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By Jeff Henson

READING UNIVERSITY

Reading University still has room for participants as program returns after pandemic

Jun 15, 2022 | 12:10 PM

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reading University is set to return this July to Northwestern Polytechnic.

Co-founder Rhonda Side says the three-week, early literacy intervention program helps grade three students that are struggling with reaching grade-level competency.

“They get to do the things that they know work in Reading University, where they can not do them in a regular classroom. I mean they do many things in a regular classroom, but these are more interactive and more vibrant and more engaging methods.”

Side adds going into grade four is a critical turning point for students with regards to literacy.

“I think it is quite a well-known marker for where things can go wrong. If they are not reading and comprehending by grade level at this point, the kids at grade six, grade nine, and grade twelve still are not. They do not ever get to catch up from here.”

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“We are trying to get them to a place where literacy is just part of what they do in a day.”

Side says the student-teacher ratio is phenomenal, with one teacher and one educational assistant for every 10 kids that attend Reading University.

She adds grade three teachers across the region typically nominate students to take part in the program.

“We have struggled a bit this year, and we do not know whether that is fatigue from parents and children because school has been so disrupted through COVID, or if over the course of the two years that we did not run, people have forgotten about us.”

When it was last held in 2019, 195 children took part in Reading University.

So far this year, Side says they have around 150 kids registered.

She adds they are accepting requests from parents who feel their child can benefit from the program before entering grade 4 in the fall.

You can email info@readingu.org to inquire or seek more information.

The program is completely funded through community support so there is no registration costs for participants.