Let us know if you’d like to partner together and set up a daytime or evening complimentary presentation for your school’s families, by contacting the Director of Enrollment & Financial Assistance, Cathy Patterson, at cpatterson@mcleanschool.org or 240.395.0698.

Ready for Kindergarten. Ready for Reading.
The importance of reading readiness and how parents can best support their children.
How do children learn to read? While exposure to plenty of books at home, and reading to them at night is important, there’s a lot more parents can do to support early reading skills. Rather than a “wait and see” approach to whether their child will learn to read in kindergarten, parents can take an active role in helping their preschooler prepare to learn to read, and make an informed school choice based on how schools teach reading in kindergarten and beyond. Come learn more about the Science of Reading (comprehensive research and evidence for what works in literacy instruction), along with the differences between a Balanced versus Structured Literacy approach to teaching reading. This presentation will also review the developmental milestones for early reading, and give parents easy (and fun!) ways to build a necessary foundation for fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.

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Abby Himmelrich, Lower School Reading Specialist at McLean School, has nearly 10 years of experience in the field of reading. Abby is certified in Orton-Gillingham, trained in a variety of other structured literacy programs, and has extensive knowledge about the Science of Reading. She has led faculty trainings about reading screeners, the Science of Reading, and Orton Gillingham. Abby holds a Master’s degree in Special Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities. She is passionate about ensuring that all children receive strong reading instruction starting in kindergarten.