“Changing Lives, One Reader at a Time”
Sound Start Literacy has changed the way I run my classroom and incorporate it into my teaching on a daily basis. My students were struggling with the basic concepts of phonics and the curriculum I was using. It was not developed in a way that was directly applicable to meet the needs of my students who were really struggling. I was given the opportunity to use Sound Start Literacy at the start of the new year [January] and within 2 weeks, there was growth and progress with those students who were struggling. There was progress with phonemic awareness, blending, segmenting, decoding and recognizing heart words [high frequency words]. The program is designed to guide students with the tools at a pace that is geared towards their age group.The teaching model is extremely interactive and easy to follow. With the amazing training, you will be able to pick up the program and immediately start to teach without it being overwhelming. The students love all the engaging lessons and activities that go along with Sound Start Literacy. They were excited to participate in the daily lessons, small group instruction, center games and partner work. With the program, it allows you to teach the lesson to the whole group and then use the activities as reinforcements during small group instruction. There is no need to look elsewhere for other resources or materials for small groups. I was excited again to teach phonics knowing there is going to be growth within all of my students. Sound Start Literacy is designed to make your classroom successful and give your students the confidence and joy that reading has to offer. Not only did I see a significant change in their phonics skills and abilities, I saw a change in their demeanor as the school year came to a close. They are ready and confident in their skills for 1st grade. I cannot recommend this program enough. Sound Start Literacy will change the way you teach and you can watch your students succeed within your classroom! Melissa Davies, Kindergarten Teacher
"I highly recommend Sound Start Literacy! After 3 years of OG instruction, my profoundly dyslexic/ADHD son was still struggling to sound out CVC words. I talked with Jen, and she recommended I give her program a try. I was blown away. Only one year later, my son is reading chapter books with my help! Slow, yes, but he is reading! He often tells me reading with me is his favorite part of his school day and even asks to read with me outside of our school time! I would never have thought introducing multiple sound spellings at once would be possible but my son's brain thrived with it. I will forever be thankful for Jen taking her time to help us and for her Sound Start Literacy program." Someday I hope to tutor, and I would love to use your program. I will be watching for the release of SSL! Suzan George, Parent
Jen changed my daughter’s life. We saw multiple specialists and had numerous evaluations done and no one could figure out why she was struggling so much. These specialists all came from professional recommendations too. In desperation, I finally searched for a reading specialist online and decided to take a chance with her. From the moment we met, I knew we had found the right person. With her evaluation and tutoring (and my daughter’s hard work and determination), in a little over one year, we have gone from a child who could not recognize letters in the spring of kindergarten to a child finishing first grade reading at the targeted level. When everyone else wrote my daughter off as too young to intervene or gave the wrong diagnosis, Jen figured out what was going on in one evaluation. What I love about her as well is that she truly is not in it for the money, she cares deeply about helping children who learn differently succeed. She even suggested our daughter was ready to move on from her, but we believe so much in her help we have stayed with her and our daughter continues to thrive more each day. Alisa Donahue, Parent
I can’t say enough about the Sound Start Literacy phonics by Jen Cerra of READ Intervention. It’s a highly effective, thoughtfully designed resource that delivered great results for our k-3 students. The accelerated scope and sequence helped students move through foundational skills and access grade level text more effectively. It was very apparent that Sound Start gave students confidence, seeing themselves as readers. The materials are contained in a Google Slides format and are clear, easy to use, and require no additional prep. Sound Start integrates vocabulary, morphology and comprehension from the start. Students aren’t just learning to decode, they’re learning to make meaning, too. Additionally, the students love the games, especially Chomp, which is an effective way to reinforce skills in small group settings. Barbara Alfieri, K-5 Reading Specialist