The Montessori approach to reading starts before phonological awareness by having the children match and regognise sound cylinders filled with various things. We use coins, sand, rice, bells etc. They also use bells to increase their listening attention. 
Then they move onto phonologixal awareness, then phonemic awareness.

And I agree with you Manda, when most of us talk about a phonics program we are using the generic term that encompasses phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling etc.

What are the only 2 programs that start with phonological awareness?

And by 3 hrs of phonics intense reading instruction it does include phonological awareness, songs, rhymes, letter regognition, phonics, decoding and guided decidable readers.

Also nearly all good phonics programs always start with phonologixal awareness. So there is not much novel in the approach. That is how I started with my son. But it only helped his speech so far. He was able  to isolate sounds but still unable to speak words.

Back before it was prep it was preschool and entirely play based. the only thing we were taught as how to write our names. Not other letters or math were introduced.

I also know kids that love and thrive off flashcards. I taught a girl to read a decade ago using word family flash cards. It was the method that worked for her. She later went on to become elementary valedictorian, and is thriving in middle school.  So I don't  think that there is any WRONG method of teaching reading that won't work. Nor is there any single RIGHT  method of teaching reading that will work. There is no one fits all solution. So as parents and future homeschoolers (as some of us are) we work at tailoring programs to suit the strength and weaknesses of our children.
Right now my son with limited verbal skill thrives in flash cards and whole language. And it works.

I am also finding tha while tutoring middle and upper elementary students, they have the mechanics of reading mastered. They can decode pretty much any word and read anything fluently.  What they struggle with is comprehension. Many of these students were taught with the in vogue phonics approach at the time and were excelling readers in the early elementary years.
I have just found from experience a balanced or whole language approach from the start has better comprehension levels.

I learnt to read at 3 because I tagged along with my mum when she taught remedial reading to students in my brothers class. This was back in the early 80s.
When I entered first grade I distinctly remember the approach that was taken. It was a balanced approach with phonics and high frequency word readers. I remember our little coloring books with the rhyme
Ants on and apple a...a...a...  Etc

Then I used to take home little books each night. I remember the orange spine and after doing research I am assuming that they were part of a series called Queensland readers.  Each page was the same filled with high frequency words, with the exception of one word that was inferred using a picture clue and the beginning letter sound. Not a single flashcard was used.  This is the method I had wanted to use with my son to increase is fluency and comprehension, however high frequency reader sets are hard to find.


I was stoked to find out  that in Ohio they do use the balanced reading approach introducing phonics alongside whole words.  They only use flashcards in the class for games and to increase reading speed.  In Kindergarden (Prep) they are now reading at a second grade level. And all the kids in the class are reading at the same level.
The best part about their reading program in all is that the kids spend less time on reading instruction. Less than 30 minutes a day.  This opens up the school day to work on other areas, and a lot more content is covered.

My friend works for the Sacramento Unified School District (k and 1st grade)which has adopted a heavy phonics program and they spend at least 3 hrs of their day on reading instruction.

For us speech came a long time after I started teaching my son to read. I beleife his speechonly took off after he was able to read some. Speech also came several years after teaching two boys with apraxia to read. From an anecdotal standpoint I don't believe speech is essential,mespecially if you are working with children on the spectrum.

Reading Whisperer, I would really love to see information about the research that you state. My interest is piqued. Do you have links. Or is any of it accessible on jstor?

Independent.

Always been an independent one. The other day he packed a bag full of trucks, cars, diggers  and some underwear and set of on an "'venture in the wide wide word"

Reading Whisperer,
 I fear you were mistaken about these forums. This isn't a forum placed here to sell any program. There are many advocates for Little Reader and Little Math. But you will also find just as many advocates who love using systematic phonics programs like Jolly phonics. Preschool Prep and Hooked on Phonics, Leapfrog and Monkisee  dvds and the Your baby can read series are very well received as well.   Daddudes Readingbear.org and flesch cards are also free successful programs.
There are many marketers and sellers of other products that technically compete with LR and LM that are active in this forum and have their representative status declared. Maybe it is something that could do so that you can spread the word about your program.

I do not use LR or LM because neither are within our budget. However I love coming to these forums to hear about all the amazing advice from the parents here who are believers of early learning. I have not been able to find another place like this.

As for maths. My son is currently doing basic arithmetic with maniulatives. I have demphasised counting and emphasized subtitizing to teach him. We are loosely following a Rightstart Math.

My son will be 2.5 in a few weeks. He started to read with the whole language approach. He started to read words to me before his second birthday. My son was speech delayed and his SLP at the time was trying to teach him to speak with a whole word approach rather than breaking down the words phonetically. Even though he was unable to speak he could read whole words and speak them to me flawlessly.

At about 26 months I introduced phonics sounds. Currently he knows all his single letter phonics, his digraphs and his blends. But decoding is hit and miss. If he has a limited number of letters he can create the word through trial and error. For example he will be given a c t. He will mix the letters around until he makes the word cat. But he only knows it is cat when the letters are all together because he recognises it as a whole word. sounding it out is challenging and frustrating for him. Some don't push it.

Teaching my son initially with whole words however has given him reading fluency much faster then plodding along with phonics instruction. He can read basical high frequency word books.  I will continue to use both methods to teach him. But I don't think one method  is better than the other. But I do believe that whole word is easier for younger children until they can get to that point where they can decode.

I think my son is very close to your daughters age. Born December 10th 2009.

I am An Australian living in Ohio. My husband is American. Besides my family, I miss the food more than anything. It is amazing how much food shapes you.
 
For food I would search out a World Market or Cost Plus. Those often have a decent selection of British favourites. I go there to get my fix of tim tams, Vegemite and crunchies. I have also startled to cook a lot of Aussie foods. Pavlova, sausage rolls. I served them up to some friends for Australia Day and they were a huge hit. My little Aussie boy loved the fairy bread and Vegemite on toast most of all though.
 
I know you live in the TX, but I am not sure where it is a big state, I know they have an Australian store in the San Antonio area. I am jealous of anyone who lives there. I assume there are some British food stores around. If not anywhere near you, possibly online?

My interest is also piqued by these online schools for expats. That might be something to look into.
I currently plan to homeschool my son. When he gets older I am thinking off shipping him off to Australia to visit family and possibly do school there for a month each year. The thought of parting with my son sickens me now. But I think it would be good for him. He knows his grandma very well from when we see her but more so via weekly Skype sessions.

I am Australian in the US, married to an American, and that makes my son half Australian.

Are there any Aussie-centric apps for the iPad?
My sister has been collecting an array of children's books to send to me. And my mum has sent me a play school DVD for when my son is older.
I just don't want my son to miss out on his Australian heritage.