Just in time for Book Week, a couple of local mums from Cockatoo have quietly launched something that’s already making waves in how families think about early literacy.
Meet the co-hosts of Prepping Parents, Danielle O’Leary and Jessica Dean where they’ve created a free podcast designed to help parents feel more confident supporting their children’s early reading journey.
The idea for Prepping Parents emerged from a shared realisation, while Victorian schools are shifting to a phonics-based approach grounded in the Science of Reading, many parents, though eager to help, aren’t equipped with the tools or knowledge to do so.
With literacy teaching changing since the days when parents were in school themselves, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when kids come home with “decodable readers” or unfamiliar word lists.
Danielle O’Leary, a teacher and mum of two, said it became clear to her when her son started Prep this year.
Despite being an experienced educator, she found herself struggling to bridge the gap between what was being taught in the classroom and how to support it at home.
Conversations with other parents revealed she wasn’t alone.
Many felt unsure about how to support their children with early reading tasks, like blending or segmenting words, or even how to tackle tricky high-frequency words.
“Parents were Googling, searching for help, but most of the resources out there were either too technical or tailored for American homeschooling parents,” Ms O’Leary said.
“That’s when I thought, ‘We need something specifically for Australian parents, something practical, something local.’”
She approached a fellow parent at her son’s school, Jess Dean who had her own experience in the field of education.
Ms Dean who’s a qualified teacher and homeschool parent, brought a real-life, hands-on perspective to the podcast, particularly in teaching early literacy and from there, Prepping Parents was born.
With no sponsorship and no hidden agenda, the podcast is 100 per cent free and created out of a shared passion for empowering parents.
The episodes, each lasting just 10 minutes, are straightforward and jargon-free, making complex concepts like phonics and phonological awareness easier to grasp.
“We wanted to take the pressure off parents,” Ms Dean said.
“It’s about helping them understand what’s going on in the classroom and showing them simple ways to support their child’s literacy at home. It’s not about being the teacher, it’s about reinforcing what’s already happening at school.”
The feedback from listeners has been overwhelmingly positive.
Parents appreciate the bite-sized episodes, which are packed with practical tips and no-prep activities that can be integrated into daily routines, whether in the car, at the shops, or during bedtime stories.
The podcast also helps parents decode the language of phonics, understand the importance of vocabulary and comprehension, and tackle those tricky reading tasks with confidence.
“We’ve had some amazing feedback, especially from local parents who come up to us at school drop-off,” Ms O’Leary said.
“It’s really rewarding when someone tells us that something we’ve shared has made a difference for them or their child.”
Beyond the podcast, Prepping Parents also has a growing Instagram presence, offering additional tips and fun ways for parents to integrate phonics into their daily lives.
Whether it’s rhyming games, I-spy, or tongue twisters, the podcast and its social media content aim to make early literacy engaging and stress-free.
With Book Week just behind us, the timing couldn’t be better for Prepping Parents to offer its practical support to families.
Book Week is a time to celebrate reading, but it can also highlight how tricky the process can be for some kids.
Early reading skills are crucial, shaping everything from future academic success to a child’s sense of confidence and well-being.
Ms O’Leary said that phonological awareness, children’s ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken language is the foundation for all future reading and writing success.
“That’s where our podcast really steps in, we focus on building that essential foundation with parents so they can help their children read with confidence, not stress,” she said.
For anyone interested in learning more or tuning into the Prepping Parents podcast, it’s available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
You can also connect with the team via their Instagram page or reach out with questions and feedback.
“We believe every parent deserves to feel empowered to support their child’s literacy journey,” Ms O’Leary said.
“It’s all about making it a shared, positive experience, one that we hope lasts long after Book Week has passed.”
