Cognitive First 101: How should I get started with Cognitive First and the CogRead Literacy Campaign?
If you are wondering how to get started in your community or what you can do, this page is for you. This guide is designed to help you benefit from Cognitive First’s wealth of information and find what matters most to you. First things first, you might be wondering:
What is Cognitive First Anyway?
Cognitive First is a nonprofit leader in helping assess and develop strong phonemic awareness skills and in sponsoring access to cognitive (learning capacity) evaluation and brain skill exercise sets. With these tools parents, schools, literacy programs and after-school programs can be much more effective and children’s lives can be impacted. Having Cognitive First initiatives and approaches in place expands parental involvement and equips children for greater academic achievement.
How is it Useful?
It’s a new and easy way to discover how you can help children you care about so they can be proficient readers and successful in school.
What Information will you find?
The Cog1st/CogRead website contains information you will find valuable. You can gain new insight and learn more about topics that are important to you. You will discover how you and your community can help children have stronger reading and learning skills for a better and brighter future.
How to Start Using Cognitive First:
Some people find it useful to peruse the Concepts/Research area, especially the Cog1st Guide to get a better background for how a Cognitive First approach can revolutionize a community’s educational effectiveness. You can scan the links in this section to absorb additional information that matters to you.
1. DISCOVER SOURCES: tell others
It’s best to begin by understanding that 80+% of the time a child who struggles with reading has weak phonemic awareness skills. Job one to prevent reading difficulties is to measure and meet this need for stronger skills beginning in first grade. Your journey to understand can be a short one but a basic understanding is critically important to finding options and then following up with tools that can make the difference for the under-resourced and at-risk children in your community. Businesses, public service groups, people you know or admire, local celebrities, or news sources can help. Your message is simple: stronger skills empower academic performance. Here’s how that can work for you.
2. CHECK THE SKILLS OF CHILDREN: then pay attention to what can happen next
Once you’ve followed up by assessing or screening the skills of a few children, you’ll have a new appreciation for the information gained and the change that can happen. Each time you test a child’s phonemic awareness (auditory processing skills) or core learning skills, the scores or profiles you get are the beginning of changing a life. Cognitive First offers access to simple, easy to use tools to make this happen.
3. TAKE THE NEXT STEP: connect a child to online exercises
One of the best things about a Cognitive First approach is that it’s available anywhere you have a high speed Internet connection. A child can begin in minutes. Parents, educators and volunteer coaches can get updates about a child’s progress at any time. The potential is endless! Tip: You can get started in minutes.
What You Can Do At Cog1st:
You can find great satisfaction in knowing that a child you care about and even large numbers of children in your community can be helped in a matter of weeks. It is exciting to contribute in some way and give children a future and hope they would never have without your help. Here are some of the ways to get started helping children who struggle with reading and learning. Keep in mind that people you know and people who are interested in what you have to say may follow your lead and also take the steps you share with them.
1. BUILD A VOICE: the academic gap is a skill gap
Use the information on the Cognitive First site to prepare you to find your own voice and show others what you care about. With all the efforts at educational reform far too many children are still entering school behind in core skills and most are never catching up academically. Something is missing and you can know what it is. The central message you will find combined with your response to people you know will create interest and have an impact. Tip: If you keep your message simple, others are more likely to find your message compelling. Read the two page summary of the Kennewick story. Very simply, your community can do what they did (90+% of third graders can read at proficiency)!
2. MONITOR A CHILD’S PROGRESS
Nothing will build your excitement like seeing a child’s potential and confidence change before your very eyes. Keep your community focus on preventing reading difficulties in K-3 but know that older children can benefit as well. Cameron was thirteen years old when his life was changed with 48 hours of online work (see the 5 minute video).
3. MENTOR A CHILD OR CHILDREN: include others in your mentoring
Once you’re ready to begin, consider mentoring or coaching a child. This can not only help the child, but help you show the potential impact in your community. Mentoring can draw more eyes to your message, and can even start a new conversation. The real magic lies in engaging others.
4. GET SOCIAL: explore your additional connections
As you become more engaged others will begin to see what you see. Children in your community can become good readers and those children can have great success in school. Once you’re familiar with the basics, consider exploring how to include others with your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or website to show off what you and your community can do. Tip: The best way to gain greater involvement is to regularly engage community leaders and show them that they can contribute in a meaningful way.
Tips for registering and getting started:
Need help registering your child or grandchild, a school or community program, or a needy family?
For general questions or help click the “Contact Us” tab at the top of the Cog1st website. You can follow up with specific needs in three ways: 1) in the Parents section click on Register your Child, 2) in the Educators section click to apply for school and after-school grants, 3) to initiate helping a needy family with their child have a parent in the family complete a sponsorship request form.
Need help telling your story in your community?
After you get started you may want help linking your story to the need in your community and applying for supportive grants and donations to reach more children. Cognitive First would like to help. “Contact Us”
Confused by the lack of a Cognitive First approach?
Don’t be. The information on our website will help, but there is no substitute for initially raising awareness by helping a few children in your community. And don’t blame teachers or schools. They simply have not had access to the tools we are sponsoring. That’s the reason our donors and providers help us offer an introductory “Turning Point” package for schools and community programs. You can greatly increase the effectiveness of your community in helping children so they can be proficient readers and more successful in school and in life.