l by the third grade. The Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA) is focused on this goal. CIERA projects are designed to investigate the theoretical, empirical, and instructional issues related to preschool literacy and the succeeding development of regain and writing skills. CIERA focuses on how to influence reading with variations in formal instruction, school structures, assessment materials, teaching materials, text types, linguistic differences, and influences of knowledge, school, familial, and community experiences (Stahl & Yaden, 2004).
The Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy, appointed by the National Research Council, noted that trends influencing reading and writing programs in children include: the increased movement of women into the labor force demanding quality childcare, increased agreement among parents and educators that children need enriched educational experiences, and the mounting evidence that young children are capable of learning early. These attitudes have led to investigations regarding factors in reading difficulty. Research findings show that different learning situations work for different children and it is difficult to select an optimal condition that suits all. In addition, children at risk for problems require additional support. CIERA study findings have concluded that young children need extensive practice with literacy instruments with supportive adults. This supported practice leads to the development of a broad language knowledge base, which enables them to decode words automatically and understand language in the books that they read (Stahl & Yaden, 2004).
Programs other than classroom instruction are helpful in teaching young children to read (Burns, et al., 2004; Gut, Farmer, Bishop-Goforth,รก& Hives, 2004; Liben & Liben, 2005; Tomesen & Aarnoutse, 1998). For example, the Helping One Student to Succeed (HOSTS) Language Arts volunteer after school tu...