Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Resource: Daily Herald

MELINDA WILLDEN - North County Staff
Five-year-old Madison Brown is reading a story about Kim and her bike when she comes up against a word that is not easy to sound out.

"Remember, it's 'arrrgh' like the pirate says," her teacher, Whitney Harken, prompts her. Madison growls back like a pirate and continues the story. Once she starts fidgeting, Harken, who is wearing a Sleeping Beauty sticker given to her by another child, lets Madison get back to her class.

Madison starts kindergarten this fall, but she is already reading at a first-grade level thanks to Learning Dynamics Preschool.

Learning Dynamics began as a preschool in the home of the owners, Cheryl and John Lant 22 years ago, and quickly outgrew their home. The Saratoga Springs school opened in September 2005.

Learning Dynamics developed its own reading program, Frontline Phonics, based on its own observations of what worked best to teach reading. Frontline Phonics has been fine-tuned over more than two decades of experience at their Orem location.

"Every child can read by the time they finish our school," says John Lant, a part owner and son of the original owners. "Some of them will be reading at a second-grade level, and some of them will still be slowly sounding out words, but they are all reading."

Learning Dynamics' reading program gets consistent results by training their teachers to use the same program, adapted to each child. Because the classes never have more than twelve children, teachers can spend time individually with each child.

"Teachers use their own personality and charisma to connect with the child, and the program is flexible enough that the child sets his own pace; we don't force them into a mold," Lant says.

The success of Frontline Phonics has attracted national attention. Ken Harvey, chairman of the International Education Institute in Kennewick, Wash., tested the children in several kindergartens in Kennewick School District and compared the reading scores to student scores in the Learning Dynamics Preschool.

The preschoolers outperformed the kindergartners in every school except one, and that school had won national awards.

Dr. Lucinda Katz, one of the chief curricular officers for Chicago's public schools has visited Learning Dynamics to find out more about its reading program. Dr. Susan B. Newman, who helped author the No Child Left Behind Act, has also visited Learning Dynamics Preschool to observe their methods.

Frontline Phonics uses age appropriate materials, and immediately applies what is being taught. Letters are taught using stories, music and object lessons. Once children have learned a few letters, they are taught to blend the sounds into words. Reading begins before the children even know all the sounds, so new sounds are used immediately.

Besides reading, Learning Dynamics teaches writing and math, and gives children plenty of opportunities to sing, dance, play and create art projects. Harken leads Madison's class in counting the days on the calendar. At 10 and 20, the children all clap because "zero is my hero," an introduction to the decimal system. Then they sing a song about the rain while Harken sprays a water bottle over her giggling class.

Even though Madison is already reading, "she won't be bored in kindergarten," says Harken. Children pick up all sorts of new information when reviewing things they already know.

"Children learn to love to learn," Lant says. "Most preschoolers already have computer game skills and can operate the VCR. Recognizing letters is fun for them. They want to be the next one to read."

Children attend class either Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or on the Tuesday and Thursday schedule. Classes are two hours and 15 minutes, in either the morning or the afternoon. Learning Dynamics has classes for 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, and a kindergarten enhancement program for children attending public kindergarten.

Parents are welcome to drop in and observe classes. Enrollment for this fall is underway and space is filling up fast.