This fall, Joan Kelley will be at Saint Anselm School to speak to parents, grandparents and educators about how to set children up to be successful readers. Her talk is titled: Growing strong readers: ​What the science tells us about how children become strong readers, and what parents [of all babies and young children] can do to help.

Joan has spent over 10 years doing reading research, writing curricula, and helping educators deliver classroom instruction that builds the kind of skills children need to read well. Recently, she has dedicated herself to including parents in the quest to improve children’s reading outcomes. As Joan explained, “There are certain skills children need to become strong readers, and these skills ​start developing from birth. ​It is clear to me, as a researcher and educator, that if parents were aware of their children’s progress towards strong reading, they could more easily help them reach their full potential, and more productively work with their children’s educators. What I have found, however, is that most parents have never been given the critical information about what successful reading demands, and they don’t know whether their babies, toddlers, preschoolers, or school-age children are sufficiently building of the three main skills needed to read well.”

Joan went to Harvard College (’84) and the Harvard Graduate School of Education (’05). She lives with her husband, John, in Needham, MA, and has three grown children.

*This event is open to the public, please make sure to R.S.V.P. to secure your seat.