About Reading First Steps
Reading First Steps is a free reading resource from the team behind Read Like Rocky, an online reading and writing program created by Dr. Nancy Barker, Ed.D.
Who we are
Dr. Nancy has spent 49 years in education. She is a deaf and hard-of-hearing education specialist and a former school leader who mentored teachers. She earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy from Pepperdine University in 2011. She also holds degrees from USC, California Lutheran University, and CSU Northridge.
She founded Read Like Rocky to give families a simple, encouraging way to help children read and write with confidence— inspired in part by watching her first grandson begin to talk.
About Rocky
Rocky is Dr. Nancy’s real lab-retriever mix—a beach-loving “duck dog” who chases ducks but never catches one.
He stars in many of our practice stories so kids have a friendly character to read about.
What this site is (and isn’t)
Your child is just starting to read whole sentences. These gentle first-step lessons build careful, word-by-word tracking and then smooth, confident reading—without rushing or guessing.
The activities and guides here are general reading practice for families. They are not a diagnosis, and they are not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. If you have concerns about a learning difference, vision, hearing, speech, attention, or anxiety, please talk with your pediatrician or a school specialist.
Company
Live Liyf Productions LLC (Read Like Rocky), 1292 High St #1142, Eugene, OR 97401
Support: support@readlikerocky.com