'Small steps lead to covering a large distance'

Layla is in Year 4 and has been supported virtually since March 2023 by long standing L2L2R volunteer, Elisa. Layla is tri-lingual as her mother is from Thailand and her father from England, so as well as English, she speaks Thai and Lao. Layla’s parents were initially contacted by her school to see if they would like some extra reading support for Layla.

Layla’s father, Keelan, felt as busy working parents they didn’t always have enough time to devote to reading with Layla, and he comments: “It sounded to me the perfect way to build her understanding and confidence with reading.”

Keelan feels that although Layla always enjoyed stories, through sharing books with volunteer Elisa she has become richer in her reading choices and is pulling ahead of her peers with her reading: “She has started acquiring a library. Books she really likes are kept with great pride in her belongings.”

After two to three sessions, Keelan started noticing an improvement in Layla’s reading which has had an immediate impact on her school work in general. Whereas before, she might have been reluctant to tackle homework, he found her love of stories and her comprehension had improved in ‘leaps and bounds.’ She started to enjoy both telling and writing stories, making her own illustrated mini booklets. Keelan says: “A couple of months ago, without any involvement [from me], she managed to finish her work; she’s a self-starter now. A very big step for us.”

He felt Layla would have continued to struggle and fall behind her peers without the support and that it’s made a significant difference in her reading journey. He’s been surprised by the speed of improvement too. “She can read, understand and listen more now. [I’m] really keen to see the green shoots of ownership and a self-sufficiency of reading, rather than her coming to me saying: ‘Dad, please explain this to me - I don't understand.’”

Crucially, through observing Layla’s sessions with Elisa, Keelan recognised that the more he could do with Layla, the more it would benefit her, and the more fun her sessions were, the more she engaged: “Elisa’s sessions are like snowballs, it picks up more and more mass on its way… We are so fortunate with Elise, her patience and just the way she does it.”

So would Keelan recommend Learn to Love to Read’s sessions to other parents?

“I would overwhelmingly and passionately recommend Learn to Love to Read… I always end up talking about Learn to love to Read with my friends and office colleagues when we discuss children, and the brilliant work you do.”