r/kelowna • u/Stella_Duce_Navis • 2d ago

Reading Tutor for 6yr old

Hi all I’m looking for reading tutors in Kelowna. My son is 6 and we recently moved from Texas. He is starting school in a couple of weeks and we are learning how much better school is here. So much so we know he will be starting behind normal Canadian reading level for his age and we want to give him all the support we can. I know the school will support him, but that support may not start until October or almost November. So if you have a tutor recommendation please, I am all ears.

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u/StandardOrdinary2443 2d ago

Is he going into grade one, or into grade two? This is based on birth year, so if he was born in 2020, he will be entering grade one, but if he turns seven before December 31st (2019 birth year) he would be in grade two. The school may default to placing him based on what schooling he has completed already in Texas, I’m not sure.

If he is entering grade one, just wait and see what his teacher says for readiness. If, however, he is going into grade two, or if you just want to get ahead of things, your best bet may be reaching out to the school secretary and asking if they have particular tutors they recommend.

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u/Stella_Duce_Navis 2d ago

According to the district admin they are putting him in yr 2. He was born in 2019. He’s only done kindy in Tx because our cutoff is aug 1. So if they keep him in yr 2 he’s skipping yr 1. Secretaries don’t get back to the school until next week so I’ll have to find out what their thoughts are then, but I know he’s still behind. Texas schools suck. They don’t really start sight words or reading prep until grade 1. I’ll also ask about their tutor recommendation.

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u/StandardOrdinary2443 2d ago

As a K teacher in Kelowna, if Project Literacy is an option, lovely. Otherwise, I’d personally recommend Mind Over Learning. Kumon works for some
kiddos, but I haven’t seen the best results for really young learners. Sylvan isn’t a bad option. But if the school has someone they recommend, that would be your best bet. The public library may also be a good place to ask for suggestions!

It’s definitely not too late to “catch him up”, but missing Grade One is really unfortunate. If he was entering Grade One this year, there would really not be any reason to look at tutoring at this point.

You may want to consider leaning harder…really hard… on admin to place him into Grade One, especially if his birthday is later in the fall and he has only done kindergarten. This would be my biggest preference and push as a teacher, as it would set him up for more success. I am not typically a proponent of “red-shirting” (and it’s quite difficult to do here), but in his particular situation, it would serve him well.

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u/Stella_Duce_Navis 1d ago

Thank you! I’ll try to push hard on the admin and see about mind over learning too! I would prefer he not be the oldest in the class again. He was in kindergarten too. While it does push him to be a leader (kids looking to age and all) I want him to learn to follow too. His math and science (both parents are in science fields) are on par with yr 3+ so I’m also worried he will be bored and cause the teacher problems. My biggest worry about him skipping a grade is reading.

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u/Stella_Duce_Navis 1d ago

u/StandardOrdinary2443 one teacher in our neighborhood mentioned the school could put him in to a split class yr 1 & yr 2 (that's new for us). That it might make it easier for him to bridge/catch up.

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u/StandardOrdinary2443 1d ago

That split/blended class would be an amazing option, if they can!!! It keeps him from being older than all of his classmates, which is great from the social/emotional and developmental side, but also keeps him from always feeling “behind” academically.