As a parent, would you rather work to prevent future learning struggles for your children or wait and remediate struggles you observe in the moment?

To prevent is the act of stopping an issue from arising. Within the area of literacy, prevention means building a foundation that is so strong that when challenges arrive, your child has the toolset to work through them.

Remediation on the other hand, is the act of correcting something that is deficient. It is acting in the moment on an identified problem. Often when we reach the point where remediation is needed, a child often has to learn an entirely new skill set and this can incur a big expense. 

Read below for our take on prevention techniques vs remedial intervention strategies for literacy skills:

Prevention:

• Establishing a reading routine at home and staying consistent.
• Building phonemic awareness in your children by working with letters and on letter sounds.
• Encouraging questioning about the world around them and learning topics.
• Building curiosity around language using enthusiasm and play.
• Working on activities together that incorporate learning tools.

Remediation:

• Expensive tutoring
• IEPs in school
• Gearing learning around identified gaps
• Advocating for resources
• Structured Literacy 

Remediation strategies work; however, if we can establish a foundation that is strong, our children may never need remediation strategies and may be able to live out their school lives exuding confidence. It comes down to very simple practices, as listed above, all of which can be done in the home. Our Early Reader Pack can work to support you on this literacy journey.