summer reading program for Entering Kindergartners offered by the University of Alabama (homes, movies)

[AYZ]

My little one is going to K this fall. I got a flyer in the mailbox about a summer reading program offered by UA. I called them, they said they'd been offering this class for years. I wonder if anyone had any experience with them and if it's a good one and worth the money (~$291) since it's pretty expensive for 5 classes.

[pyro4ik]

FYI for those on the Arsenal that they have a free one.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by AYZ

My little one is going to K this fall. I got a flyer in the mailbox about a summer reading program offered by UA. I called them, they said they'd been offering this class for years. I wonder if anyone had any experience with them and if it's a good one and worth the money (~$291) since it's pretty expensive for 5 classes.

This is so weird. I just got the exact same flyer, only it says it's offered by the University of Georgia. Could this be a scam? It didn't have a price on it, just an 800 number. We were considering doing this for our grandkids, but $291 sounds very high for five classes.

[Greymatter46]

Why not just let the little one 'off' this summer, a much more fruitful use of a baby's precious time, as learning to socialize in peer-play is essential to later development?

Plus, it's free.

I did not even go to kindergarten but learned to read in the first grade, wound up in advanced classes in middle school, graduated from HS and entered college at sixteen and graduated with a REAL education in 4 years.

Unless you are really only paying for supervised day-care, what's the rush?

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by Greymatter46

Why not just let the little one 'off' this summer, a much more fruitful use of a baby's precious time, as learning to socialize in peer-play is essential to later development?

Plus, it's free.

I did not even go to kindergarten but learned to read in the first grade, wound up in advanced classes in middle school, graduated from HS and entered college at sixteen and graduated with a REAL education in 4 years.

Unless you are really only paying for supervised day-care, what's the rush?

Greymatter, I'm guessing you have no grandkids.
Kids now learn to read in kindergarten, and it's highly advisable to have them pretty much started on it when they get there.
Yes, you and I learned in first grade with Dick and Jane books, but times are different now.

But $291? Sounds like a scam to me. You can probably do the same thing on your own.

[CraigCreek]

Almost every public library in this country offers free summer reading programs for all ages, along with free booklists for different ages, books about choosing age-appropriate books for kids, and professional children's librarians who offer storytimes, crafts, reading guidance, free movies based on picture books, all kinds of free programs for all age groups, and much more. Check out the library!

That price sounds way too high to me, especially when the same benefits are already offered, absolutely free, by your public library.

[Preston3124]

Originally Posted by convextech

This is so weird. I just got the exact same flyer, only it says it's offered by the University of Georgia. Could this be a scam? It didn't have a price on it, just an 800 number. We were considering doing this for our grandkids, but $291 sounds very high for five classes.

It looks real at least for the U of A.

ua > Reading Program > R > home

[Greymatter46]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Greymatter, I'm guessing you have no grandkids.
Kids now learn to read in kindergarten, and it's highly advisable to have them pretty much started on it when they get there.
Yes, you and I learned in first grade with Dick and Jane books, but times are different now....

Yeah, times sure are different.
But please.. Dick and Jane.. are they..(biting knuckle) ..still around?

[MisterEd51]

Originally Posted by Preston3124

It looks real at least for the U of A.

ua > Reading Program > R > home

If you click on nearest location you get:

4-Year-Olds and Entering Kindergartners
Tuition $249 Materials Fee $39

Grace Lutheran Church and School
3321 Memorial Parkway Southeast
Sat 6/4 to 7/9
8:30am - 9:45am

[zenjenn]

Wait, 1 hour and 15 minutes a week for 5 weeks, for nearly $300?

That is insane. INSANE!

First of all, pre-reading activities are easy-peasy and best accomplished at home. Read to your child daily, and be language-rich in your daily lives. Tons of ideas on the internet, if you need them, for how foster a great environment for a pre-reader/early reader at home.

Second of all, that price. THAT PRICE! I pay less than that for a whole semester of weekly two-hour writing coaching for my homeschooled teenager. That's for a professor with a master's degree in English to assign and evaluate 3-5 page essays.

This is Pre-K. It's A-B-C's. Literally. I get that it's nice for a child to have outside reinforcement and experiences, but I agree with the recommendation of the library programs. Really, we do have a very nice public library system in this city. I know lots of parents of tots stress about their child learning to read, and I feel like this program is just capitalizing on nervous parents. Trust me, if you simply make reading a part of your child's daily life it WILL reinforce schooling and literacy WILL happen, even if there are difficulties.