SOUNS is a program developed by Montessori and championed by Brenda Erickson to help children read earlier and better. Our Rotary Club provides SOUNS kits of letters that are used to associate sounds with letters so that children can associate letters with words that they can pronounce. Rotarians are also involved in the evaluation phase of the program to determine the progress of the students. Our Club supports SOUNS in the Thomas County Head Start program to approximately 159 children taught by 18 teachers. Each child participates in a 15 minute SOUNS exercise each day. Interviews with the teachers indicates that it is an effective tool to improve reading skills. This program will be conducted each year branding Rotary as an organization that cares for the next generation to have a chance at a quality education and it all begins with strong reading skills.
SOUNS – We continue to support this program at the local Headstart school including buying and updating alphabet sets as well as testing help needed during the school year. The Principle is very pleased with the program which helps students learn to read through pronouncing letters and alphabet.