Reading for Life® was created and developed by Learning Links in 2003. The program was designed by a psychologist, teacher and speech pathologist to provide support for children who struggle to read. It has been enormously successful over the past 20 years with children making valuable gains in reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension.
Also, and most importantly, the confidence and enjoyment of reading in participating children has increased, influencing their self-esteem and motivation to learn.
Reading for Life targets children in Years 2-4 who are having difficulties or falling behind in their literacy development. Addressing learning and literacy at an early age will have a long-term impact on a child and is important if we want children to have the best chance of success.
The benefits of the program are sustainable for each participating child – once they develop their literacy skills, it affects the outcomes of all their subjects at school. As children move into high school, the ability to read is essential, as without it they will struggle to move ahead academically.
Through Reading for Life we aim to empower children to build and maintain the literacy skills, motivation and confidence they need to reach their potential and succeed at school.
On average, over a 15-week period*, children participating have made the following learning gains and improved their:
*Data collected during the 2020/21 school years.