Choosing the right tutor service for your child is no different than choosing any other professional to provide essential support to your family. You want to take your time and do your homework to make sure you’re getting the best possible services available.

The first you want to consider when choosing a tutor service for your child is the setting and whether it is a good fit for your child and his/her needs. In order for a child to be truly successful in their academic pursuits they need to be comfortable in their learning environment.

Second, while it may seem like a good idea to have the tutor come to your home, you should avoid this option. You want your professional tutor to be in the best possible mental space when working with your child. Lugging large amounts of academic work to and from locations can provide undue difficulties, not to mention the stress a commute to and from a location can provide. Having your child in a location built for learning can allow the tutor to truly focus on your child and success.

In this world of instant information, there are many tutoring services available with simply a click of the mouse. Rather than sort through each of these locations, why not start with the best. We pride ourselves on providing individual learning plans for each of the children we work. We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you might have regarding their academic approach and their assessment process.

The Reading Clinic

Learning to read is considered a rite of passage for many. It is a skill we pick up in our early years and often take for granted as we grow older. Despite it becoming second nature to most of us, learning to read can be challenge for some children. It is Mother Nature that makes human beings unique. Mother Nature can also provide children with unique learning challenges as well.

Despite the best of intentions in our schools, some children need extra support in their efforts to learn to read. This is no way an indication of the child’s shortcomings or the inability of the teachers themselves. Simply put, sometimes children learn at their own pace and may need extra supports in place to succeed. The extra support should be embraced and not frowned upon. Which is why we aim to provide essential support to aid the process of learning to read.

The initial reaction from a child and some parents at the mention of tutoring can be that they have failed in some way. This is not the case. We all need help from time to time in a variety of areas. Not seeking the help needed to make the child a successful reader is the real failure. Keep an open mind when considering the next steps toward supporting your child’s success.

As parents, we have so many responsibilities relating to the care and well-being of our children. The sound tutoring program developed at The Reading Clinic is made to suit your individual child can provide the additional support that a child needs. If there is even a chance that your child might benefit from this extra support, it’s worth a conversation.

The Reading Clinic

Please join us at The Academic Skill Building and Braining Training Expo!

Friday March 30th
5:30 PM to 8:45 PM
Santa Clara Convention Center

Discover how to successfully handle learning differences and attention challenges. The presenters have vast experience in various areas of learning, memory, autism, mood, ADHD, and dyslexia.

For more information, visit www.academicskillbuildingexpo.com.

The Reading Clinic

Understanding learning as a process with several stages can help you identify where your child is struggling in school. Learning is a complex interplay between input, processing, retention and output. Most students have strengths in several areas, and a difficulty in one area is all it takes to make school exceptionally challenging.

The Reading Clinic offers a battery of tests to help us pinpoint areas of breakdown in this learning process. For more information, check out our assessments page.

Input – how information comes in through your senses

Does your child seem lost in class? Do they have a distinct difference in processing information when it is spoken or written? Do they have difficulty reading? Do they have difficulty getting started on tasks because they don’t know what they should be doing? Does their teacher complain about their attention during specific tasks?

• Have their eyes and/or ears checked.
• Get specific information from the teacher about when your child’s attention is wandering
• Listen to your child read and try to get a sense of the effort it takes them to read.

Processing – what your mind does with information. This can vary in speed and by type of input.

Does your child take a longer time to think about certain types of information? Do they know information but have a hard time accessing it? Do they think they understand something but it comes out muddled? Do they remember details but have difficulty summarizing, giving a main idea or answering inference and prediction questions? Do they struggle with critical thinking and conceptual information? Does it take them hours to complete their homework?

• Talk with your child about what they learned in class that day. Focus on the difficult subjects.
• Read aloud to them and talk about how you are thinking when you read. A newspaper article at dinnertime works great with older students.
• Write movie or video game reviews, with plot summaries and ideas for sequels. This can be an activity for the entire family.

Retention –There are many forms of memory including short term, long term, working and visual.

Does your child do well on tests, but have no idea what they learned once the test is over? Do they have difficulty recalling specific details? Do they have difficulty memorizing spelling words, math facts, vocabulary words?

• Practice memorizing by associating words with very silly stories or visuals.
• Check that they understand the concept behind what they are memorizing.
• Play online games or board games that require mastery to get to a new level.
• Reminisce about family vacations and funny stories.

We welcome questions and comments you may have about your child’s learning process.

The Reading Clinic

April 9th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Some students excel in the symbolic world of mathematics, but struggle to apply their computation skills to word problems or explaining how they solved a problem. Their conceptual understanding may be very weak. Parents will learn how to help their children develop a more balanced understanding of mathematics.

445 Sherman Ave., Ste N, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Space is limited so please rsvp to info@thereadingclinic.com if you plan to attend.

The Reading Clinic

April 2nd, 6:30 pm – 8:00pm

Specific strategies for learning the basic facts will be discussed. Parents will learn how to advocate for their child when timed-testing is counterproductive. This will be relevant to learning affected by the basic facts, even if your child is in Algebra.

445 Sherman Ave. Ste N, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Space is limited so please rsvp to info@thereadingclinic.com if you plan to attend.

The Reading Clinic

March 26th, 6:30 pm – 8:00pm

Parents and teachers will learn to identify why a child is struggling with math and how they can help. This is an overview from learning to count through Algebra. Participants will gain an understanding of how to best approach a particular student’s learning, including effective use of manipulatives.

445 Sherman Ave. Ste N, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Space is limited so please rsvp to info@thereadingclinic.com if you plan to attend.

The Reading Clinic

Anytime Homework Center for grades 3 through 8 Open Now in Palo Alto!
One low monthly fee buys you:
1. A safe, supervised, academic learning environment
2. Organization, prioritization, and follow-through support
3. Help getting past homework roadblocks
4. Ample reference materials and supplies
• Convenience and flexibility come at no charge
• Our homework tutors are available when you are
• Drop-in hours from 3:30 to 7:00 Mon through Thurs

Plans starting at $200 per month

The Reading Clinic

Please visit our new web site. We would love to get your feedback.

The Reading Clinic

We’ve met many parents who have a good sense of their child’s difficulties in English class but have a hard time finding the right support for their child.

The following questions are designed to spark a conversation with a potential tutor so you can get a sense of how they think about teaching and determine if their methods are a good fit for your child’s needs. The questions are by no means an exhaustive list and we encourage you to share any questions or tips you have gathered during your search for a tutor. Sharing your story may help another parent learn from your experience.

The questions address the areas of main concern that come up when looking for an English tutor – reading, comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. If you’re not certain which areas need the most support, that’s a great place to start the interview. You can ask how they will help you determine which skills are the most important to address.

1. What type of training do you have for teaching kids to read? What is your philosophy about reading instruction?
2. How will you figure out if my child understands what they read? How do you help them develop reading comprehension skills and build their vocabulary?
3. What strategies do you use to teach kids writing? What types of writing assignments will my child complete with you?
4. Do you work on grammar and spelling? What approach do you use for instruction?
5. How will you gauge my child’s improvement?

You can find The Reading Clinic’s answers to these questions on our website and by watching our guiding principals video.

Feel free to give us a call if you have more questions or are looking for answers!

The Reading Clinic