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Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the cost of your program?
• Do you have payment plans?
• What do you test? What’s an assessment? What happens after that?
• What curriculum do you use?
• What ages do you work with?
• Where did Reading NOW come from? Are you a franchise?

What's the cost of your program?

Cost is an interesting word…when we “buy” something, we typically use it and it’s gone after a few minutes, or days! Think of a cup of coffee, or a week long beach trip, or even a car. Other spending is an “investment” – and we view Reading NOW as an investment. Whatever expense there is for an assessment and tutoring is unique, since the benefits don’t go away. They actually grow in value! There are very few “investments” that do not go down in value.  So, what is an investment in your child worth?

Consider the following facts:
According to the National Commission on Reading, “the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.”

What does “educational success” bring?

Look at the results:
The US Commerce Department’s 2002 report on Educational Attainment and Earnings estimates that an individual with no high school diploma will earn about $756,000 over their lifetime, compared to high school and college graduates that earn $1,036,000 and $1,816,000 respectively. That difference for college graduates and high school dropouts totals over $26,000 per year, and can mark the difference between poverty and middle-class.

That small investment for tutoring gives your child between $280,000 for a high school graduate and over $1 million for a college graduate in potential higher earnings over their lifetime.

THIS SUCCESS IS ALL A RESULT OF BEING EXPOSED TO BOOKS AND LEARNING TO READ!

Do you have payment plans?

Our goal at Reading NOW is to never turn away any family that wants educational help, but may struggle with the investment. Overall, our costs are much less expensive than other centers, such as Sylvan Learning and Huntington Learning. One of the largest differences is our using certified reading and math specialists for your child’s tutoring. We expect our process to take between 10 and 20 weeks of customized instruction, with the total cost (including assessment) to range between $800 and $1,400., which can be as low oas less than $300 per month!  The costs at Sylvan and other locations are typically 2 to 3 times this amount, as they keep the student for a longer period of time in the program. Our goal is to get you into our program and have quick success!  (One of out most recent parents just came in and said another national tutoring company wanted her to take out a loan for over $8,000 to pay for tutoring...)  We want to make sure you are successful, AND stay within your budget!

What do you test? What’s an assessment? What happens after that?

This is our second most common question! We assess your child for strengths and needs in reading, math or both. Reading is comprised of five major components: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Math covers the ten (10) key components identified by the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). Mastery of these skills does not necessarily lead to reading or math success! Think of people you know, or perhaps you as a child, who could read a passage from a book (fluency), but wouldn’t be able to clearly explain what you read (comprehension). Our assessments cover all five components, and determine your student’s specific strengths and needs as a reader or math student. A typical child's assessment takes between 60 and 90 minutes to complete. Our assessments are administered by a certified reading or math specialist. From that point, Dr. Bentley personally writes up a detailed report which identifies the following:

1. Diagnostic Assessments Administered
The assessments we use vary by student, and often times we’ll adjust the testing as we begin the process, based on their needs and strengths.

2. Results of Assessment
We explain in very simple terms how your student scored on each section, and what it means. Many of our praises from parents are their comments that “this is the first time I really understood what all this meant!”

 3. Strengths and Needs
We detail where your child has strengths in reading, and detail where he/she needs improvement. However, the exciting part of this process is customizing a program based on your child’s strengths! We use those to develop specific instructional recommendations. For example, if your child has great background knowledge, and knows “a lot of stuff”, we can use that skill to draw conclusions and make predictions about reading, which can help in other areas!

4. Customized Instructional Recommendations
This section details what specific instructional recommendations should be taken to ensure that your child’s reading is improved. For example, if your student needs help with sight words (as determined from our assessment), we would explain:

John would benefit from recognizing that not all words need sounded out. He would be helped by playing word sorting games with Sight Word lists, to recognize that some sets of words he just has to know upon sight. These words cannot be sounded out accurately based on the patterns and rules taught. An increase in his sight word vocabulary would assist in John’s fluency.

We then meet with you and explain all the sections of the report, answer any questions you may have. Your personal report is typically between 5 and 6 pages, and takes about 45 minutes to review, as we discuss questions, concerns and solutions. We encourage you to take copies to school and take a copy home. Students’ success increases rapidly when there is “double dipping”, or your child receives instruction in more than one environment.

What curriculum do you use?

At Reading NOW, we don’t use a specific “off the shelf” curriculum that is pre-packaged. Our program is customized to your child’s needs. Our certified reading specialists develop lessons and curriculum to pace your child through. We do not waste time focusing on areas they don’t need help with.

What ages do you work with?

Currently, Reading NOW works with Kindergarten through 12th grade, and occasionally works with college students in the summertime, if needed! 

Where did Reading NOW come from? Are you a franchise, because everything looks so professional and consistent?

Thanks for the compliment, but no, Reading NOW is not a franchise. We are a locally owned and operated company, and offer significant flexibility in tutoring and educational options. Our goal is to be the premiere educational resource in the Northwestern PA area, and develop personal relationships with the families we work with!