BEGIN WITH BOOKS / Parent Reading Tips

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on classroom instruction, and it is too early to know if, or to what extent, students’ learning will be impacted.   Literacy rates in the Lowcountry were abysmal before the pandemic, as data from South Carolina’s literacy assessment suggests an alarming 50% of students in Grades 3-8 are struggling to read and comprehend grade-level text.   (The 2019-2020 state assessments were suspended .) Parents’ fears of their children falling behind are completely justified.   Well, good news parents!   You can play a vital role to avoid reading setbacks and keep your kiddos on track. Research shows that knowledge gained from previous experiences may significantly increase a poor reader’s comprehension of the text.   How does that work?   Let’s say your child’s class is reading about stalactites and stalagmites and your family visited a cave this summer.   Your child’s text comprehension will likely be higher than students who...

The closure of schools, day cares, and early childhood programming due to the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting many young children in the Lowcountry, and low-income communities are being impacted disproportionately.     The economic hardship created by the pandemic is compounded when families have to do without the vital resources that pre-schools and childcare centers provide.   And the longer these closures and programming disruptions continue, the greater the potential learning losses. Low-income children risk being left behind It is well accepted that poverty and inequality contribute to achievement gaps between children from different socio-economic households.   Performance disparities take root well before children enter kindergarten and do not go away.   The best way to lessen this gap for vulnerable children is through high-quality pre-kindergarten and early childhood programming.   These programs often provide an additional safety net, like nutri...