FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How can I contact Reading Club?

Email: info@readingclub.com.au
Phone: 0412 935 424
Location: 72 Gardner Street, Richmond, VIC 3121.

What are the dates and details for Reading Club’s program?

In 2023, Reading Club is a 39 week program.
Your child will attend a minimum of one class per week.
Term 1: Monday 30 January to Thursday 6 April (10 week term)
Term 2: Monday 24 April to Saturday 24 June (9 week term)
Term 3: Monday 10 July to Saturday 16 September (10 week term)
Term 4: Monday 2 October to Saturday 9 December (10 week term)

Does Reading Club observe Public Holidays?

Yes. Reading Club is closed on the following Public Holidays:
Monday 13 March: Labour Day
Friday 7 April: Easter Friday
Tuesday 25 April: ANZAC Day
12 June: King’s Birthday
TBC: Friday Before Grand Final Day
Monday 6 & Tuesday 7 November: Melbourne Cup

Are Reading Club classes available online?

Yes!
Reading Club is now available online so now we can continue to meet!
Please contact Tiffany on 0412 935 424 or via email
tiffany@readingclub.com.au for more information.

Why attend Reading Club if my child will learn to read at school anyway?

Your child may learn how to read at school. Yes. That’s certainly true.
Literacy has historically been conceptualised as a skill taught to children primarily by school teacher when children read school age. This conception carries four assumptions:
1) literacy development starts at school;
2) the context is the classroom;
3) the messenger is the school teacher; and
4) the resources consist of those available to the teach in an academic context.
However, have you considered that early literacy in your child’s early life experiences is a critical precursor to starting school?
It is often overlooked, or even unknown that preprimary literacy education is critical to your child’s literacy development. And by literacy, I mean the ability to read and write the printed form of text.
This Royal Children’s Hospital article outlines current and well established research, informing us of the importance of developing literacy skills in children from birth to five years of age and that we, as family members, early years teachers and school teachers all play a critical role in the development of children’s early literacy skills, as well as influencing children’s life-long attitudes towards reading.

TAKEAWAYS…
1. Give your child extra headspace: Lighten their load
Why not lighten your child’s mental load when they attend school by building their reading skills before they begin school.
Your child will then have extra room for other learning and may take the edge off their tiredness at the end of a long day of learning.
2. Give your child a confident and proud start to school
Your child will be school ready and walk into their school orientation with confidence and pride because they know how special it is to be able to to read. This is priceless.
3. Control those first steps of reading
Reading Club provides you with assurance and certainty that your child’s first reading experiences will be positive and are in your direct control.
These first steps are just like when they first started to walk. Remember that? First roll, first crawl, first step?
This is no different. It is one of the first leaps their brains take into formal learning. Why leave it to chance?

However, not all children who go to school are afforded this gift of systematic, well thought-through processes when learning to read. Nor do they have access to decodable text readers when learning to read, despite these being essential building blocks.
If you partner with Reading Club, we can build your child’s reading skills before they begin school.

Won’t my child be bored when they get to school if they already know how to read?

No!
They will definitely NOT be bored! Your child will have enough on their plate when starting school. Their reading skills will allow them to complete tasks in a timely and confident manner.
Your child will not bored, but instead be a confident, capable and independent learner at school.
Firstly, rather than being bored, your child will instead be comfortable and confident at school because of their new found reading skills.
Secondly, they will have pride and feel secure because they can read. What’s even better, is that they have had time to develop their reading skills beforehand.
Thirdly, your child will have so much more to learn at school, other than reading, such as adjusting to new social school norms, classroom etiquette, and learning how to be an effective learner.

Children have limited time to grasp and embed reading skills. How can I best support my child with learning to read?

Don’t leave your child’s reading success to chance.
Build solid literacy foundations by partnering with Reading Club because we most certainly know exactly how to support you.
We do this by helping you reinforce what your child has already learned in their weekly Reading Club class and give you ideas for games and activities
that focus on the letter of the week, until we next meet!

How can I prepare my child for Reading Club classes?

Firstly, speak with your child beforehand about the fun they will have at
Reading Club. This will most certainly assist your child to settle
into Reading Club. Explain that you drop your child off for a short
while to play, then pick them up straight after, just like at kinder
or school.
Secondly, ensure your child has been to the toilet prior to class because this can also greatly help your child to feel more comfortable and settled.
Thirdly, arriving on time will help your child to feel comfortable, confident,
happy and settled. Other children will also be arriving at the same
time, normalising the drop-off process.

What should I bring to Reading Club?

Most importantly, please bring your Reading Club bag with its contents.
A named drink bottle (water only) is also useful to bring along too.
Please do not bring any food or other drinks into class. This also applies to the siblings of students on drop off and pick up.