Meet a Hoffman Literacy Tutor
October 27, 2010
Rita is one of our amazing Hoffman tutors who love to help our kids improve their reading skills! She brings great experience to her role as a tutor – her granddaughter, Hayden, was our youngest student ever in the Literacy program! Hayden started when she was 2 years old!
Rita and her family had heard that from the time they are born, babies pick up language and how important it is to read to your child from birth. The whole family read to Hayden, and when she was a little older, started playing matching games to prepare her for reading. Rita said Hayden loved it! Their efforts paid off! She wowed her tutor with her skill level on the very first session!
“We made a game of it – you have to keep a child motivated and make it fun, and then they want to read! It works with Hayden and it works with other kids that I tutor here at GiGi’s.” Rita recognizes that like anyone else, sometimes kids have an off day and are not in the mood for reading, but if the focus is having fun, both the child and parent can enjoy the time together. She said that the program requires a commitment from tutor, parent and child, but when those “ah ha” moments happen, it is worth the effort! When the kids are not in the mood, she sets it aside and will try again later.
Hayden is 3 ½ now, and the entire family does everything possible to help her improve her skills. Rita loves to come to the Playhouse to tutor and work with other children, and she is able to carry that knowledge back home with her to help Hayden even more. Rita didn’t know anything about Down syndrome before Hayden was born, and said, “The Literacy program is just wonderful! When I tutor, the kids are no different than any other child – they are learning how to read, and like any other child, trying to function in this world. The Playhouse is a solid place with a Literacy Program that works!”
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