Peggy M. Wilber

Peggy Wilber's life mission is to help children succeed to read. She has a bachelor's degree from Bates College, Lewiston, Maine and a master's degree in education from Boston University. Ms. Wilber is certified in Early Childhood Reading Instruction from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, where she lives with her husband and two children. Ms. Wilber has taught and tutored children since the mid-1980s. Motivated by an increasing number of children who needed tutoring in reading, she co-founded the Pikes Peak One+One Program in 1995. This church-based tutoring program provides reading assistance to students from local elementary schools. As Instructional Coordinator, Ms. Wilber trains volunteers, diagnoses students' literacy needs, and creates individualized instructional packets for weekly tutoring sessions. Realizing that parents (grandparents, day care workers, and older siblings) were an untapped valuable resource, Ms. Wilber created training sessions teaching them how to help their children learn to read. After receiving hands-on information, even the most reluctant, "not sure I'm qualified" parents experience success working with their children. Many children have improved one to three reading levels in a semester. Believing that every child can learn to read, Ms. Wilber has provided this kid-tested, parent-proven information in her new book Reading Rescue 1-2-3. It is a hands-on manual combining auditory training, phonics and whole language techniques, making a complete reading instructional program. Peggy Wilber teaches "Reading Stronger" classes at Grace Academy in Colorado Springs. Her web site is www.succeedtoread.com.