5 Ways Baltimore Families Can Turn Reading Struggles into Success Stories
September is National Literacy Month, and for Baltimore families facing reading challenges, this couldn’t come at a more important time. Right now, over 48 million adults across our country read at only a third-grade level, and the ripple effects touch every corner of our communities. But here’s what gives me hope: when families have the right tools and strategies, reading struggles can absolutely become success stories.
If you’re a Baltimore parent watching your child fight with letters that seem to dance around the page, or if homework time has become a battleground in your house, you’re not alone. And more importantly, there are concrete steps you can take starting today to change your family’s reading story.
1. Start Reading from Day One (Yes, Even to Babies)
This might sound surprising, but literacy skills begin on day one. Even reading to your infant plants the seeds for a love of reading and learning. When you read to babies and toddlers, you’re not just sharing stories: you’re exposing their developing brains to the rhythm of language, building vocabulary, and creating positive associations with books.
Conni L. Strittmatter from Baltimore County Public Library puts it perfectly: early reading “exposes them to fundamental components of language and reasoning that form the base for their overall education.” Those cozy moments reading together aren’t just bonding time (though they’re that too): they’re building the foundation for future academic success.
Start simple. Board books, picture books, even reading your grocery list out loud helps. The key is making reading a natural part of your daily routine, not something that only happens when there’s a problem to solve.
2. Model Reading Behavior Throughout Your Home
Here’s something that might surprise you: kids are watching everything you do, especially when it comes to reading. If children only see adults reading when they’re helping with homework, they start to think reading is work. But when parents have books of their own and show genuine enjoyment around reading, children naturally want to join in.
Jenny Bogoni, who works with Read by 4th in Philadelphia, suggests parents should “have books of their own, show enjoyment around reading, make reading something that kids want to do.” This means letting your child see you reading for pleasure: whether that’s a novel, the newspaper, or even scrolling through an article on your phone.
Create visible reading spaces in your home. Keep books, magazines, or newspapers where your family can see them. Talk about what you’re reading at dinner. Share interesting facts you learned from an article. When children see reading as something adults choose to do, not just something they’re forced to do, it changes everything.
3. Make Reading Interactive and Engaging
Reading doesn’t have to be a quiet, solitary activity. In fact, some of the most powerful reading happens when it becomes a conversation. Stop during stories to ask questions that connect what you’re reading to real life: “What does this remind you of?” “Have you experienced anything like this?” “What do you notice on this page?”
These questions do more than check comprehension: they help children see that reading is about making meaning and connections. They build language skills while creating joy and engagement around books.
Don’t worry about interrupting the flow of the story. Young readers benefit from these pauses because they’re processing language and building understanding. As children get older and more confident, they’ll naturally want fewer interruptions, but in the early stages, interaction is key.
Try different voices for characters, point out interesting illustrations, and let your child predict what might happen next. Reading should feel like play, not a test.
4. Embrace All Forms of Reading
Here’s where many families get stuck: they think “real” reading only counts if it’s traditional books. But Baltimore’s literacy experts want you to know that’s not true. Reading is everywhere, and the more children recognize this, the more confident they become.
Let your child read online content, graphic novels, comic books, and magazines about their interests. Tora Burns from DC Public Library encourages parents to let children “read online, let them read picture books, let them read graphic novels, and let them talk about what they learned.”
But it goes even further than that. Read news articles together, watch movies with subtitles, play video games that include text, or tackle board games with instructions. These activities help children see that reading is a life skill, not just a school subject.
The goal is to surround your child with text in ways that feel natural and enjoyable. When reading appears in many different contexts, children stop seeing it as something separate from “real life” and start recognizing it as a tool they can use everywhere.
5. Prioritize Choice and Enjoyment Over Obligation
This might be the most important strategy of all: keep reading fun. When reading becomes solely associated with homework and school assignments, children lose motivation. But when families protect reading as a pleasure activity, children develop confidence and ownership over their learning.
Let your child choose their own books, even if they’re not what you’d pick. A child excited about a book they chose will engage more deeply than one struggling through a book they were assigned. This choice gives them power and investment in their reading journey.
Don’t turn every book into a lesson. Sometimes, reading together is just about enjoying a story. Save the comprehension questions for school and let home reading be about connection and joy.
Remember that struggling readers often feel frustrated and defeated. Your job as a parent isn’t to be another teacher: it’s to help your child remember that reading can be enjoyable and that they’re capable of success.
Why This Matters for Baltimore Families
The stakes for childhood literacy are real and urgent. Children who aren’t reading on grade level by third grade face significant challenges throughout their educational journey. After third grade, schools shift from teaching children to read to expecting children to read for content. This means struggling readers fall further behind in every subject: not just English, but math, science, history, and everything else.
But here’s what’s encouraging: these five strategies work. They’re backed by research and proven in communities just like ours. When families implement these approaches consistently, reading struggles transform into reading success stories.
The societal cost of illiteracy reaches $224 billion annually, but the personal cost to individual families is even more heartbreaking. Children who can’t read well often lose confidence in their ability to learn anything. They start to see themselves as “not smart” rather than recognizing they just need different approaches.
Your Family’s Reading Success Story Starts Now
National Literacy Month isn’t just about awareness: it’s about action. You don’t need to wait for the perfect curriculum or the ideal intervention program to start making a difference in your child’s reading life. You can begin today with the strategies in your own home.
Remember, every reading success story started with a family that refused to give up. Whether your child is just beginning to recognize letters or struggling with complex texts in middle school, these evidence-based approaches can meet them where they are and help them move forward.
If you need additional support, don’t hesitate to reach out to literacy organizations in Baltimore that understand both the challenges and the possibilities our families face. Reading struggles are common, but they don’t have to be permanent.
Your child’s reading success story is waiting to be written, and National Literacy Month is the perfect time to start writing it together.