When deciding on a reading program to use it is best to make sure they cover the five major steps to insure a strong foundation for a good reader.

These five steps in the reading program are:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Reading Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Reading Fluency

Some children just need to have reading practice, while other children need a more intensive reading program with high-quality educational materials, establishing a pattern of daily reading, instructing through guided reading activity, creating a rich language environment, discussing a child's progress with teachers, and following up on their recommendations.

The Michigan Department of Education states that although reading and writing skills continue to develop as a child grows, the years from birth through 8 are a time that is crucial to a child. It is important to offer them the resources and programs that will assist them to learn to read and become the best reader they can possibly become. The MDE goes on further to state that "20-30% of children learn to read relatively easily once exposed to formal instruction." This means that 70% to 80% of the children need more than just a main stream education curriculum to help them learn to read. Those are some pretty high percentages.

In order to assist your child it is important to have a good preschool reading program, such as one offered by Time4Learning. The web site Parenting-in-an-electronic-age.com states, "The Time4Learning language arts program can serve as a core or supplementary curriculum for children learning to read." Since the preschool years are the time that is vital for children to learn to read, it is important to use a preschool reading program that is of high-quality, establishes a pattern of reading daily, and has guided reading activities.