Language and literacy are very important to me.  At an early age, my parents instilled in me a love of reading.  Before entering kindergarten, I was reading signs, billboards, posters – you name it!  Growing up here in Beaufort County, we were always in the library or visiting the Book Mobile.  I always looked forward to those visits.  For me, checking out new books was better than a trip to the toy aisle in the local department store.

Reading should be fun, but for many children, it is anything but.  Children who struggle with pre-literacy skills often have difficulty reading in kindergarten; sometimes described as late bloomers.  Without early intervention, this same child may continue to struggle in first and second grade.  They are unable to read classroom texts and cannot spell simple words.  By the time they reach third grade, they are 3 years behind their peers.  No child should have to bridge this gap!     

What about writing? Research has found that when children read they become better writers.  Reading provides children with prior knowledge that they can use to write stories.  It helps them make connections to their own experiences and emotions.  Reading makes for better writing and better communicating.     

Here at Bloom, we use the gold standard for literacy learning, Orton Gillingham (OG).  This systematic approach targets reading, spelling and writing.  It teaches the rules for the way written language works using multi-sensory (seeing, hearing and feeling) pathways simultaneously.  Lessons are designed to work with students at the level they present by pacing instruction and introducing new materials in order to meet individual strengths and needs.