of three young children, it became clear to me that there was a need for a personalized online reading program option for busy parents," said Erika Burton, Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and founder of Stepping Stones Together. "Parents want to be involved with their child's reading development, but they need easy access and resources to help them with the process."
Parental involvement has taken on increased significance with today's struggling education system. Teacher lay-offs, lack of school resources and school closings (recently, Illinois eliminated over 10,000 teachers with talks of another 20,000 in the future and Kansas City closed 29 of its 61 schools), have placed additional responsibility on parents.
Even comedian Bill Maher recently took aim at the education system, but put the responsibility on parents. In Maher's show and commentary entitled, "New Rule: Let's Not Fire the Teachers When Students Don't Learn--Let's Fire the Parents," he stated, "According to all the studies, it doesn't matter what teachers do...what matters is what parents do. The number one predictor of a child's academic success is parental involvement."
Dr. Burton agrees. "With the challenges that many of our nation's schools face, parents have an increased responsibility for their child's education, and that begins with spending effective time each day working with their child on reading. Stepping Stones Together offers parents a unique, fun, and personalized program for their young child, spending just 15-20 minutes a day to help their child develop reading skills."
About Stepping Stones Together
Stepping Stones Together was designed for parents to help their child with beginning reading skills, and offers personalized and printable reading tools for parents to use with their child. With only a 15-20 minute a day commitment, parents will see a noticeable improvement in their child's beginning reading skills. A child will choose one of a number of motivating stories based on a theme of interest to them. A parent will seamlessly take their child through a series of fun reading and writing activities to improve reading skills. Each child will earn a printable personalized certificate after reaching each reading milestone. There are also additional games that further increase reading skills that the child may play at any given time, and reminders/E-alerts will be sent to parents when Stepping Stones Together activities have slowed. The Stepping Stones Together program is only $19.99 for 90 days or $39.99 for an entire year.
Stepping Stones together was founded to empower parents with tools and knowledge needed to instill a lifetime foundation of love and commitment to reading while creating an invaluable bond with their child.
Stepping Stones Together will donate a portion of their proceeds directly to the Myeloma Institute, which will help support the institutes' efforts to advance the treatment and potential cure of Multiple Myeloma, a type of cancer affecting more than 50,000 Americans.
For more information on Stepping Stones Together, go to http://www.steppingstonestogether.com, call 1-877-772-7007.
Source: Stepping Stones Together
CONTACT: Jill Edgeworth, +1-847-778-1538, Jilledgeworth@hotmail.com, for
Stepping Stones Together
Web Site: http://www.steppingstonestogether.com/