American Reading Company Launches Direct-to-Consumer Business to Guide Parents in Teaching Kids to Read at Home

As a nationally recognized leader in research-based programs for schools, American Reading Company today announced the launch of its direct-to-consumer website for parents: American Reading @ Home. The new website, www.americanreadingathome.com, offers parents, grandparents, caregivers, and homeschoolers access to a comprehensive reading system that has been teacher-approved and kid-tested for over a decade in thousands of schools across the country. All of the company’s programs are aligned to the newly approved Common Core State Standards.

“Establishing exemplary home reading routines for students has always been an integral component of our school programs,” explained Jane Hileman, Founder & CEO of American Reading Company. “We are delighted to now also make our books, home coaching techniques, and instructional resources available to all parents, regardless of whether their children attend schools that participate in our programs.”

American Reading @ Home is currently designed for parents of young children who are just beginning to learn to read. To help children take the first essential steps in becoming a reader, research shows it is important to use books that build confidence while mastering just a few essential reading skills at a time. The site helps a parent determine their child’s specific reading level, access expert coaching tips (including instructional videos) for that level, and purchase books that are specially designed for emerging readers at each reading level. In coming months, the company plans to expand the online program for all reading levels, PreK to 12th grade.

According to Hileman, the site for parents is a long-awaited dream come true. “When I was teaching my own children to read, I struggled with the very same challenges that parents still face today: What skills come first? How can I work on those skills without my child becoming frustrated? What books are at the right level of challenge?” Hileman recalled. “If parents use our books and coaching tips with daily practice, they will send their kids to Kindergarten already knowing how to read. I’m just elated to make this program available to the public.”