From the Reading Start
Welcome to the Reading Start!
Why I Created The Reading Start
I believe the journey toward literacy begins in infancy, long before a child enters a classroom.
Long before they enter kindergarten, children are building the foundation for language, literacy, learning, and future success through everyday moments shared with the people who love them most.
Children learn through responsive interactions with their parents and caregivers. A bedtime story, a conversation in the grocery store, reading a menu at a restaurant, spotting a stop sign on the way to school, singing songs in the car, writing a grocery list together, baking cookies, or upholding traditions that are important to your family may seem like ordinary moments, but they are anything but ordinary.
These experiences become the foundation upon which children build language, literacy, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.
For more than fifteen years, I have dedicated my career to helping children become successful readers. I've had the privilege of serving as a classroom teacher, literacy leader, researcher, and now Dean of Early Childhood. Throughout each role, one question continued to stay with me:
Why do some children enter school ready to thrive while others are already struggling before formal instruction even begins?
That question led me to pursue my Ph.D. in Literacy. My doctoral research focused on the home literacy environment and explored how the everyday interactions between parents, caregivers, and young children shape literacy development long before a child ever enters a classroom.
Throughout my research, one message became impossible to ignore.
Parents matter because beliefs shape behavior, and behavior shapes children's everyday literacy experiences.
It feels fitting that I began studying the home literacy environment while my own son was just six months old. Like many first-time parents, I wanted to know I was doing everything I could to support his development. I believed that if I understood the research, I could give him the strongest possible start.
Then life reminded me that research and real life don't always unfold the way we expect.
Years later, when my son began experiencing reading challenges in third grade, I found myself searching for answers just like any other parent. Even with years of experience teaching children to read and a doctorate in literacy, I relied on evaluations, specialists, and the guidance of wonderful professionals while quietly wondering if my instincts as his mother were telling me something different.
That experience reminded me that expertise matters, but so do relationships. The professionals who made the greatest difference weren't just knowledgeable. They listened, they cared, and they saw my son as an individual. They partnered with our family rather than simply providing answers. It also reminded me to trust both the evidence and my own observations as a parent. That's the kind of support I hope every family finds through The Reading Start.
It also deepened my empathy for families navigating questions about reading, learning, and development. I understand what it feels like to wonder if you're doing enough, to question whether you're making the right decisions, and to hope you're giving your child every opportunity to succeed.
I still believe the greatest opportunities for literacy growth happen in everyday life. I believe children learn through meaningful conversations, shared experiences, play, curiosity, relationships, and joyful experiences with language. I believe literacy should never feel like another item on a parent's to-do list.
That's why I created The Reading Start.
My mission is to bridge the gap between research and real life by helping parents understand how children learn to read and by sharing practical, evidence-based strategies that naturally fit into everyday routines.
After completing my Ph.D. in 2021, I returned to schools expecting to see meaningful changes in how we support families' home literacy environments. While incredible work has been done by researchers, nonprofit organizations, educators, and policymakers, I realized many of the same challenges still existed. It wasn't because people weren't trying. The research is strong.
The question I kept coming back to was:
How do we bridge the gap between what research tells us and what families actually experience?
The Reading Start is my answer to that question. My hope is that by empowering parents with trustworthy information and practical strategies, together we can help more children begin school with the strongest possible reading start.
Here you'll find research translated into real life. I'll share practical ideas you can use immediately, explain what the evidence actually says, and help you feel more confident in the everyday moments that matter most.
Whether you're preparing your infant for a lifetime of learning, wondering if your preschooler is ready for kindergarten, supporting your emerging reader, or searching for answers because reading doesn't seem to be coming easily, I hope The Reading Start becomes a trusted resource for your family.
My hope is simple.
I hope this becomes a place where research feels approachable, where questions are welcomed, and where parents feel supported rather than judged.
If something you read here helps you better understand your child, gives you one practical idea to try, or simply reminds you that you're not alone, then The Reading Start has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would.
Thank you for being here.
Welcome to The Reading Start.
Dr. Deirdre Cruz
About the Author
Dr. Deirdre Cruz is a literacy researcher, educator, Dean of Early Childhood, and founder of The Reading Start. She holds a Ph.D. in Literacy, where her doctoral research explored how the home literacy environment shapes children's early literacy development. With more than fifteen years of experience in education and the perspective of being a mother herself, Dr. Cruz is passionate about helping parents confidently support their children's literacy through practical, evidence-based guidance that fits naturally into everyday life.